The Philadelphia Phillies boast arguably the best starting pitcher duo in the MLB with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Their No. 3 starter, Ranger Suarez, is pitching like an ace too in 2024 and showing no signs of slowing down.
The crafty left-hander earned his ninth win of the season in his 10th start on Tuesday, striking out 10 Texas Rangers hitters across seven innings in a 5-2 Phillies win. His ERA dropped to 1.36, making him the first MLB pitcher since Juan Marichal in 1966 to win at least nine games and post a sub-1.50 ERA across his first 10 appearances in a season, per Sarah Langs. Only two other pitchers have done this over the last 111 years since earned runs became an official stat in 1913.
Adding his strikeout numbers to the mix, Suarez is the only one of the four to have at least 65 strikeouts across his first 10 appearances, according to OptaSTATS. Suarez ranks seventh in the MLB with 68 strikeouts.
His Phillies teammates and manager Rob Thomson are running out of ways to describe his unbelievable beginning of the season.
“It's kind of mind-boggling, you know?” Thomson said, per Paul Casella. “The historic run that he's been on, he's just been pitching great. Knock on wood, he keeps it going.”
Suarez used five different pitches to garner his 10 strikeouts on Tuesday, matching his career-high for Ks in a single game. He's a win away from tying the most he has had in a season when he went 10-7 in 2022. He could earn it before the calendar flips to June.
Ranger Suarez turning into something special
Although they likely didn’t expect it to go this well, the Phillies envisioned Ranger Suarez hitting another gear before the season. They always wanted to believe he had more to give and everything fell into place this year to make that a reality.
After a work visa issue delayed his return to the United States before the 2022 season and an injury hampered his progress during spring training in 2023, Suarez had a full spring training with the Phillies this year. It's incredible how big of a difference a few extra weeks to prepare for the season has been for the 28-year-old Venezuelan.
Suarez was never an elite prospect and was used mainly in relief through 2021 after making his MLB debut in July 2018. The Phillies added him to the rotation permanently in August 2021 and the transition was as smooth as you could imagine. He posted a 1.51 ERA in 12 starts, finishing the season with five consecutive quality starts.
Some inconsistency followed him over the next two seasons, but Suarez remained a key part of Philadelphia's deep playoff runs each season. He recorded the final two outs in Game 5 of the 2022 NLCS, helping the Phillies clinch their first pennant since 2009.
The jump to ace status might surprise some people in the organization, but Ranger Suarez seems poised and polished enough to make this his persona. That's a dangerous thing for the Phillies to have and a scary thought for the rest of the MLB.
Phillies stay red hot as 50-game mark approaches
The Phillies have owned the best record in baseball for almost the entire month of May. As the season rolls on, more and more impressive stats and history come from it.
The Phillies improved to 35-14 with their win on Tuesday. Only one other Phillies team in the franchise's 142-year history won that many times in its first 49 games.
Philadelphia has won 27 of its last 33 games. No other Phillies team has done that. They're on pace to win 115 games, one shy of tying the MLB record set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners. They've been almost unbeatable at Citizens Bank Park, posting a 20-8 record at home.
It is an unprecedented and unimaginable start to a season that few saw coming. The Phillies might have the most connected clubhouse in the MLB, with the vibes oozing out of their dugout both at home and on the road. That team chemistry is one of the many reasons they're among the favorites to win the World Series.
Heartbreaking ends to the last two seasons could have haunted this Phillies team. Instead, they're rewriting the history books and becoming appointment viewing nightly.
This could be only the beginning of an unforgettable summer in Philadelphia. The Phillies have their sights set on October, but the ride to get there appears much smoother this season than in the previous two. Maybe it will end with a third trip down Broad Street for the Fightin's.
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