Michael Lorenzen is having a career resurgence in 2023, and has joined elite company after his recent trade deadline move to the Philadelphia Phillies. He became the fifth player ever to throw a no-hitter in his home debut with a team, as he held the Washington Nationals to a goose egg in his outing on Wednesday night.
The team threw a classy celebration for Lorenzen in the locker room, and it's safe to say Phillies manager Rob Thomson is thrilled to have the former Tigers pitcher on the team.
“Mike, unbelievable bro. Two outings here. Eight innings the first time, saved our bullpen. Nine tonight, no hitter. Unbelievable. Welcome to Philadelphia!” Thomson cheered.
Amidst his incredible personal accomplishment, Lorenzen took some time to shout out his teammates and their defense that helped him get the job done, especially his catcher JT Realmuto.
“Appreciate it guys, JT… incredible, caught me twice… second time no-no. That's incredible… great defense everyone!” Lorenzen praised.
The 31-year-old may only have been in Philly for a week or so, but he is feeling the love from his new teammates and reciprocating it back with all of the success he has already found.
“Love you guys, thank you for being so welcoming. It means a lot,” Lorenzen finished before the champagne went flying.
Thanks in part to Lorenzen's arrival, the Phillies are now positioned squarely in line for the first NL wildcard spot. They are 3.5 games up on the final spot, and sit in the safe zone with the San Francisco Giants and division rival Miami Marlins. While the spots will change on a daily basis, the Phillies hope their second half dominance will keep them on the right side of the line as they attempt to make back-to-back deep playoff runs to the World Series.