Phillies squander a strong start by Ranger Suárez that pushed him past a legend

PHOENIX — The Phillies had never lost a playoff game that Ranger Suárez started before Thursday. It isn’t hard to figure out why. It’s not just his talent, but his composure. Loose isn’t a strong enough word to describe it. He seems entirely unaffected by what’s unfolding in front of him.

This is always who Suárez has been, since he was a child, but he was particularly unflappable in the Phillies’ 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Thursday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The left-hander needed just nine pitches to work through the first inning. In the second inning, he fielded a groundout from Christian Walker and slowly threw the ball to first base.

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Two at-bats later, a ball hit by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. dropped between center fielder Johan Rojas and second baseman Bryson Stott with two outs. It was Suarez’s first hit allowed of the night, and the type of moment a team could use to spark a rally. But Suárez didn’t let it spiral. Evan Longoria hit a ground ball toward him and he responded with a comical air of nonchalance.

Suárez scooped it up with his glove, slowly walked toward first base, and soft-tossed a throw over to the bag for the third out. In the sixth, Ketel Marte launched a leadoff double to left field. Corbin Carroll hit a ground ball to first base that Bryce Harper dove for, but missed.

Stott was behind him, and made a diving stop, and Suárez, with seemingly no panic, ran toward the bag, reaching it before the speedy Diamondbacks outfielder.

“It’s incredible how calm he is out there,” said Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez, who will start Game 4.

In the postseason, the minutiae matters. A mistake can cause the momentum of a game to swing wildly. It’s an intensely scrutinized environment, and it’s not for everyone. Some players respond by playing tight. Suárez responds by staying true to his cool, calm, and collected self.

“It works for me,” Suárez said. “It doesn’t serve me to worry, so I’m not going to change it.”

The Phillies did not capitalize on the opportunity Suárez gave them. After a 10-0 victory in Game 2, their lineup got only three hits and one run in Game 3. Their bullpen — which, to be fair, had very little room for error — allowed two earned runs and three walks after Suárez exited. It was not a cool, calm and collected performance.

And that was a shame for the Phillies, since Suárez pitched himself into the record book on Thursday. After allowing just three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 5⅓ innings, he has a 0.94 ERA through his first eight postseason appearances. According to Sarah Langs of MLB, he now has the lowest postseason ERA of any pitcher since the stat became official in both leagues in 1913.

Second on the list, with a 0.95 ERA: Sandy Koufax.

“I didn’t know anything about that,” Suárez said. “I just want to help the team win when I’m on the mound. When the team wins, I feel good. I don’t give it much attention.”

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He did everything in his power to make that happen in Game 3. The Phillies could have taken a commanding 3-0 lead in the NLCS. They could have gone 8-0 in Suárez’s eight postseason starts. Instead, they handed momentum to the Diamondbacks by losing a game that he put firmly in their grasp.

“[Our starters have] been fantastic,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Walk rate, strikeout rate, soft contact rate, all of it has been really, really good. Hats off to them. I think Sanchez will come out here [Friday] and give us a good outing as well.”