‘Playing for free’ with so many tickets for family, Zac Gallen focuses on beating the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLCS

The Bishop Eustace grad will start against the team he grew up rooting for, but "this is about the NLCS. That’s really where my emotions are."

Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen, who will start in Game 1, meets with the media on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Alex Coffey

Published Oct. 15, 2023, 5:42 p.m. ET

Zac Gallen was born in Somerdale, Camden County, only 11 miles from Citizens Bank Park, but the Diamondbacks’ Game 1 starter is not treating this National League Championship Series against the Phillies like a vacation.

“I’m treating it like a business trip,” he said.

Gallen, 28, has a lot of family in the area, and many will be at Game 1 on Monday when he starts against Zack Wheeler, but he has not seen most of them yet. He plans to do that after his start. He’s spent most of his time at the team hotel, trying to focus on what’s ahead.

“I think it’s interesting for sure to start Game 1 in the NLCS at the field, stadium you grew up coming to as a kid, you know, coming to see teams play,” said Gallen, who starred at Bishop Eustace. “But, I mean, this is about the NLCS. That’s really where my emotions are. Still going to go through my routine. I’m playing for free here with all the tickets compared to anywhere else, but yeah, it’s about the NLCS. The external factors, I’ll block them out as best I can.”

Even if he is trying to block that out, Monday night will be surreal for his family. Gallen gave his mother, Stacey, tickets to last year’s World Series, and she told him that she’d love for him to pitch in this type of environment.

A year later, he will make that hope a reality.

“The energy here, she said was unmatched,” Gallen said. “It was like, one day I hope you get to be in an environment like this, you know, pitching in the playoffs and just the energy.

“Yeah, honestly, it’s kind of wild, the fact that here we are a year later, and it’s in the same spot where she had kind of mentioned the environment, the energy, so I’m excited.”

Game 4 starter decisions

Phillies manager Rob Thomson hasn’t named a Game 4 starter, and probably won’t until after Game 3, he said Sunday. Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sanchez are the two front-runners for that role, but neither has pitched this postseason. The last time Sanchez and Walker pitched was on Sept. 30 in New York.

They threw two innings of live batting practice on Sunday afternoon. Thomson described them as “a little rusty” but that’s to be expected. The decision will come down to bullpen usage in the first three games. Sanchez has much more experience coming out of the bullpen than Walker, and he could be used in any of the first three games.

“That’s the key right there,” Thomson said of his team’s bullpen usage. “I think we have two really good options.”

Sanchez has been more consistent than Walker this season. He had career highs in ERA (3.44) and innings (99⅓). Walker has had a few strong outings but not with the regularity of Sanchez — in large part because Walker’s velocity has fluctuated throughout the year. He posted a 4.38 ERA in 172⅔ innings.

Update on Hoskins and Covey

Thomson declined to say whether Rhys Hoskins or Dylan Covey would have a spot on the Phillies’ NLCS roster, but gave some positive updates for both. Hoskins, who tore his ACL in March, is still working out at the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla. He has been taking live at-bats and taking swings off the Trajekt pitching simulator machine.

“He’s running bases, he’s sliding, he’s doing pretty much everything except for taking ground balls,” Thomson said.

Covey, who was placed on the injured list in late September with low back pain, threw one inning of live batting practice Sunday.

“Well, we’ll see about the roster for next round, but he is healthy right now,” Thomson said.