April 21, 2024

5 awards from the Phillies' sweep of the White Sox

The Phillies' offense and starting rotation were both totally dominant as the Fightins handled the White Sox.

By Shamus Clancy
PhillyVoice Staff

Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports

Alec Bohm smashes a home run for the Phillies in the team's City Connect uniforms.

If your offense is struggling, a series against the Chicago White Sox is the perfect remedy. Over the weekend in South Philadelphia, the Phillies swept the Sox, improving their record to 14-8 as they've won their sixth-straight game. Watching the standings in April is certainly premature, but, hey, the Phillies are currently a Wild Card team in the National League. They're right where they need to be.

Here are my five awards from the series, highlighting everything from Alec Bohm to the iconic Phillie Phanatic...

The "Twice As Nice" Award: Alec Bohm ✌️

In Friday's Phillies victory, Alec Bohm smacked a three-run home run in the first inning:

Bohm Run, baby pic.twitter.com/qAfoAI2Wfq
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 19, 2024

Two innings later, he hit another three-run homer:

Oops, he did it again#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/N4q8NAj6ks
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 19, 2024

Bohm showcased some true power there, going opposite field on the first blast and then driving his second home to deep left center. He could be on his way to replicating the 20-homer, 97-RBI campaign he posted in 2023.

The "Almost No-Hitter" Award: Spencer Turnbull and Zack Wheeler ❌

How about this Phillies rotation right now? Spencer Turnbull is only getting starts due to other pitching injuries, but he has a 1.23 ERA across four starts so far in 2024. In Friday night's 7-0 win, Turnbull pitched 6.1 innings before allowing his first hit of the night. He finished out the inning for an evening of seven scoreless frames. Huge.

Taijuan Walker is making rehab starts and is on his way back to the majors to re-join the rotation, but can you really take Turnbull and move him to the bullpen with the way he's pitching? It's undeserving to either Turnbull or Cristopher Sánchez (2.53 ERA in four starts, 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings).

Optics could play a role here. Walker, despite struggles at times in 2023, is in the second year of a contract worth $72 million. Would the Phillies really make him the longman in the bullpen? It feels doubtful. Why not trot out a six-man rotation for a bit and see how that goes?

The next day, another Phillies starter flirted with a no-hitter. Cy Young Award candidate Zack Wheeler pitched 7.1 innings of no-hit baseball. He currently leads the majors in strikeouts. Elite stuff.

Wheeler's phenomenal performance aired simultaneously as Game 1 of the Sixers' first round matchup with the Knicks on Saturday night. It conjured up images of 2010 when Roy Halladay tossed a perfect game while the Flyers were playing in the Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago. It was a bit of a double whammy, however, as Wheeler wasn't able to finish out the no-hitter and, of course, the Sixers lost in crushing fashion.

The "Crushing the Vibes" Award: Ricardo Pinto 🤦

Saturday was a breeze for the Fightins. They threw up a crooked number on Chicago, scoring nine runs. Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. In what should've been an easy-as-anything ninth inning, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

In some mop-up action, the Phils turned to Ricardo Pinto for the top of the ninth with a nine-run lead. Pinto proceeded to allow five runs. He exited the game with the tying run coming up to the plate. Again, they began the inning with a nine-run lead. Nine! When it matters most, Pinto won't be out there on the mound, but it did leave a bitter taste for what should've been a complete beatdown.

The "They Swept a Little League Team" Award: Phillies 🤣

This turn of events from the White Sox looks more like a Babe Ruth League team from 7th and Bigler than a major league ball club:

This is how the Phillies tied the game. pic.twitter.com/8zFPn2XAvY
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 21, 2024

"Yakety Sax" should be played over that video. The Phils tied the game after that and never looked back in an 8-2 victory.

The "This Should've Been the City Connect Look" Award: Phanatic hats 🧢

With its atrocious font and clash of colors, the Phillies' City Connect uniforms have been panned. A look celebrating the greatest mascot in all of sports, the Phanatic, would've been much better. Phils fans saw what might have been when the team wore their batting practice Phanatic caps on Sunday in honor of the mascot's birthday.