Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 shocking 2020 season stats

Ten statistics from the unprecedented 2020 Phillies season to remember.

The 2020 Philadelphia Phillies season was one for the record books in more ways than one. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the season was delayed from late March to late July, while fans were limited to being just cardboard cutouts instead of cheering on their favorite team in person.

Here are 10 shocking Phillies statistics that came about from the bizarre 60-game schedule.

10. Phillies Return to Buffalo, New York

The 2020 season brought many twists and turns that no one could have ever predicted once pitchers and catchers reported to Clearwater in February. Among them for the Phillies included playing regular season, Major League-level games in Buffalo, New York, for the first time since September 19, 1885. The Phillies were known as the Philadelphia Quakers then, and it was just the third year of their franchise’s existence.

The Phillies faced the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo just one day for a twin bill doubleheader on August 20. The Joe Girardi-led team lost both games, despite leading 2-0 in Game 1 and 7-0 in Game 2. The final scores were 3-2 and 9-8, respectively.

The games were moved from Canada to the western New York city due to the Canadian government barring the American League East team from playing at the Rogers Centre due to COVID-19 safety protocols.

In 2010, the Phillies hosted the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park as the road team, with the designated hitter implemented. Hall of Famer Roy Halladay started one of the games. Back then, we thought the series was such an oddity for Major League Baseball. Then came the 2020 season.

9. Phillies String Together 10 Wins Across 11-Game Stretch

The Phillies did not fulfill expectations in 2020. Despite adding Didi Gregorius and Zack Wheeler — and replacing Gabe Kapler with 2009 World Series-winning manager Joe Girardi — to complement fellow stars Aaron Nola, Bryce Harper, and J.T. Realmuto, among others, the team still finished four games under .500.

When the Phillies lost their fifth-straight game on August 22, falling to 9-14 on the year, Harper made a bold prediction that the team would win 9 of its next 10 games, adding that it “needs to happen.” The Phillies did just that — and then some — winning 10 of their next 11 contests.

The streak was a first for the team since its 102-win season back in 2011, the last time they made the postseason. Hopes were high, as the Phillies turned their season around and improved to 19-15. “This is absolutely a team that can contend deep into the playoffs,” starting pitcher Jake Arrieta told reporters.

Fans know how the rest of the season unfolded. In hindsight, the Phillies somehow stringing together a stretch of 10 wins across 11 games — knowing how historically bad the bullpen was — is why this statistic is “shocking.”

More surprisingly, Harper struggled during the stretch, slashing only .143/.340/.171 with four singles, one double, two RBI, 11 walks and 13 strikeouts.

Through the 11 games, the Phillies won 5-4, 8-3, 3-2, 7-4, 4-1, 8-6, 6-0, 3-0, 6-5, and 5-3. The one loss was a 12-10 defeat to the Atlanta Braves, coincidentally in which Arrieta was charged with the losing decision.

8. Bryce Harper Going Yard Twice Not Enough

In each of his first two seasons with the Phillies, outfielder Bryce Harper has slugged two multi-home run games. During the 2019 season, Harper’s games with multiple home runs came less than a week apart in August — a 9-6 win, away against the San Francisco Giants, and an 11-1 win, home against the Chicago Cubs.

One of Harper’s games with multiple home runs this past season was a convincing, 12-3 road victory on September 23 against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals — his former team.

Six days prior, however, Harper’s two solo blasts at home against the New York Mets were not enough, as the Phillies fell 10-6; the team’s historically bad pitching staff allowing their division rival to score three runs in the sixth and four in the ninth to come away with the win.

According to Ryan Spaeder, this loss was Harper’s first in which he slugged multiple home runs in a game since September 9, 2015. The outfielder had won each of his previous 10 such contests, and 17 of 20 overall in his career.

7. Rhys Hoskins Grounds Into a Double Play Three Times in Same Game

The seventh-most surprising Phillies statistic from the 2020 season goes to the other end of the spectrum — from Harper’s multiple home run games (one that ended in a loss), to a game in which first baseman Rhys Hoskins grounded into a double play not once or twice, but three times.

According to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, Hoskins became the first Phillie hitter to do so since Placido Polanco a decade prior.

Hoskins’ 2020 season ended early, due to injury, with him slashing .245/.384/.503. His batting average dipped as low as .111 following the first game of an August 9th doubleheader opposite the Atlanta Braves. Three days later, home against the Baltimore Orioles, was the infamous game in which he grounded into three double plays. The Phillies ultimately lost the game to the American League East team by one run, 5-4.

Had just one of those double plays turned into an RBI, that could have made all the difference for the Phillies team which finished one game shy of its first postseason berth since 2011.

6. Phillies Solve Jacob deGrom Early On

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has been among the best pitchers in Major League Baseball ever since his May 2014 debut. Spanning the past three seasons, specifically, the right-handed pitcher has combined to post a 2.10 ERA and 0.943 WHIP through 76 starts — earning him multiple All-Star nods, Cy Young Awards, and top-10 Most Valuable Player Award finishes.

DeGrom, a former ninth-round draft pick, has had considerable success against the Phillies as well, going 8-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.010 WHIP across 17 starts, two in which he threw complete games. His most recent start against the Joe Girardi-led team was one to forget, however.

Coming into a September 16 road start at Citizens Bank Park, deGrom was 4-1 with a 1.67 ERA on the 2020 season through nine starts. He had won each of his last two starts, while combining for 21 strikeouts. Success did not translate over in South Philadelphia, however, as deGrom threw just two innings — allowing four hits, three runs, and one walk, while striking out just one of his 11 batters faced. After, it was revealed that deGrom was dealing with a hamstring spasm. The Mets wound up still winning the game 5-4, sparing him a losing decision.

According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, the start was the first time deGrom did not strike out an opposing batter the first time through the order since April 10, 2017 — also against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

DeGrom’s ERA rose from 1.67 to 2.09 after the rare short-lived outing; the seven-year veteran ended the year with a still-impressive 2.38 ERA.

5. A Strong Showing for First-Round Picks

With just 12 games remaining in the 2020 season and a postseason berth on the line, the Phillies rolled out a unique lineup in a September 17 home contest against the New York Mets.

Aaron Nola was the team’s starting pitcher; Adam Haseley and Mickey Moniak their starting center fielder and left fielder, respectively; and Alec Bohm their starting third baseman. All four players were former Phillies first-round draft picks. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time their lineup featured as many such players since September 26, 2006 — with pitcher Brett Myers, outfielder Pat Burrell, catcher Mike Lieberthal, and infielder Chase Utley. Three of those players won a World Series with the team just more than two years later.

Also, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber notes that the September 17, 2020, game was the first time in seven years that any former No. 1 overall picks were in the same outfield for a Major League team since the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013 — with Delmon Young (2003) and Tim Beckham (2008).

Moniak (2016) joined Bryce Harper (2010, Washington Nationals) in the rare feat.

4. Homer-happy Phillies

The Phillies scored 10 runs or more in seven games this past season. In four of the games, they scored 12 runs or more, and in two they scored 13 runs.

The Joe Girardi-led team got off to a fast start in their 13-8 home win against the Atlanta Braves, in particular. Through the first four innings of the game, five different players hit a home run — Harper, Roman Quinn, Didi Gregorius, Jean Segura, and J.T. Realmuto.

According to Ryan Spaeder, it was the first time they accomplished the feat since April 27, 1965 — when Dick Allen, Wes Convington, Tony Gonzalez, Clay Dalrymple, and Johnny Callison homered more than 55 years prior.

1. Hector Neris Did Not Allow a Single Home Run

The 2020 Phillies bullpen was historically bad, combining for the second-worst ERA in Major League Baseball history — 7.06.

Spanning 189 appearances, the group committed more blown saves (12) than successful saves (11); across 186 innings, it surrendered 246 hits, 159 runs (146 earned), 87 walks, and 42 home runs.

Surprisingly, closer Hector Neris accounted for none of the 42 home runs surrendered among Phillies relievers. Neris appeared in 24 games and 21 2/3 innings in 2020, and even blew three of his eight save opportunities. Yet, none of his 11 earned runs allowed through 21 2/3 frames were via a home run. Neris was coming off of two straight seasons allowing 10 or more home runs, both years under then-manager Gabe Kapler.

The Phillies recently agreed to terms with Neris on a one-year contract for $5 million, slightly more than a month after declining his $7 million club option. He will be a part of an overall new-look bullpen under Caleb Cotham, who replaced Bryan Price as pitching coach this offseason.

There is a lot to remember from the 2020 season in more ways than one, as seen from just these 10 stats alone. The Phillies will look to return to some normalcy in 2021, not only with fans in attendance at Citizens Bank Park — inside and not behind the center field gates — but also perhaps reach the postseason for the first time in a decade.

Just who will be on the roster during that effort remains to be seen.