5 Best individual Phillies’ performances of 2021

While the Philadelphia Phillies failed to make the playoffs once again, there were still memorable moments, including five big individual performances.

The Philadelphia Phillies finished the season with an 82-80 record, 6.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, and eight games back of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card standings.

While the team failed to make the postseason for the 10th straight year, they did finish with a winning record for the first time since 2011. And, there were many highlights and noteworthy moments from a club fielding All-Stars, the NL MVP, and award hopefuls.

Here are the five best individual performances from Phillies games this season…

#5 Philadelphia Phillies individual performance: Luke Williams walk-off

Luke Williams, a third-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2015, started this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before making his major-league debut on June 8, at home against the Atlanta Braves, where he singled in his lone plate appearance, pinch-hitting against Drew Smyly.

As impressive as that was, his big individual performance came the following day against the Braves. He started the game in center field, striking out in his first at-bat against Tucker Davidson, in the second inning.

Williams’ next chance to face Davidson came in the fourth inning, where he hit his first career major league double on the second pitch. He moved from center field to third base in the seventh inning, before striking out to reliever Tyler Matzek in the bottom of the frame.

The Phillies entered the home half of the ninth inning trailing 1-0. Rhys Hoskins struck out, Andrew McCutchen walked and Brad Miller popped out to second base. This brought Williams to the plate with the team down to its final out. On the second pitch from Braves closer Will Smith, Williams hit his first career home run to left field, a walk-off two-run blast.

Luke Williams stat line: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

#3 Philadelphia Phillies individual performance: Bryce Harper 5-hit game

Unsurprisingly, Bryce Harper’s MVP-winning season featured multiple games where he fell just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. But it was a July 6 game at the Chicago Cubs that stood out.

Harper helped get the action going early against a former teammate when he singled off Jake Arrieta in the first inning. That loaded the bases for Andrew McCutchen, who hit a grand slam. Harper singled against Arrieta for the second time in the second inning to load the bases once again.

The right-fielder faced Trevor Williams in the fourth inning, with runners on first and second base and nobody out. He hit a ground-rule double on the second pitch to drive in Jean Segura. His lone out came against Williams in the sixth inning, with a groundout to second base.

Harper returned to the plate in the seventh inning, with the Phillies leading 12-4. With two runners on base and a new pitcher in the game, Harper hit a home run to right field on the first pitch from Dan Winkler. The home run also gave him a chance at the cycle, with his one opportunity coming in the ninth inning, where he had to settle for a single against Brad Wieck.

Bryce Harper stat line: 5-6, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI

#2 Philadelphia Phillies individual performance: Brad Miller 3-home run game

As a bench player and spot starter on the Phillies, Brad Miller was an unlikely offensive leader against the Chicago Cubs on July 8 at Wrigley Field. He started at first base in a weekday game broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Miller was a quick out in the first inning, grounding out on the second pitch from Adbert Alzolay. With the Phillies ahead 1-0, he faced Alzolay again in the third inning, this time hitting a two-out solo home run.

Miller one-upped his previous at-bat again, when he faced Alzolay in the fifth inning, with a runner on second base and two outs. With two strikes against him, Miller hit a home run along the right-field line to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead.

Jean Segura started the seventh inning with a single against Cory Abbott, bringing Miller to the plate, having already worn the home run hat twice. He proved that he had the hot hand on the first pitch, hitting another home run along the right-field line to complete the hat trick. This marked his first career three-home run game, with the feat coming in his ninth major league season.

Brad Miller stat line: 3-5, 3 HR, 5 RBI

#1 Philadelphia Phillies individual performance: Aaron Nola 10 straight strikeouts

Arguably the best individual performance of the Phillies season came in the first game of a doubleheader, on June 25 at the New York Mets. Aaron Nola entered the game looking to redeem himself from his previous outing, where he gave up six runs in 2 1/3 innings at the San Francisco Giants.

Nola had a rough start to this game, hitting Jeff McNeil on the second pitch before giving up a double to Francisco Lindor. He then responded with consecutive strikeouts to Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, and Dominic Smith to get out of the jam.

That was the start of a remarkable stretch for the 2018 Cy Young Award finalist. Nola struck out James McCann and Kevin Pillar to begin the bottom of the second inning before a tense moment, with a full count to Luis Guillorme. The 3-2 count didn’t last long, however, with a sixth pitch swinging strike to end the inning.

Nola found himself in the same position to start the bottom of the third inning, with a full count to pitcher Taijuan Walker before a sixth pitch strike. McNeil and Lindor came to the plate for the second time, with both striking out swinging, including a three-pitch at-bat for Lindor.

Nola struck out Conforto to start the bottom of the fourth inning before a double by Alonso snapped the streak at 10 consecutive strikeouts. Ironically, the streak tied a major league record set by Mets legend Tom Seaver in 1970. The previous Phillies franchise record was seven straight strikeouts, achieved on three occasions.

Aaron Nola stat line: 5.1 IP (99 pitches), 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 SO

Philadelphia Phillies’ individual performances: Honorable mentions

Hoskins 6-RBI game

One of Rhys Hoskins’ best games of the season was on the road, against an eventual 107-win San Francisco Giants on June 19. He hit a two-run home run against Alex Wood, with two outs in the second inning, to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. He also had an RBI double against Zack Littell in the sixth inning and a three-run home run against Conner Menez, with two outs in the seventh inning.

Suárez complete-game shutout

Ranger Suárez’s spectacular season included a complete-game shutout in his penultimate appearance, a home start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 25. He retired 15 of his first 16 batters faced and had no more than one baserunner in a single inning. He gave up four hits but no walks, while striking out seven, in an outing where he threw just 97 pitches, also known as a Maddux game.

Miller walk-off grand slam

Brad Miller provided the exclamation point in a remarkable Phillies comeback from a 7-0 deficit in the second game of a doubleheader, on July 29 against the Washington Nationals. Miller’s two hits came late in the game. He hit a two-out single against Wander Suero in the seventh inning, which helped lead to three runs and a tied game.

Miller then came to the plate with the bases loaded and the Phillies trailing by a run in the eighth inning. He hit a grand slam on the fourth pitch from Sam Clay to end the game.

Torreyes 3-hit and 3-HR game

Ronald Torreyes carried the offense on July 11 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He came up with the Phillies’ first hit of the game, with a single in the third inning against former Phillie Nick Pivetta. His next plate appearance came with two outs in the fourth inning against Pivetta, where he hit a three-run home run above the “Green Monster.” He later singled in the ninth inning and also had a stolen base in the game.