Reds utility man Scooter Gennett has had himself quite the season.
In this, his fifth year in the Bigs, Gennett has already set career bests in home runs and RBIs and will likely reach new heights for a full season in batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS, etc.
He also did some record-breaking with a four-home run, 10-RBI day in June.
But nothing will compare with earlier this week, when he hit his 20th home run and came in for mop-up pitching duty in a 15-5 loss to the Cubs.
In doing so, Gennett became only the second player in MLB history to hit his 20th home run in a game in which he pitched.
The other player to do so also had a nickname.
Babe.
Put that on your resume.
Prior to Tuesday night, Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett was hitting .270/.308/.450 with three homers and 20 RBIs. He had produced 0.4 WAR in 46 games this season.
One day later, he stands at .302/336/.578 with seven homers and 30 RBIs. He is now a well-above-average hitter and has produced 1.2 WAR in 47 games.
That's what a four-homer, five-for-five game will do for a slappy utility player.
By the way, the four-homer game is rarer yet than a perfect game, hitting for the cycle or Scott Kazmir DL stints. The list of four-homer performers (17 of them) includes:
Lou Gehrig,
Gil Hodges,
Joe Adcock,
Rocky Colavito,
Willie Mays,
Mike Schmidt,
Bob Horner,
Shawn Green,
Carlos Delgado,
Josh Hamilton.
And now Scooter Gennett.
The smallest number of lifetime homers among the previous 16 is Bobby Lowe's 71. He played for the Boston Beaneaters.
Gennett is now at 42.
Scooter Gennett.
Get that launch angle up, friends.
It only took one day. One day to remind us of the save's utter fecklessness, and to make us wonder anew why it hasn't been retired to the junk pile, along with the game-winning RBI and the hold.
I refer to the Opening Day tilt between the Phillies and Reds, very possibly a match-up of divisional basement residents. In that game, the Phils held a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth when they brought in their closer, Mr. Jeanmar Gomez.
Jeanmar the Bullpen Keystone
Ol' Jeanmar earned his closer stripes by notching 37 of 43 saves last season, and also by sucking somewhat less than the rest of the Philadelphia bullpen. In his 69 innings, he allowed a 1.46 WHIP, a .289 batting average and 4.85 ERA. Baseball-reference.com suggests his value was less than replacement level.
Maybe some of that was the immobile, aging defense the Phillies rostered behind him. With the detritus cleared out, maybe Gomez is a better pitcher than those numbers indicate.
Saving the Victory
Well, don't tell yesterday that. Needing three outs to earn a save, Gomez got one, allowed a Zack Cozart single, fanned another and the watched mighty Scooter Gennett take him yard. I don't know anything about the single, but I doubt the dinger could be blamed on Ryan Howard's iron glove, even if he were still playing.
Gomez settled down to coax out number three for a 4-3 win and the save.
Gomez earned the save solely because the Phillies had the foresight to craft a three-run lead. Consider this:
- Had Gomez entered a 2-1 game he would have earned a loss.
- Had he entered a 3-1 game a blown save would stain his record.
- A 5-1 score would not have provided him with a save opportunity.
This is a very wise policy. At this rate, the Phils will win all their games, Jeanmar will break the saves record and small children 50 years from now will sing paeans to his door-shutting powers. The 18.00 ERA will be lost to history.
Which should be the fate of the save.
In this, his fifth year in the Bigs, Gennett has already set career bests in home runs and RBIs and will likely reach new heights for a full season in batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS, etc.
