Can a pitcher have a better introduction to his new team and fanbase than Michael Lorenzen?
After allowing two runs over eight innings in his Phillies debut in Miami, Lorenzen on Wednesday night authored the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history and first since Cole Hamels' in 2015.
He was at 100 pitches through seven innings and hadn't exceeded 103 since 2015, his rookie season. But manager Rob Thomson left the efficient right-hander out for the eighth inning and he finished it on just 11 pitches to put himself in play for the ninth. He ended up throwing 124.
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The Phillies might not have pushed Lorenzen as far as they did if not for upcoming off-days Monday and Thursday next week. They will have the ability to get him an extra day or days.
Lorenzen walked four. He picked up 12 outs through the air. Center fielder Johan Rojas was especially busy, corralling nine of them himself in the Phillies' 7-0 win.
It was a night of goosebumps at Citizens Bank Park. Weston Wilson, a 28-year-old outfielder who had played more than 700 minor-league games, made his MLB debut and homered in his first plate appearance.
Wilson sent the third pitch he saw, an 82 mph curveball from Washington left-hander Mackenzie Gore, into the left-field seats. It was an emotional moment for his family in attendance at Citizens Bank Park.
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The solo shot extended the lead the Phillies built in the first inning when Bryce Harper hit a one-out RBI double and Nick Castellanos followed with a two-run blast. The Phils have taken two of three so far in their four-game series against the Nationals.
The Phillies are 63-52 with four games remaining on their homestand. They have 18 games left in August and 13 are at home.
Wilson was called up from Triple A, where he hit 25 homers this season, over the weekend when Brandon Marsh ran into the wall and injured his knee. He reflected on his long, roundabout journey to the majors earlier this week.
Wilson started in left field Wednesday as Kyle Schwarber sat for the first time this season in Game No. 115. After homering in the second inning, he walked, stole second and scored in the fourth, then walked and scored again in the seventh.
Trea Turner led off as the designated hitter and extended his hit streak to six with a line-drive single up the middle in his first at-bat. Thomson said Turner was the only option he considered to lead off on a night Schwarber and Bryson Stott sat. Turner had a multi-hit game and is 9-for-23 (.391) with four doubles, a homer and six RBI in his last six games.
Castellanos homered twice and is in the midst of his most powerful stretch as a Phillie. He's gone deep five times in nine August games, has 11 home runs in his last 167 plate appearances and 200 for his career.
The Phillies face another southpaw, Patrick Corbin (7-11, 5.03), in Thursday's series finale. Aaron Nola (9-8, 4.58) makes his 24th start.