Phillies Closer Endures Unbelievable Scenario Ahead of Four Inning Save
The Philadelphia Phillies called up Ricardo Pinto on Tuesday and his route to Citizens Bank Park before the game was quite the adventure.
When a minor leaguer gets the call from his Major League team, it’s always a good story. It’s just that Philadelphia Phillies reliever Ricardo Pinto will have a better story than most.
After Connor Brogdon’s implosion in extra innings on Monday, the Phillies had to make a move. So they designated Brogdon for assignment and called up Pinto, who was with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and had not pitched in the Majors since 2019 with Tampa Bay.
According to The Athletic, the Phillies sent a car to Allentown, Penn., to pick up Pinto, which is the home of the Iron Pigs. For those that don’t know the geography, Allenton is 63 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. The Phillies were set to play at 6:40 p.m. local time.
The Phillies sent the car at noon. That’s a 70-minute drive to Allentown, according to Google Maps. Assuming traffic wasn’t an issue and Pinto was ready to roll when the car arrived, that should have put him at the ballpark no later than 3 p.m.
Well, Philly traffic, right?
According to Pinto, he got stuck in traffic. How bad was it? He didn’t get to Citizens Bank park until the fourth inning of a tight game with the Cincinnati Reds.
While Bryce Harper was hitting dingers — three in all — Pinto had to put on his uniform, go say hello to manager Rob Thomson and head out to the bullpen to get loose and be ready.
He got one inning to get ready. In the sixth, after starter Spencer Turnbull had gone five innings and thrown 83 pitches, Thomson turned to the 30-year-old and he delivered.
Staked to a 2-1 lead when he entered the game, he threw four innings, giving up five hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out four. After Harper hit his third home run, a grand slam, Pinto had the breathing room he needed and ended up with his first career save.
Pinto started his professional career in the Phillies organization in 2011 as an international free agent. He had a cup of coffee with the Phillies in 2017, but after his release in 2018 he wandered around baseball with Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Detroit and stints in Korea, China and Mexico before re-joining the Phillies in February.
