By PATRICK GORDON | Managing Editor
April 12 2015, 9:00 AM EST.
@PGordonPBR
PHILADELPHIA - With chunks of a shaving-cream pie hanging from his dreadlocks, Odubel Herrera stood in front of his locker with a big smile.
The 23-year-old Venezuelan collected his first major league hit, slashing an 0-2 pitch down the right field line to score Carlos Ruiz in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday night to push the Phillies to a 3-2 win over the Nationals.
As Herrera rounded first base he was mobbed by teammates. Moments later, during a postgame interview, fellow countryman Freddy Galvis nailed him in the face with a celebratory shaving-cream pie.
"I always think positive," Herrera said through a translator, Phillies' first-base coach Juan Samuel. "I am very pleased that the first base hit of my major-league career was as big as that one."
Ruiz made a key play himself in the 10th, tagging up from first base on a Grady Sizemore fly out to deep left. If he hadn't advanced, the outcome of the contest may have been different as he wouldn't have been in scoring position.
Ruiz also notched the game-tying run with an eighth-inning single.
With one out in the top of the 10th, Ben Revere ensured the contest remained tied by throwing out Washington's Michael Taylor who was trying to score from second base on a single to left.
"One-hop right on the money," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "It really looks like his arm plays in left field pretty well."
"Maybe now they will change their scouting reports," said a smiling Revere. "You just don't know what I'm capable of out there."
The victory marked the second consecutive come-from-behind victory for the Phillies over the Nationals and the first time the club has been above .500 since early May of last season.
"It's nice to be sitting here with a winning record," Revere said. "We know there's a ton more to do though."
Herrera was 0-for-9 on the season before collecting his game-winning hit. He had never played above Double A before making the Phillies’ roster as a Rule 5 player in spring training.
"I'm very grateful that things have happened this way for me," Herrera said, "and hopefully I can stick around for a long time."
Dustin McGowan earned the win after tossing a scoreless 10th inning. Cole Hamels, who made his second start of the season, pitched seven innings and surrendered just two hits, though one was a solo home run to Wilson Ramos.
- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is the top baseball news source in Philadelphia, providing news coverage and analysis of all things baseball related in the Philadelphia region.
• A 2-piece fusion handle that eliminates vibrations upon impact and allows high performance and a great feel.
• A Carbon Reinforced Paradox Composite Handle that provides the stiffness required to translate energy from bat onto ball.
• A Thermo Fused Taper that redirects energy back into the barrel to induce a two-fold effect – increased propel of the ball on impact and a further reduction in vibration for the player.
• Use of an X10 Alloy that allows the thinnest barrel walls possible to reduce weight while maintaining power and precision.
• An RCK knob to firmly rest the bat in your hands for ultimate control.