Luke Williams struggled to comprehend what just happened as he crossed home plate mobbed by teammates. With family in tow, the rookie hit a two-out walk-off homer to lift the Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the Braves on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
It was the first time in franchise history that a player hit a walk-off homer in his first career start.
“I don’t know if I’ll have words to describe that moment,” Williams said. “It was pretty incredible, you know? I’m still trying to figure it all out.”
Williams, 24, was called up on Monday and collected a hit in his Major League debut on Tuesday. Days earlier, he played a pivotal role in helping Team USA qualify for the Olympics.
His father Mark, his mother Jeannine, his sister Sami and his brother Ike were at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday to witness the heroics.
“It’s pretty incredible to have them here and be able to witness it with me in person,” Williams said. “It’s pretty special. You just can’t make this up. It’s pretty incredible."
Andrew McCutchen worked a one-out walk in the ninth, setting the stage for Williams to deliver.
It's been a week to remember for Williams, a third-round pick by the Phillies in the 2015 draft, but also a chance for him to reflect on how he reached this point.
“It’s going to be hard to get back to everyone, but I’ll find a way to get back to them,” Williams said. “It wasn’t just me who got here. I had a lot of people who helped me out. Family, friends, coaches. Just thinking about them and thinking about everything that my parents have done for me. It’s pretty awesome."
Zach Eflin and a few others were huddled around a television inside the clubhouse as Williams walked to the plate.
“We were like, ‘He’s going to do it right here. Captain America is going to end this right here,’” Eflin said.
Eflin surrendered one run on eight hits over six innings. He walked two and whiffed seven.
Ranger Suarez picked up the win, tossing three scoreless innings. He's now tossed 20 1/3 innings this year without surrendering a run.
The Phillies are 29-31 on the season and trail the division-leading Mets by four games in the NL East.
The club turns to Zack Wheeler on Thursday afternoon to close out their three-game set with the Braves.
