Phillies’ 47 Year Old Moyer Shuts Out Braves in Opener
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Phillies rightfielder Jayson Werth slammed a 2 out, 3 run third inning homer on Friday and leftfielder Raul Ibanez and shortstop Wilson Valdez each lined 2 run singles in the fifth inning, all off of Braves starter Derek Lowe. Meanwhile, ageless lefthander Jamie Moyer, at 47 years old cranked up a complete game 2 hit shut out as the Phils pounded the Braves by a 7-0 score in their series opener.
With the win, the Phils maintained a 2 game NL East lead on the 2nd place Mets who beat the Giants increased their lead to 3 games over 3rd place Washington who lost to Florida.
Moyer handcuffed the entire Braves lineup and pinch hitters except for
1st baseman Troy Glaus who went 2 for 3 against him. After Glaus’s 1st hit, leading off in the second inning, he was wiped out on a ground doubleplay. After leading off with a single in the eighth inning, he was again wiped out, this time by a fielder’s choice grounder. In-between, Moyer retired 14 straight Braves. And after Glaus’ 2nd hit, Moyer retired the final 6 hitters he faced. He threw 120 pitches in the game while striking out 5 and walking none to earn his 4th win vs 2 losses in as dominating an effort as it is possible to have tossing slow-ball as Moyer does.
The offense showed plenty of pop as well as the 2nd through 6th hitters in the Phils lineup each had 2 hits with Ruiz and Valdez garnering 1 each. The only Phils starter to go hitless was centerfielder Shane Victorino who took an 0-5 collar.
AP Reporter Rob Maaddi recaps the game for Yahoo:
…Moyer tossed a two-hitter to become the oldest player in major league history to throw a shutout…
The Phillies confirmed the feat by Moyer, who accomplished it at 47 years, 170 days old. Phil Niekro was the previous oldest at 46 years, 188 days when he tossed a four-hitter for the New York Yankees against Toronto on Oct. 6, 1985.
Moyer (4-2) struck out five and faced one batter over the minimum to earn his 262nd career victory. The soft-tossing left-hander baffled Atlanta’s hitters with an assortment of low-80s fastballs and pinpoint control.
“Jamie carved us tonight,” Chipper Jones said. “The guy is 87 years old and he’s still pitching for a reason. He stays off the barrel. He changes speeds, changes the game plan and keeps you guessing.”
Derek Lowe (4-3) allowed seven runs and 11 hits in five innings for the Braves.
Lowe was 6-1 against the Phillies before this season, but is 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA against them in his last two starts.
Moyer got some defensive help in the fourth when center fielder Shane Victorino made an outstanding running catch on Omar Infante’s drive leading off the inning.
Chase Utley got the Phillies started with a two-out single in the third. After Ryan Howard singled, Werth launched his second three-run shot in two games to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead.
Singles by Placido Polanco, Utley and Howard loaded the bases in the fifth. Raul Ibanez followed with a two-run single. After an intentional walk to Carlos Ruiz, Wilson Valdez drove in two more runs with a single for a 7-0 lead.
To view the scores of all of Friday’s MLB games, click here.
In Saturday’s game 2, Joe Blanton is opposed by Kris Medlen. In Sunday’s series final, leffthander Cole Hamels is opposed by Kenshin Kawakami for the Braves.
To view all of Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, click here and here.
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