Every baseball fan knows the feeling: your team is on a roll, the energy is electric, and then—thud. The Philadelphia Phillies saw their four-game winning streak come to a crashing halt Thursday night, falling 12-1 to the Oakland Athletics in a game that was over almost as soon as it began.
After scoring 23 runs during their hot streak, the Phillies' bats went ice cold, managing just six hits in 31 at-bats while striking out nine times. But the real story of the night came from the mound, where young right-hander Andrew Painter endured the toughest outing of his burgeoning career.
From the very first pitch, Painter just didn't have it. Over 3.2 innings, he surrendered eight earned runs on seven hits, walked three batters, and served up three two-run home runs. It was the kind of night that could break a young pitcher's confidence—but Painter showed something that can't be taught: guts.
According to Phillies beat writer Jeff Kerr, interim manager Don Mattingly gave Painter the option to call it a night after three innings. Most pitchers would have taken the easy out. Not Painter. He chose to go back out for the fourth inning, determined to battle through the adversity.
"You have to learn how to deal with that stuff," Painter told Kerr. "Stuff wasn't going my way, but as a competitor you wanna go out there and just compete until you can't anymore."
That mentality is exactly what separates good pitchers from great ones. Painter acknowledged he'll need to work on his delivery with pitching coach Caleb Cotham, noting that he's been throwing "pretty predictable pitches" that hitters are seeing too well. In six starts this season, Painter is 1-4 with a 6.89 ERA and has allowed six home runs—numbers that need improvement, but the foundation of a competitor's heart is already there.
For Phillies fans, nights like this are tough to watch. But when a young arm shows the willingness to take his lumps and learn from them, that's the kind of grit that builds championship teams. Sometimes the best lessons come in the worst losses.