Battle Between Aging Lefties Ends with Johnson as Victor
A battle between two forty-year-old left-handed pitchers during last night’s Diamondbacks and Phillies ended with Randy Johnson as the victor. The Diamondbacks came away with a win, defeating the Phillies 4 - 3. For Johnson, it was a return to form as he had missed his last start due to a bout of tendinitis.
Johnson pitched one-bit ball over six shutout innings. Pitching for the Phillies was Jamie Moyer. Johnson is 43-years-old and Moyer is 44. For the Phillies, this was another setback in a frustrating year. The team has now slipped back under .500 for the season.
With the win, Arizona swept the three-game series against the Phillies. The last time the two teams met, the Philllies managed to win with a pinch-hit grand slam from Ryan Howard. This time Howard lined into a double play.
“There’s too much talent in here to not think they’re capable of doing that,” said Johnson after the game.
Johnson also stated that he felt some stiffening during this outing, which is why he left after six innings. He blamed it on his 10-day layoff.
“I knew I was good enough to pitch,” said Johnson. “The first couple of innings I was kind of reluctant, kind of hesitant of letting things go. As the game progressed, I started getting better.”
Date: May 31, 2007
Article: Diamondbacks deflect ninth-inning rally to stop Phillies
Reference: ESPN
Reference: Major League Baseball
Reference: Arizona Diamondbacks