A communication issue with the bullpen phone resulted in Phillies outfielder Jeff Francoeur pitching more than the team would have liked in a 19-3 blowout loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
The Phillies were down 17-3 to the Orioles when they decided to have Frenchy pitch the seventh inning. He retired the side in order, even recording a strikeout, posting the only inning in which the Orioles didn’t score.
“I was able to save the bullpen,” Francoeur said after the game. “I wanted to do it.”
What Francoeur probably didn’t envision was sticking it out through the eighth even when he got into trouble.
Frenchy allowed a leadoff home run, then a hit by pitch and two walks to load the bases in the eighth. It was then when the Phillies wanted to get another pitcher to warm up and spare Francoeur, whose pitch count was rising. There was only one problem: the bullpen phone was off the hook, so they were unable to get through to bullpen coach Rod Nichols.
Pitching coach Bob McClure had to wave a towel to get his attention.
Ump, don’t you see the Phillies surrendering? #FoilPhilly pic.twitter.com/hHf3BMo9M9
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) June 17, 2015
They finally got McClure’s attention, but by then it was already too late. Francoeur, who pitched over seven innings in the minor leagues last year, finished out the inning and the game ended in a 19-3 loss.
Frenchy’s final line included two innings pitched, one hit allowed, three walks, a hit by pitch, a strikeout and two runs. Hey, it could have been a lot worse.
