CLEARWATER, FLA. – Bryce Harper, a two-time National League MVP, went on the Phillies broadcast after striking out Saturday with a warning: “If Bailey Ober throws 95 [mph] like that, good luck to everyone in the Central Division.”
Bailey Ober earns high praise from Bryce Harper after dominant start in Twins loss to Phillies
The righthander retired nine of 10 batters and struck out seven while hitting nearly 95 mph on the radar gun.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 2, 2024 at 9:02PM
Ober actually topped out at 94.8, according to StatCast, but Harper’s point was made. The Twins righthander retired nine of the 10 hitters he faced, seven of them with strikeouts, and made only one mistake pitch, which Nick Castellanos lined into the bullpens in left field.
Ober was understandably pleased with his outing, and the unsolicited endorsement. “May he speak it into existence,” Ober joked. “I was feeling good coming into the game, and the ball was coming out really well.”
Ryan Jeffers homered for the Twins, Brooks Lee doubled in a run, and the Phillies never managed another run while the major league veterans were in the game. But two singles and a Felix Reyes double off Jordan Balazovic in the seventh inning enabled Philadelphia to rally for a 3-2 victory at BayCare Ballpark.
The Twins, who dropped to 0-4 on the road in Grapefruit League play, threatened to tie the score by putting two runners on base with one out in the ninth inning, but former first-round pick Aaron Sabato hit into a double play to end the game
Neal: La Velle Neal, Pedro Martínez and a look back at a controversial American League MVP vote
Twenty-five years ago, Martínez finished second in AL MVP balloting — because La Velle didn't vote for the Red Sox ace.
