You know you’ve arrived as a PhiladelphiaPhillies athlete when, for a brief second, you’re hearing “boos” but are instead hearing the favorable sound of fans chanting your name or nickname.
After Twenty years Flyers backup goalie Dominic Roussel heard the crowd’s “Roooos” with every critical save he made. Fellow Flyers goalie Brian Boucher listened to the sweets sounds of “Boooosh.” Raul Ibanez hears “Rauuuuls” and Carlos Ruiz is greeted with “Chooooch.” Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, rookie reliever Mike Stutes entered the eight inning of a one-run game. When he recorded three quick outs, two by strikeout, the “Stoooots” cheers grew louder from the 45,361 people packed inside the park. “I make an effort to block out all that stuff and pay attention to what’ s ?happen out on the field,” Stutes said afterward. Whether or not Stutes heard the chants was out of the point. Sunday didn’t mark his arrival as a force to be reckoned with in the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen; it’s just his most recent, controlling performance since being summoned to the big leagues on Easter Sunday. The 24-year-old Stutes, one of the final cuts before Opening Day, hasn’t allowed a run in 18 of his 21 appearances in the big leagues. He’s held opponents to a .185 batting average and a .601 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). Stutes has walked 10 while striking out 21 batters in 181/3 innings. Among Phillies relievers, his 10.1 strikeouts-per-nine innings is just advance ?Ryan Madson (9.93, 15th among NL relievers) and just behind Antonio Bastardo (10.80, 10th among NL relievers). Stutes first display his stuff to the major league staff this spring, when he struck out nine in nine Grapefruit League innings while admitting just one earned run. In the four years the Phils have won consecutive MLB National LeagueEast crowns, their bullpen has been blanketed with veterans, most acquired through trades or free agency. Among those hired arms: Contreras, Brad Lidge, Scott Eyre, J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon, Chad Durbin, Danys Baez and Chan Ho Park. But the young reliever revolution has taken off in the first 2? months of the season with Bastardo and Stutes. Both have try to graduate from untested youngsters to blieved , late-inning relievers. “They’ve been getting people out, that’s what it is,” Manuel stated bluntly. “Bastardo and Stutes, both, they’ve good at job. They’ve been the ones that have been getting people out.”
