Watching new Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo go up against the Dodgers last night was one of those things that could remind one of everything there ever was to love about baseball in the first place. Consider, for instance, the simple reversal of fortune: Just a week ago, Bastardo — a 23-year-old kid from the Dominican Republic with a mean fastball — was on the grind in the minors, where he’d been for the last two years, after the Phillies had signed him and then farmed him out to a number of minor league teams. But after Brett Myers went on the DL, Bastardo was called up and made his MLB debut last Tuesday, pitching a solid game against the Padres. Cut to last night: A Sunday night ESPN broadcast against the Dodgers, who currently hold the best record in baseball, and generally believe that they’re God’s gift to the sport. And it’s Bastardo’s second game in the majors ever. The Dodgers probably believed they’d eat Bastardo for breakfast, but not so. The kid pitched a solid game, and frankly, it was impossible not to root for him with all your heart. For one, whether he turns out to be part of The Solution or not, Bastardo is the kind of young, solid upstart that could go a long way in helping with the Phils’ longstanding Pitching Problem. For another, the kid held it down. It’s a long way from Reading to Los Angeles, but Bastardo smoked more than a few Dodgers last night with a quiet dignity that must have seemed 100% foreign to those jerks. Plus, the kid’s name is Bastardo. Just consider the potential, in this city, for jersey sales alone.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 11:35 am.