Pinch Hitting Hero

Nick Williams -- seen here in a spring training game against the Orioles -- was the difference maker in the Phillies 6-5 Monday night win over the Reds. Sitting on the bench near a heater (as he told the post-game TV interview) through 7-1/2 frigid innings, he got the call from manager Gabe Kapler to pinch hit for reliever Luis Garcia. With a 3-1 count, Williams got a Kevin Quackenbush pitch he liked and CRUSHED it. A no-doubt-about-it 417 foot blast that landed in the center field bullpen to give the Phils the lead for keeps.
It was a night for power and up-and-coming stars. Williams' homer was the Phils' third of the game, with the club's two top homegrown players Rhys Hoskins and Scott Kingery supplying the others.
A nice rebound for Williams, who's one of several Phillies who seem to be perpetually auditioning for a job. A few days after making the wrong kind of headlines with his criticism of Kapler and GM Matt Klentak's reliance on analytics, Williams needs more moments like this to raise his standing with the organization.

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