It was his first ever start as a Phillie at Citizens Bank Park and it could not have gone any better for Michael Lorenzen, who threw a 124-pitch no hitter on Wednesday night.
The 31-year-old had never thrown that many pitches before and credited Phillies fans with giving him an extra boost before the ninth inning, thanks to an incredible ovation.
"I was pretty calm to be honest. I just figured if what got me here was working, just keep going. The fans, honestly, gave me a boost of energy. It's easy to kind of get tired—that's the most pitches I've ever thrown and so, it's easy to feel it a little bit, but then you walk out of the dugout and you can't even hear your thoughts because the fans are going wild. You're just like, 'This is what all the work is for.' It gave me that extra boost and that extra energy to go out there and really kick it in that extra gear."
Lorenzen, who was acquired by the Phils are the trade deadline just 10 days ago, credited Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham with helping him re-discover his changeup.
"Honestly, I haven't had my good changeup for two years now. And Caleb Cotham, he pulls up a picture from 2019 when it was at its best and we see there's a different in my grip. And so today is the first day that I've throw my actual changeup in a couple years and so, I don't think it's any coincidence that this is my best start."
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