MLB · Pitching Data
Evan Phillips, Pitch by Pitch: NLCS Game 3 Analysis
Phillips needed 10 pitches and three hitters to finish the seventh. A sweeper-induced double play explains how a leadoff single became a scoreless inning.
Joey Ortiz took Evan Phillips’ 97.1 mph fastball for a strike, missed an 88.5 mph sweeper and lined the next sweeper toward first base. Freddie Freeman caught it and completed an unassisted double play, ending the seventh inning.
Phillips had taken over after Milwaukee’s consecutive home runs off Blake Snell put the Dodgers behind 4–2. He allowed Cooper Pratt’s leadoff single but finished the inning in 10 pitches. He recorded three outs against three hitters without a walk or strikeout in the eventual 6–2 loss.
His comparison is 423 physical pitches in 31 regular-season Dodgers relief appearances from July 7 through September 27. The sample matches his relief role rather than treating all season appearances as interchangeable.
Season repertoire and Game 3
Scale: 0–100%. Gray: regular season. Blue: Game 3.
Four-seam fastball
Change: +4.8 percentage points.
Sweeper
Change: +2.9 percentage points.
Sinker
Change: +2.4 percentage points.
Cutter
Change: -10.2 percentage points.
A sweeper away supplied the final contact
Phillips threw five four-seamers, four sweepers and one sinker. That 50.0%, 40.0% and 10.0% distribution was close to the baseline’s 45.2%, 37.1% and 7.6%, with the remaining season classifications preserved in the chart. Ten pitches describe this inning’s choices but offer a narrow basis for a repertoire change.
His four-seamers averaged 97.1 mph, against 96.9 in the baseline. Sweepers averaged 87.5 against 86.2. The sweepers supplied his only miss, on three attempts, and one called strike. The fastball supplied the other called strike.
Both sweepers to Ortiz finished beyond the outer edge of the defined ball-center rectangle for a right-handed hitter. Ortiz missed the first and contacted the second at 84.1 mph. The sequence shows a location and response pattern in this plate appearance without requiring a claim about the target Phillips intended to hit.
Pitch measurements and hitter response
| Pitch | Count | Mean mph | Max mph | Mean spin rpm | Induced vertical break in. | Horizontal movement magnitude in. | Misses / attempts | Called strikes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four-seam fastball | 5 | 97.1 | 98.0 | 2449 | 15.3 | 10.1 | 0 / 2 | 1 |
| Sweeper | 4 | 87.5 | 88.5 | 2700 | -2.4 | 15.3 | 1 / 3 | 1 |
| Sinker | 1 | 96.1 | 96.1 | 2300 | 10.6 | 16.2 | 0 / 1 | 0 |
All outing pitches have speed, spin, movement, extension and plate-location measurements. Movement uses Savant’s explicit induced-vertical and horizontal fields. Misses include caught foul tips and missed bunts under the event definitions below. Pitch-type movement averages use all pitches of that classification.
Joey Ortiz: inning 7
Three balls in play, three outs
Pratt singled on the outing’s only sinker, hit at 93.6 mph. Luis Lara then flew out on a 97.3 mph four-seamer after a five-pitch plate appearance. Ortiz’s liner became two outs because Freeman caught it and retired the runner, a defensive event that an individual pitch’s exit velocity cannot fully describe.
All three balls in play have measured exit velocities, averaging 88.3 mph. None reached 95 mph. Phillips generated one miss in six swing attempts, so the scoreless inning depended primarily on contact outcomes and the double play rather than strikeouts.
The appearance preserved a two-run deficit for Los Angeles. Its useful analytical distinction is how Phillips recovered from the opening single: he maintained familiar pitch usage, reached an 0–2 count against Ortiz and got a playable liner that Freeman converted into the inning’s last two outs.
Inning samples in context
| Inning | Pitches | Cumulative | Four-seam fastball mph | Measured n | Outs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 10 | 10 | 97.1 | 5 | 3 |
Every pitch: 10 of 10
Search a hitter, select an inning or pitch type, then inspect a pitch number. Pitch result and completed plate-appearance outcome are separate columns. The table scrolls within its border.
10 of 10 pitches
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| Pitch | Inning | Hitter | Count before | Type | mph | Pitch result | Completed PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Cooper Pratt | 0–0 | FF | 95.9 | Ball | Single | |
| 7 | Cooper Pratt | 1–0 | SI | 96.1 | In play, no out | Single | |
| 7 | Luis Lara | 0–0 | ST | 86.8 | Foul | Flyout | |
| 7 | Luis Lara | 0–1 | FF | 98.0 | Ball | Flyout | |
| 7 | Luis Lara | 1–1 | ST | 87.2 | Called Strike | Flyout | |
| 7 | Luis Lara | 1–2 | FF | 97.1 | Foul | Flyout | |
| 7 | Luis Lara | 1–2 | FF | 97.3 | In play, out(s) | Flyout | |
| 7 | Joey Ortiz | 0–0 | FF | 97.1 | Called Strike | Double Play | |
| 7 | Joey Ortiz | 0–1 | ST | 88.5 | Swinging Strike | Double Play | |
| 7 | Joey Ortiz | 0–2 | ST | 87.4 | In play, out(s) | Double Play |
Sources, definitions and limitations
The official final MLB record supplies events, final calls and the line. Baseball Savant’s complete Game 3 feed supplies all 10 physical pitches. Pitch ID, order, classification and pre-pitch count reconcile, including final ABS decisions. These records contain 3 batters, 3 integer outs and 0 strikeouts. In baseball notation, .1 means one out and .2 two outs. Source records current as of October 14, 2026.
The Statcast Search baseline is 423 physical pitches in 31 regular-season relief appearances for Los Angeles Dodgers, 2026-07-07 through 2026-09-27. Each game total reconciles with the official appearance log. Target game, postseason work, other clubs and other roles are excluded. 3 baseline pitches lack spin rate; excluded from that measure. 3 baseline pitches lack extension; excluded from that measure.
Whiff rate means misses divided by physical swing attempts. Swinging strikes, blocked swinging strikes, caught foul tips and missed bunts count as misses. Fouls, bunt attempts and balls put into play enter the attempt denominator. Both outing and baseline use the same definitions. Called strikes and completed strikeout plate appearances are separate. Chase uses ball-center coordinates outside a 17-inch-wide rectangle and each pitch’s recorded vertical boundaries. Only complete coordinates enter the zone denominator. Savant’s separate zone flag remains in the CSV and detail rather than replacing that geometric definition.
Speed is mph, spin rpm, extension feet and movement inches. Induced vertical break describes movement relative to a gravity-only path. Location and zone boundaries are feet in catcher view. Numbered markers preserve exact coordinates and are not ball size. Release, location, spin, extension and movement measurements are complete for all outing pitches. Contact and expected-outcome measurements can be unavailable and remain missing in the detail and CSV. 3 of 3 balls put into play have measured exit speed. Hard-hit means at least 95 mph; the baseline has 66 measured contacts among 66. Expected outcomes are Savant model estimates, not actual results. The comparisons are descriptive and do not establish intention, fatigue, injury or a durable trend.
Reading the rates
Called strikes plus misses: 3 / 10 physical pitches (30.0%). Swinging-strike rate: 1 / 10 (10.0%). Whiff rate: 1 / 6 swing attempts (16.7%). Chase: 4 / 6 pitches outside the ball-center rectangle (66.7%). All 10 pitches have usable zone coordinates. Rates use final corrected calls and retain caught foul tips in the miss category.
The MLB and Savant raw fields are preserved separately in the downloadable record. Savant plate coordinates define the plotted locations and the zone calculation. MLB coordinates can use a different reference plane. Unavailable expected-outcome values and launch angles remain blank. The CSV distinguishes the pitch result from the completed plate-appearance outcome.
Sources and notes
- Official final MLB Game 849811: https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1.1/game/849811/feed/live
- Baseball Savant complete game: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gf?game_pk=849811
- Regular season, matching club and role: 423 physical pitches, 2026-07-07 through 2026-09-27. Per-appearance totals reconciled.
- Pitch definitions: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/csv-docs
