Updated: Wednesday, July 12, 2017, 1:28 AM
MIAMI – Pat Neshek grabbed the nameplate off his locker on Tuesday night and stuffed it inside his red Phillies duffel bag as he finished emptying his stall inside the clubhouse at Marlins Park.
The Phillies reliever threw just 11 pitches in the All-Star Game, but his scoreless second inning only helped the odds that Neshek will be cleaning out another locker before the July 31 trade deadline. An appearance in an exhibition game will not sway a team, but it could help alleviate any doubt that lingered about Neshek’s ability to face lefthanded hitters.
Houston used Neshek last season almost exclusively against righthanded hitters. And when he faced lefthanders, Neshek got crushed. The righthander wanted a chance to prove he could be used differently. Neshek has found great success with the Phillies against both sides of the plate.
That continued Tuesday when he retired Houston’s Carlos Correa on one pitch and Tampa Bay’s Corey Dickerson flied out to left field. Justin Smoak was the lone lefthander to beat Neshek as he singled to left, narrowly eluding the shift.
Lefthanded batters hit ..250 last season against Neshek with a .646 slugging percentage. They are batting just .188 this season and slugging .313. Neshek said his success comes from the use of his slider, which keeps hitters from sitting on his fastball. Opponents are batting just .149 against the slider, Neshek’s best mark since 2012.
“It’s kind of a thing where there’s really no fear anymore,” Neshek said. “There used to be a little bit where I wasn’t sure. But now you kind of hope you get a lefty.”
Neshek learned Monday afternoon that he would be used in Tuesday’s second inning. It was an early night and he was finished just 26 minutes after the first pitch. Neshek stayed in the dugout while some All-Stars packed up and headed home.
“You might never get the opportunity again,” Neshek said. “It’s history. It’s an awesome moment. I came into the clubhouse for a few innings just to calm down and watch it on TV a little bit. Then I went back out. It’s neat. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment to sit in the dugout and listen to Daniel Murphy talk about hitting the whole time and pick his brain and just see how these guys operate.”
Neshek’s success on the mound did not match his success on the autograph trail as his quest to land a signature from Arizona’s Zack Greinke came up empty. But there is hope.
“He said he would down the road,” Neshek said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. There was some confusion. He thought I was someone else.”
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