Daily News | Phillies closer Corey Knebel pitches back-to-back in first two games
Corey Knebel figured the Phillies will need him to pitch on back-to-back days at various points this season.Never mind that Knebel pitched on back-to-back days twice all of last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and not at all in the brief spring training. After tossing 10 pitches in a scoreless ninth inning Friday in the season-opening 9-5 victory, he told manager Joe Girardi that he was ready to go Saturday.
“I don’t have a long-standing relationship to Corey,” Girardi said. “He was adamant that he was ready to go, so I take his word for it.” But Knebel said he felt fine. If anything, the velocity dip may have been a product of adrenaline. Not only was Knebel making his first Phillies appearance Friday, but as he came in from the bullpen, he nearly had to dodge a fan who dashed across the outfield and got tackled by security.
Knebel is one of the few players on the Phillies’ roster with playoff experience. He went to the postseason last year with the Dodgers and made seven appearances, including two as an opener. He gave up two runs and struck out 11 in 5⅔ innings.Based in part on that performance, the Phillies signed him to a one-year, $10 million contract and gave him an opportunity to be a closer for the first time since 2018 with the Milwaukee Brewers.