Game Recap: FSU Seminoles 0 Phillies 8

Polanco taking a swing during today's game (photo courtesy of the Phillies)

In what most people are going to call the most meaningless match-up of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies kicked off Spring Training by beating the Florida State University Seminoles 8-0 in the annual exhibition game.



Most of the regulars were on hand for the club today with only Rollins and Utley absent from the starting lineup. Rollins will be attending a Motown tribute for Black History Month at the White House this evening and Charlie wanted Utley to rest after experiencing some soreness from training.

It’s virtually impossible for me to break down this game any further than “this is who played and this was the score,” but that’s OK because none of that stuff really matters today anyway. What’s important is that baseball unofficially, unofficially (unofficially?) began again when the Phillies (er… Seminoles) tossed out the first pitch of Spring Training, whether it counted or not. And you know what? It counted to me.

The Phillies trotted 21 different batters up to home plate today and sent seven pitchers to the mound. The team got off to a hot start by posting 4 runs on 5 hits in the first inning. Seminoles pitchers Benincasa, Waugh, Buckly, and Simmons did a bang up job giving up just one hit combined in the middle innings. The Phillies bats woke up again in the sixth, however, and the Fightins tacked on four more runs in the sixth and seventh to round out their day at Brighthouse Field.

Bringing the RBIs today: Michael Martinez, Howard (2), Ruiz, Schneider, Pete Orr, and Freddy Galvis. Polanco, Ibanez, Francisco, Mayberry, Brown, Delwyn Young, Josh Barfield, and Valdez all had hits while Ibanez, Francisco and Schneider worked walks as well.

Phillies pitchers held the Seminoles to just four hits during the game and combined for 11 strikeouts and four walks. Drew Naylor came away with the win, and Justin De Fratus had arguably the best outing of the bunch who got his first two batters on three swinging strikes each, and his third batter grounded out to end the inning on his first pitch. Michael Schwimer tweeted his reactions after the game:



Tomorrow we’ll bring you an extensive guide to the Spring Training, with schedules, projected pitchers, broadcasts, and who to follow on Twitter to get you through until Opening Day, or at the very least until Hamels takes the mound against the Yankees on Saturday at 1:05 in Tampa. Pin It Now!