Simeon Woods Richardson is eighth among MLB rookie pitchers this season with a 3.27 ERA. His first time facing the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies did nothing to hurt his standing.
Richardson and the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler on Tuesday were locked in an entertaining pitchers’ duel as neither hurler gave up a run during their respective quality start. Both gave up exactly three hits and left the game without a run scored: Woods Richardson after six innings and Wheeler after seven.
However, the two didn’t figure in the final outcome, as Philadelphia defeated host Minnesota 3-0.
The 6’3″, 210-pounder will turn 24 in September. The Twins called him up from AAA St. Paul in May.
“I think facing a team for the first time is always fun,” noted Woods Richardson, who spoke with the MSR after meeting reporters after Tuesday’s game. “It’s 0-0. If you view it that way, it makes the matchup easier.”
Woods Richardson successfully executed his first big-league pickoff in his final inning when he caught Philadelphia’s Johan Rojas straying too far off first base.
He told us that he had an intuition that Rojas was ripe for the pickings with the right move.
“I had one of those moments … And I went for it,” Woods Richardson said proudly.
The Twins rookie also left only four base runners stranded, and it was only the second time this season (May 6 vs. Seattle) that he didn’t allow a run in six or more innings pitched.
Finally, as he hoped that the home team would have ended Tuesday night on a winning note, Woods Richardson surmised, “I like the challenge of facing someone for the first time. It’s always fun.”