Ranger Suárez

Ranger José Suárez

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut July 26, 2018

• Born August 26, 1995 in Carora, Lara Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Ranger Suárez first reached the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 but maintained a low profile over the next few seasons in spite of some good results, overshadowed by more famous names like Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. In 2019, he had a very good season as a middle reliever, going 6-1, 3.14 in 37 games, then after being moved to the starting rotation midway through the 2021 season, was 8-5 with a brilliant 1.36 ERA in 106 innings.

In 2022, the Phillies made it to the World Series and Ranger was an important even if underappreciated part of that team, going 10-7, 3.65 in29 starts, logging 155 1/3 innings and striking out 129 batters. He started three games in the Phillies' run to the World Series, also appearing once in relief, picking up two wins and posting an ERA of 1.23 in 14 2/3 innings. In 2023, he fell to 4-6, 4.18 in 22 starts, missing some time with an injury, but still struck out 119 batters in 125 innings. During the postseason, he was preferred to Taijuan Walker to be the team's third starter behind Nola and Wheeler, and had another good run, making four starts with an ERA of 1.93 in 18 2/3 innings, winning once over the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series and losing once against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS.

He started the 2024 season red hot and was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April after going 5-0, 1.32 in six games, with a complete game shutout - the second of his career - on April 16th against the Colorado Rockies. He continued to dominate opponents in May, as after 10 starts on May 21st, his ERA stood at 1.36, trailing only two seasons by all-time great Grover Cleveland Alexander in the 1910s in team history; he was also 9-0 in those 10 starts. He was tagged with a loss against the Rockies in his next start, then on June 1st had to leave a game against the St. Louis Cardinals after 2 innings, when he was hit on his pitching hand by a comebacker off the bat of Alec Burleson; he picked up the ball and threw to first base to end the inning, but suffered a hand contusion. He hadn't given up anything in the two frames - the Phillies went on to win the game, 6-1 - and was apparently not seriously hurt. He was able to make his next start, which came on June 8th in the London Series against the New York Mets. He became the first ten-game winner in the majors that season when he received credit for the Phils' 7-2 win. He was named to the All-Star team for the first time but skipped the game due to an injury. After a ten-day break, he started and lost against the Minnesota Twins on July 22nd, falling to 10-5, then went on the injured list for a month with lower back soreness. He made a successful return on August 24th, pitching five innings of one-run ball in an 11-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (2024)
• NL Shutouts Leader (2024)

Further Reading

• Paul Casella: "Suárez ready for any role with WS on the line: 'It's not only that I want this, I know that the city of Philadelphia also wants it'", mlb.com, November 5, 2022. [1]
• Paul Casella: "Phils feel 'lucky' after Suárez takes line drive off pitching hand: Lefty dealing with hand contusion, but club will wait to make decision about his next start", mlb.com, June 1, 2024. [2]
• Christina De Nicola: "'Under the radar' Suárez more than a blip vs. Braves", mlb.com, October 13, 2023. [3]
• Brent Maguire: "How Ranger Suárez is off to historic start", mlb.com, May 26, 2024. [4]

Related Sites

• Ranger Suarez at mlb.com