Gabe Kapler marveled for two seasons as Johnny Damon, then the Red Sox’s bearded leadoff hitter, ground out long at-bats by fouling off pitch after pitch. No one saw more pitches on the 2004 Red Sox — the team that finally brought another World Series title to Boston — than Damon.
And the Phillies, under Kapler’s watch, are trying to copy that approach. The Phillies are averaging the most pitches per plate appearance in baseball, seeing pitches at a rate through 11 games that is nearly a half-pitch higher than the league average. Three Phillies — Cesar Hernandez, Rhys Hoskins, and Carlos Santana — are averaging rates that rank in the top 13 of all batters.