It started innocuously enough, a second-inning single off Washington’s Tanner Roark last September in an otherwise meaningless game.
The Nationals were in first place by 21 games. The Phillies were out of a playoff spot by 22 games. Virtually, the only people who cared were the bean counters, the stat keepers and the bookmakers.
As it turns out, though, that Sept. 27 game did have some consequence. It’s where Odubel Herrera started his impressive on-base streak.
[The man who persuaded the Phillies to steal Odubel away from the Rangers]
If we can table the discussion of occasional misadventures on the base paths and bat-flipping for a second, what Herrera is doing right row is laudable.