Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins and Maikel Franco on Thursday each hit two of Philadelphia’s record-tying seven home runs as the Phillies overpowered the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 in the opener of a four-game series.
Carlos Santana added a two-run homer as the National League East leaders tied the franchise record for home runs in a game, set on Sept. 8, 1998, against the Mets.
Manager Gabe Kapler described the night as “historic.”
“We were getting into deep counts and then doing damage at the end of those counts,” he said.
Left-hander Ranger Suarez (1-0) won his major league debut, allowing six hits and four runs with one walk and three strikeouts in five innings. Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart each reached him for two-run homers.
Santana’s 16th homer of the season gave him a 3-0 lead in the first inning, giving the rookie pitcher an early cushion.
“Obviously, it made me feel more confident,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “Having the lead was huge. It helped big-time.”
The Phillies opened a six-game road trip with their fourth win in five games, including two out of three against the West-leading Dodgers in which Philadelphia scored a combined 20 runs.
“The Dodgers have great pitching,” Hoskins said. “We put a lot of runs on the scoreboard against them, and it carried over into tonight.”
Twelve of the game’s combined 13 runs were produced by homers. Philadelphia’s seven home runs were the most given up by the Reds in a game this season. The Phillies tacked on three doubles for a season-high 10 extra-base hits.
Hoskins hit solo home runs in the first and sixth innings, giving him six in his past six games and pushing his season total to a career-high 20. He hit 18 last season.
Franco’s first homer, off reliever Michael Lorenzen (1-1), snapped a 4-4 tie in the fifth.
Williams led off the fourth with his 13th homer, one more than the 12 he hit as a rookie last season, and added his 14th in the ninth to tie the record.
Suarez’s first-inning liner into the left-field seats gave him homers in a career-high four straight games.
Reds rookie Tyler Mahle set a career low in innings for the second time in three starts, throwing 53 pitches while allowing six hits and three runs with a walk and three strikeouts.
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