So there was Cole Hamels, out on the PNC Park mound on this sweltering Sunday afternoon, doing all that stuff Hamels does: Seven zeroes up on the board. A dozen strikeouts. One walk. Barely a bead of sweat.
The Phillies' ace isn't just talented. He's titanic.
"Amazing," A.J. Burnett was saying of his old friend from Philadelphia, this after Burnett's nine scoreless innings and Josh Harrison's RBI laser up the middle in the 11th finally pushed the Pirates past the Phillies, 1-0, in an fantastic pitching duel. "I was looking forward to this. I was. I enjoyed having Cole as a teammate last summer. He's the type of pitcher that wants to keep getting better and better. Honestly, he's a lot like me, which is why I think liked being around him. He's a competitor. And I kind of figured he was thinking that way today, too, so I tried to stay with him."
Burnett did that and more, of course. He allowed only five hits and a walk while striking out four with an exemplary pitch count of 101.
"Yeah, well, Cole probably punched out ... what, 30? Felt like it."
Yeah, well, no thanks.
To Hamels, I mean.
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