Ben Lively

Position: RHP
Born: 03/05/92
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Acquired via trade from the Reds on Dec. 31, 2014, in exchange for OF Marlon Byrd (PHI). Originally drafted by the Reds in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (CIN).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
6-1 with a 2.40 ERA in nine starts, including one complete game, at Lehigh Valley (Triple-A) with 45 strikeouts and just seven walk sin 56 1/3 innings, allowing 46 hits for a .218 batting average against.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Lehigh Valley on June 3 when RHP Mark Leiter, Jr., was sent down (see intro for more details).
MLB Debut Date: 06/03/17

Debut Details
June 3, in a 5-3 win over the Giants. The starting pitcher, he earned the win with seven innings of four-hit ball, allowing one run, walking three without striking out a batter, committing a balk and hitting one batter. He also went 1-for-2 at the plate with a sharp line drive single to center field off of starter Johnny Cueto. In the first inning, Denard Span collected an infield single to shortstop before Eduardo Nunez grounded into a 5-3 double player and Brandon Belt flew out to right. In the second, Buster Posey once again led things off with an infield single, moving to second on a balk and third on a 5-3 groundout by Brandon Crawford. After Lively hit Joe Panik with a pitch to put runners at the corners, Orlando Calixte lofted a sacrifice fly to left to score Posey before Austin Slater flew out to left. In the third, Johnny Cueto grounded out to first and Span lined out to first before Nunez singled to left, but he was stranded when Belt popped out to third. In the fourth, Posey flew out to right and Crawford and Panik each grounded out, to the mound and shortstop respectively. In the fifth, Calixte popped out to short and Slater grounded out to third before Cueto and Span drew back-to-back walks but Nunez flew out to right to end that threat. Belt led off the sixth with another walk before Posey grounded into a 4-3 double player and Crawford grounded out to second. Panik led the seventh off with a single to center before Calixte popped out to second and Slater ended the inning grounding into a 4-6-3 double play.

Player Notes
The University of Central Florida product becomes our first "debut-not" of the season to return to the big leagues and make his debut. Originally called up in mid-April when right-handed reliever Pat Neshek went on paternity leave, he had not gotten into a game before he was sent back to Lehigh Valley. In 2016, Lively had combined between Reading (Double-A) and Lehigh Valley to go 18-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 28 starts, including one shutout, striking out 139 in 170 2/3 innings while allowing just 118 hits and walking 42 for a .192 batting average against, leading the organization in wins, the most by a minor league pitcher since 2008. He'd blazed through the Eastern League to start the season with a 7-0 record and earned the Phillies' Paul Owens Award for pitcher of the year. In 2015 at Reading he'd gone 8-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 25 starts but made big strides on his return the next summer. Upon his first callup, Lively admitted he killed his phone battery calling all of his family and friends during the drive from Allentown (where Lehigh Valley is located) to Queens (where the Phillies were playing the Mets).