Ronald Acuna’s would-be series changer flagged down by only Phillie that could

PHILADELPHIA —There was the crack of the bat, then a silence, as if a vacuum before a blast wave sucked the air out of Citizens Bank Park. Rarely has so rowdy a crowd of 45,831 been so silent, if only momentarily.

Into the void rushed one thought in the mind of Bryson Stott: “Johan better catch it.”

“It” traveled 379 feet into the South Philadelphia night off the bat of Ronald Acuna Jr., a 2-2 fastball from Craig Kimbrel with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning and the Phillies nursing a 3-1 lead in Game 4 of the NLDS, seven outs from closing out the Braves.

In a matter of seconds, either an MVP candidate or a player who began the year at Double-A would wield the power to decide a postseason game. It was a playoff moment worth holding your breath for.

“I knew he was a pretty good hitter,” Rojas said via a translator. “I knew the bases were loaded. I worked really hard on my pre-pitch (reads). I want to be ready at all times. That’s my mindset when I go out there. If you want to score on me playing center field, you’re going to have to hit a homer.”

Rojas provided the play to back the brag, running down and leaping onto the warning track in the most treacherous part of the park, the angled wall in right center. At a venue adorned by multiple life-size posters of Aaron Rowand, Rojas made his bid to join that pantheon in preserving a win that sends the Phillies to the NLCS for a second straight year.

“I felt like if it doesn’t get up on the wall, Rojas is going to catch it, and that’s what he does,” manager Rob Thomson said. “This kid is so poised. He’s so good of an athlete, electric in the outfield. I felt like he was going to catch it.”

The big talk belies the humble walk the 23-year-old had shown so far in the big leagues. But he’s backed it with elite play at the most premium of defensive positions on the diamond. It’s no mystery to any of the teammates that have made Rojas such a welcome addition to the clubhouse, whose members lined up to fete his play.

“Anytime the ball is hit out to center, I’ve got all the confidence that Rojas is going to get there,” said Stott, his former teammate in Single A. “I’ve been watching him do it since 2019 in Williamsport. I don’t think too many people realize how good he is out there, and I think people are starting to realize it.”

“He’s the best,” fellow outfielder Jake Cave said. “He works really hard. He understands that he is one of the best centerfielders in the game and that’s what’s going to keep him in the game for a long time, and it’s fun to see.”

Rojas’ catch ended perhaps the most perplexing plate appearance in an affair full of them. Jose Alvarado started the seventh with two quick outs, followed by two walks. Kimbrel, the closer, scrambled into the game and promptly walked his first batter to load the bases.

He then uncorked what should’ve been a wild pitch to the backstop that should’ve scored Kevin Pillar from third. But the outfielder inexplicably put on the breaks halfway home, with the runner behind him three quarters of the way to third, setting off a momentary panic.

Six pitches later, at 2-2, Acuna made his bid to put the Braves ahead. But like most of his 2-for-14 series, it ended in disappointment in Rojas’ glove.

Rojas has allowed the Phillies to shift ideology almost singlehandedly. Yes, they’re still a team of big boppers, as three solo home runs off 20-game winner Spencer Strider showed. But with Rojas in center and Brandon Marsh in left, they’ve shored up the defense behind a pitching staff that can go from great to exceptional.

The answer has come from someone playing in Double-A until a years-old Cristian Pache surgery went wrong at the All-Star break, leading to Rojas skipping Triple-A for a posting in the bigs. He hit .302 in the regular season to make sure he stuck in Philly. Thomson has had no hesitation about starting him in big situations for the way he seems to float to balls.

“He’s a gamer. There’s no question about it,” offered two-home-run hero Nick Castellanos. “To be as young as he is and to play with this much electricity. I don’t think I could’ve played third base when I was 22 years old in a playoff atmosphere in Philadelphia comfortably. That’s just the honest truth. But the way he’s been able to command the outfield and run down balls in the gap is huge for our team.”

There’s a mental toughness to Rojas’ game. After singling in his first postseason at-bat, Rojas has come up empty on his last 19 trips to the plate in the nine-hole.

To Thomson, that’s just fine given his glove. And with his teammates’ help, Rojas leaves any frustrations that might accumulate at the plate in the dugout.

“He’s been a huge addition to our ball club,” Thomson said. “He really has, even if he doesn’t do anything at the plate. And he’s had decent at-bats. But if he does nothing at the plate, just his defense helps the club.”

“Regardless of my at-bats, I take the field when I play defense with a lot of pride,” he said. “I just want to play my best defense for this team. Castellanos and Marsh are very supportive of me. They always give me good advice. They’re always talking to me. They know I can use the help.”

It’s enough of a journey to even catch Rojas by surprise, when he’s forced to reflect. Enough, maybe, to take your breath away.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I can’t believe it,” he said. “But my goal has always been to be in the big leagues, to win a World Series. So I’m very happy to be able to help this team win.”