The Phillies had already built a six-run lead by the point Alec Bohm fouled off a pitch within the fourth inning Monday, so John Kruk, the previous Philadelphia star and now a broadcast analyst, decided to go on a tangent between pitches.
And this one involved some deep thoughts in regards to the history of clocks.
Kruk gave broadcast partner Tom McCarthy a warning, not less than, asking the NBC sports play-by-play announcer, “So when I believe of things when I even have free time and I shouldn’t?”
After McCarthy acknowledged that, yes, he does know of those instances, Kruk then asked how the primary person to ever invent the clock knew “What time it was?”
“That’s a very good query,” McCarthy replied, before later adding, “There may be that sundial they may have used.”
“Is that accurate, though?” Kruk then asked.
“I suppose it’s as accurate as it may possibly be,” McCarthy replied after shifting his attention back to the sequence unfolding on the sector, when Bohm reached on a throwing error by Mariners second baseman Cole Young.
It continued an eventful inning for Kruk, who in the highest of the frame — during a segment depicting a sandwich — asked McCarthy, “If I ever turn out to be a vegan, would you simply punch me within the face as hard as you possibly can?”
Around Kruk’s tangents, the printed pairing called the Phillies’ 12-7 win over the Mariners, which increased Philadelphia’s lead within the National League East to five ½ games with the Mets off Monday.
The Phillies jumped out to a 6-0 lead after just two innings against Seattle starter Logan Gilbert, and shortstop Trea Turner and first baseman Bryce Harper combined for eight RBIs to power the Philadelphia offense.
Kruk, who spent six seasons of his profession with the Phillies and retired to finish his 10-year profession following his lone season with the White Sox in 1995, has worked for the team’s broadcasts since 2017.
The Phillies and Mariners proceed their series Tuesday at Residents Bank Park.
