John Middleton told Garry Maddox that Johan Rojas could be the next ‘Secretary of Defense’

Johan Rojas’ path Thursday night carried him deep into center field, a blind spot for the relief pitchers who watch the game from the Phillies bullpen. So they listened to the crowd. Citizens Bank Park, rocking moments earlier, fell silent as Rojas raced toward the fly ball.

Three months ago, Rojas jumped from double A to the majors. And now he was leaping in a hushed ballpark with an outstretched glove, hoping to secure the biggest out in a 3-1 win that sent the Phillies back to the National League Championship Series. The relievers just had to listen.

“The crowd let us know,” said Matt Strahm.

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Citizens Bank Park erupted as Rojas closed his glove on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s bases-loaded fly ball and bounced into the wall to end the seventh inning. The catch kept the Phillies ahead by two runs. Two innings later, the game was over. The Phillies sunk the Braves for a second straight year thanks to a player who spent the first half of the season with double-A Reading.

“If you want to score on me playing center field,” Rojas said, “you’re going to have to hit a homer.”

Perhaps it was fitting that Rojas made the play in a powder blue Phillies uniform, the same style that Garry Maddox wore 43 years to the day when he made a running catch in center field for the 1980 pennant clincher. Earlier this summer, John Middleton — a fan in 1980 and now the team’s managing partner — told Maddox that Rojas could be the next “Secretary of Defense.”

“I told Garry, ‘It’s early and he hasn’t shown that you can hit like you can, but this guy has the potential to be as good as you defensively,’” Middleton said. “And Garry is the best defensive center fielder I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The Phillies promoted Rojas in July, skipping triple A and planning to keep him briefly in the majors after Cristian Pache was injured. But the 23-year-old quickly proved he belonged. He finished the season with the ninth-highest defensive WAR by a center fielder in Phillies history despite playing just 59 games. Rojas’ 15 defensive runs saved ranked fourth this season among all major league center fielders and is the highest by a Phillies center fielder since the stat was created in 2002.

“From Day 1, everyone has been very, very welcoming to me,” said Rojas, who surprisingly batted .302 in the regular season but is 1-for-21 in the postseason. “Everyone welcomed me with open arms, and there’s no better feeling for a rookie like me. I love playing for this team. I love playing for this city. I love playing for this crowd, for these fans. It’s an awesome place to be.”

The Phillies were stunned in Game 2 when Atlanta’s center fielder Michael Harris made a terrific catch near the wall to start a game-ending double play. Middleton said it felt right that their center fielder returned the favor on Thursday with a stunner of his own.

“He’s really special. He’s really, really special,” Middleton said. “Remember that great [Ray Didinger] line about Garry Maddox? When he said two-thirds of the world is covered by water and the rest is covered by Garry Maddox.”

Strahm listened to the crowd but Bryson Stott, who was standing in the infield, hardly flinched. He played with Rojas in the minor leagues so he knew where the fly ball — which had an expected batting average of .470 — was landing.

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“I’ve seen him do it since 2019 in Williamsport,” Stott said. “Any time it goes out to center, I think he’s going to catch it. I think a lot of people are starting to see how good he actually is out there. It’s amazing to see.”

Rojas said his goal was always to reach the big leagues and win a World Series, but he still can’t believe where he is: in the majors at 23 and eight wins from a title. He’s the youngest Phillies position player to start a playoff game since Milt Stock, a 22-year-old infielder on the 1915 NL champs. But it was easy to forget how young Rojas is and his unconventional path to the majors when he made the ballpark roar.

“To be as young as he is and to play with this much electricity,” Nick Castellanos said. “I don’t think that I could have 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 that he’s been able to command the outfield and run down balls in the gap is huge for our team.”

The Phillies carried Maddox off the field on their shoulders in 1980 after he gloved the final out in the greatest game in franchise history. Thursday night’s win didn’t have the same back-and-forth drama as that pennant clincher in Houston’s Astrodome, but it did have a similar stomach-churning tension. And it had a hold-your-breath fly ball with a center fielder in powder blue who chased it down with grace. The only thing missing was teammates lifting Rojas onto their shoulders.

“That’s what we play for,” Rojas said. “I knew I had to catch that ball.”