Phillies hitter Cristian Pache shares the emotions behind his exuberant celebration following key home run

Cristian Pache of the Philadelphia Phillies did not have an easy road to the MLB. Recently, his emotions took over after his latest, and perhaps most clutch hit of his career.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Pache signed with the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent in 2015. He made his debut with the team in 2020. He featured in 24 games in 2020 and 2021, before being traded to the Oakland Athletics in March 2022.

A year later, the A's traded Pache to the Philadelphia Phillies. Although he hit .360 in his first eighteen games of the season, Cristian Pache tore his meniscus and was relegated to the IL for 5 weeks.

Pache returned to the Phillies lineup on June 17, drawing a walk in his team's 6-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics, his former team. More recently, Pache took things a step further.

With the Phillies down 3-2 against the Miami Marlins on July 7, Pache stepped in to face Marlins closer AJ Puk. With two away in the bottom of the ninth, the centerfielder rocketed a two-run shot to straight-away center field.

"Pinch-hitter Cristian Pache comes through with two outs in the 9th! (MLB x CapitalOne)" - MLB

Upon gazing at his ball exiting the field of play, Pache said he felt the urge to jump for joy. The Philadelphia Phillies held on to finish the game by a score of 4-3, completing the team's 13th straight victory on the road. After the game, Cristian Pache shed some light on the flurry of emotions that he was feeling, saying:

"I just wanted to jump because it looks sexy."

With the victory, the Phillies have improved their record to 48-39. Although they still find themselves 11 games behind the Atlanta Braves, Phillies fans will enjoy the win over a key divisional foe. Perhaps Pache might be in the lineup more often.

Cristian Pache demonstrates tremendous degree of persistence

Pache was cut from the Athletics, who are the MLB's worst team, at the beginning of the year. He has been able to redefine himself as an increasingly-important member of one of baseball's most dynamic offenses.

While there may be a long road ahead of Pache before he can call himself an MLB regular, putting forth clutch plays like this will ensure he remains on his team's radar.