Ruben Amaro Sr. has spent nearly a half-century in pro baseball, yet he could hardly believe what he saw Wednesday.

Now managing in the Rookie League, his Phillies beat the Gulf Coast League Tigers 29-5 at Lakeland, Fla.

“It was one of those crazy days,” Amaro said. “This was a game where everything was perfect for us.

“The Phillies scored eight runs in the top of the first inning before making an out. There was a six-run inning later in the game. Nick Italiano wound up with six RBIs. “At this level, you expect to see some wild things,” Amaro said.”This is the first year for a lot of players.”

You feel bad for the other team, because it can happen to you.

Two weeks ago, in fact, his team lost 17-8 to Lakeland.

But 29 runs?

“No, I’ve never seen it,” the 67-year-old Amaro said. “Not in my time.”

Amaro played 11 seasons in the majors, mostly with the Phillies. The former infielder went on to work for the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers.

His son, Ruben Jr., is Philadelphia’s assistant general manager.

AP-ES-08-13-03 2156EDT