Phillies Overcome Rain To Defeat Rays

By Broadside Asst. Sports Editor Brian Chan

The 50-hour delay in Game Five of the World Series was just as long as Jamie Moyer’s fastball crossing home plate. It was a longer wait for the Philadelphia Phillies, who won their last title in 1980, as closer Brad Lidge struck out Tampa Bay Rays pinch-hitter Eric Hinske to conclude a thrilling 4- 3 victory.

Third baseman Pedro Feliz, signed as a free agent in the offseason, broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to center field.

“The most exciting thing about the Phillies winning is how genuinely thrilled the team was and how contagious that feeling was,” said sophomore Anthony Cusumano. Ace pitcher Cole Hamels won the World Series MVP award despite not returning to the mound after the delay. The 25-year old southpaw, 4-0 in postseason with a 1.80 ERA, suffocated opposing batters, allowing only a .187 BA.

Lidge blew eight saves out of 27 opportunities in 2007, and eventually lost his job as the team closer. Looking to revamp his career, Lidge posted a 1.95 ERA and 41 saves in the regular season. Combining the regular season with postseason, Lidge never blew a save in 48 total chances. His 48th save closed the final chapter of the 2008 season.

The 4-3 win marked only the Phillies’ second title in franchise history. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt was named the 1980 World Series MVP. The most recent fallout was in the 1993 World Series when closer Mitch Williams gave up the walk-off home run to Joe Carter as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Phillies in Game six.

Last season, the Phillies suffered their 10,000th loss, the most for any American sports team. “It’s about time Philadelphia caught a break. My grandfather was a huge Phillies fan and he would have loved to see this,” Cusumano said.

The days of the Rolens, Abreus, and Thomes are over, but the Utleys and Howards make up one of the fiercest tandems in all of Major League Baseball. Second baseman Chase Utley made a run-saving play in the seventh inning when he fielded a ground ball and gunned down shortstop Jason Bartlett at home plate to end the threat. First baseman Ryan Howard struggled earlier in the postseason, but ignited with three home runs against the Rays, including two blasts in Game four.

Howard and shortstop Jimmy Rollins earned National League MVP honors in the last two seasons, but they now have an even bigger prize—a World Series title.

The tale of two seasons also applied to the Tampa Bay Rays, who went from last place to a World Series runner-up. Right fielder Rocco Baldelli, a former highly-regarded prospect, tied the game at 3-3 with a solo home run off relief pitcher Ryan Madson in the seventh inning.

The Rays, this year’s Colorado Rockies, overcame a decade of adversity with what is still a young, talented team. The team’s latest youth include third baseman Evan Longoria and
pitcher David Price. Longoria mightily struggled in the series with a .050 BA. On the other hand, Price was phenomenal with a postseason ERA of 1.59.

The Rays will look to defend their American League crown in 2009. The AL dominated the NL in the last 11 All-Star games, not including the tie in 2002. Coincidentally, the last time the NL won an All-Star game was in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. Previous to this season’s World Series, the AL team won seven of the last 10 titles. The tide has shifted and the 28-year drought ends as the Phillies finally get to celebrate on Broad Street once again.