(Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Game 1 got off to a promising start when Chase Utley smashed a two-run shot with one out into the right field bleachers at Made From Concentrate Field. Little did we know at the time how important those runs would be later.
Cole Hamels did exactly what we needed him to do: He went mano a mano with Scott Kazmir and emerged with the victory. Madsen and Lidge did sterling work locking down the Tampa Bay offense with a precarious lead going into the eighth and ninth innings.
As for the offense — well, aside from Utley, Werth, Victorino and Feliz, they stunk. WAY too many runners stranded in scoring position, which has been their Achilles’ heel since the first George W. Bush administration.
Rollins’ last two at-bats went surprisingly in the same fashion: Stare at strike one, stare at strike two, swing and miss ball one. Howard looked lost at the plate, as did Burrell. As a designated hitter, Chris Coste had as many hits as I did sitting on my ass watching the game on TV, leaving five runners stranded all by his lonesome.
Burrell, Utley and Howard were responsible for 7 of the Phillies’ 9 strikeouts on the evening. That trend won’t get you far in a best-of-seven series. Regardless, the Phillies won. Time and time again today on various sports-talk radio programs throughout the Delaware Valley, we were reminded that Hamels had to — repeat, HAD TO — win this game, or we were looking at an uphill climb with Myers as our Game 2 stopper.
Other notes from tonight:
- Victorino trying to score after Rollins’ pop fly to shallow center field. Bad decision, and one that could have come back to haunt the Fightin’s later. We know you’re fast, brah, but don’t let your head write a check your legs can’t cash, OK?
- Was it me or did Fox … losing their sound … pissed me off … smashed a tree … until the handle broke off … fucking broadcast … all goddamn night …
- Hamels’ throw to first in the sixth inning: Balk? Not a balk? Discuss.
- Great catch by Ryan Howard in the stands in the fifth inning. If I saw Howard barreling toward me with his attention fixed elsewhere, I’d get the hell out of the way, too.
- Howard’s aforementioned catch almost made up for the two defensive screw-ups he had on what should have been easy outs. Almost.
- Grant Balfour… God DAMN, can he throw a mean fastball.
- I already hate those stupid fucking cowbells. Now I know what had Red Sox fans so irritated. Bruce Dickinson would be very disappointed in the Tampa Bay fans right now. They’re not even trying to explore the space.
- I didn’t actually watch the Backstreet Boys sing the National Anthem, but I like to think it went something… like this:
Well, that’s it for now. The Phillies took the first game of the series in either league’s toughest field for a visiting team to win in. Myers takes the hill for Game 2. Something tells me the Rays won’t let Philly come back to the Bank up two games to none, but that all depends on which Brett Myers shows up tonight.
(That makes me think: In an alternate universe, would “Evil” Brett Myers be clean-shaven?)
I’m Chamomiles Davis, and I approve this message.
24 Comments on “The One They Had to Win, They Won”
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General
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:17 am
WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:21 am
Maybe this is ‘evil’ Brett Myers, switched at birth. That would explain a lot.
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 am
Depends which curveball shows up for brett tommorrow. If it’s that tight nasty quick job then the phillies will go up 2-0 and prolly will win the ws.
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 am
I think I’m fairly certain we’re the universe with evil Brett Myers.
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 am
I think it has more to do with Brett’s fastball actually. The curve has rarely been the issue. If he is in the 89-92 range with the heater and he is locating with it and generating ground balls then I think things will be good.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 am
Did anybody else hate the camera view from behind the pitcher? It seemed a lot higher then normal. Maybe its just me though. But this game should of been a blow out, this team last night looked hands down better then the rays and we didn’t even have our best offense out there. Granted, Cole was on the mound and he makes everybody look silly, but still, we look good out there and have all postseason. There hasn’t been a game this postseason where going into it I didn’t feel like we were going to win. The big question is…
WHY CANT US?
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:22 am
Shane shouldn’t have been sent, but Jimmy should not have been swinging. Kazmir had walked 2 guys and was getting a little wild, but Jimmy could not lay off the high heat all night. He should have been a bit more patient for one he could drive a little deeper for the sacrifice fly instead of hacking. I don’t want to rely on pitching for this whole series, Jimmy is our spark and he needs to not make mistakes like that.
Also, McCarver is an annoying POS.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 am
the largest crowd ever at Tropicana Field was for a New Kids on the Block concert – can we just think about that for a second
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 am
Myers’ admirers, well give Tampa Bay some credit on the NKOTB thing. They just realized they had a baseball team like 3 days ago, so how we’re they supposed to know to show up in droves for anything but a 90s has been boy band?
Regarding Myers tonight, I am really confident about tonight. I don’t know if its the elation of last night’s win getting the best of me or what, but I really think Myers wants to win this game for us, and I think Cole’s performance might snowball onto him. I really think Tampa came into last night overly confident (anyone else bothered by BJ Upton and his smug attitude?) and expected to win. Whether they want to admit it or not, they think they are the superior team, I think tonight they will still be shaken up about the loss last night. If Myers comes up with a win tonight, I’m throwing my Phillies in 6 prediction and saying we sweep these clowns.
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
Here are my thoughts:
1. Joe Buck likes to orally felate every team but the Phillies. He surely has a crush on Madden.
2. Rhino has to step it up. I don’t care how much offensive production you put up in the year. He was horrible both offensively and defensively last night.
3. Jimmy has to turn it around. This front running fan thinks 0 for 4 is a disgrace.
4. That was not a balk. Sure, if he stepped closer to 1B, it would clearly not be a balk, but he did go to first and not home.
5. Hopefully the cameras will move around in the stands more tonight so I don’t have to see the same 5 fat Tampa residents. The cowbells should have been hung around the necks of some of them women.
6. I would think Victorino going home was the fault of Smith. He is still a horrible 3B coach.
7. Costey, I love ya. But you can no longer DH. They should have stuck Dobbs in there after it was evident Coste couldn’t handle the heat.
That is all.
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 am
@MP: I really think Myers wants to win this game for us, and I think Cole’s performance might snowball onto him. Did you watch Mitch Williams on the post-game show too? I totally agree. Myers is the kind of guy who’s up when the guy in front of him is up and down when the guy in front of him is down. He feeds off the energy of the game before him. How else to explain his performance in game 2 of the NLDS? I hope he brings a bat to today’s pre-game presser.
re: the balk
I said this over at Deadspin, but I’ll repeat it here: That was absolutely not a balk. Hamels’ body and his gaze were oriented toward first the entire time. He made a slight diagonal step, but he never turned toward home plate.
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 am
I ripped this off of espn (whaddya know, they are good for something) and it probably something everyone here has already heard, but its worth repeating:
• If Hamels gets another start in Game 5, he will have a chance to tie the all-time record for most wins in a single postseason, held by Randy Johnson (2001) and Francisco Rodriguez (2002). But all of K-Rod’s wins that year, and one of Johnson’s, came in relief. So Hamels is now in position to become the first starting pitcher EVER to win five times in one postseason.
• Hamels also is now only the fourth pitcher ever to win Game 1 of an LDS, LCS and World Series in a single postseason. The other three are Smoltz in 1996, Wells in 1998 and Beckett last year. But Hamels is the only member of that group who won three Game 1s AND a series clincher in one postseason (since he also won Game 5 of the NLCS).
• Finally, Hamels’ Game 1 win made him the third-youngest left-handed starter in history to win a World Series opener. Only Babe Ruth and Ray Sadecki (both 23) were younger. And Hamels is the first left-hander to win a Game 1 on the road in 22 years — since Boston’s Bruce Hurst beat the Mets in Shea Stadium in 1986.
How freakin cool?!?! HAIL KING COLE!
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
yeah anyone who knows or coaches baseball cannot possibly argue for a balk. the only people who will argue will just mimick what buck, mcarver and madden were saying. Cole never proceeded to home with his body, only leg, which is ok unless its not pronounced and his toe is pointed towards first, not home.. also, he cant and DIDNT not cross his foot behind his back leg. he also cannot pause or stare directly at home and deciever the runner by throwing over, he checked, as they say. Cole did none of that nonsense they were rambling about, where was all that babble coming from? ITS ON TAPE.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
On another note, I was kinda wondering about the managing (unheard of, I know).
When we put Bruntlett into left in the 7th, I thought we could do a double switch, moving Burrell to DH, and taking out Coste, although they were both equally bad in that first game. We couldve also pinch hit Dobbs when Coste came up in the 8th against the righty Balfour.
Do you think we had to keep Coste in there, as our 2nd catcher in case something happened to Ruiz? Is the double switch too fancy, or was it better to keep Coste in since hes a better hitter than EB4 and was coming up earlier in the lineup (2nd that inning, the 5 spot came up at the end of the 9th with 2 outs and 2 on)?
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am
I’m sorry Clare, did you say his “gaze” was directed at first? I stopped umpiring baseball games when I was 15, but I’m quite certain the object on which your eyes are fixated has nothing to do with whether a move is, or isn’t, a balk.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 am
phillycuban, once youve designated a guy to hit for the pitcher, you cannot move a position player in his place and then put somoene else in to keep the DH, you can however relace the DH with someone on your bench. as for dobbs hitting for coste, that was in the 7th i think. it was either dobbs vs. one of their lefties they had warming up, or coste agains a righty. since it was risky batting your backup catcher as the DH, charlie couldnt risk a late inning emergency situation where coste is wasted on the bench and ruiz somehow gets hurt. all is well however, we win.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
PhillyCuban — once the DH is removed from the game, you cannot designate another player as the DH. Either the pitcher has to hit (in the DH spot) or you have to pinch hit the DH position for the rest of the game.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hey – if Steve “When I was the GM of the Mets” says it wasn’t a balk, then it wasn’t a balk. Right?
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:57 am
I love how the media is making the balk call into a “world series controversy” It was not a balk. It was close, sure, but its not close to a controversy or the reason we won like some people seem to be making it out to be
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Oh ok, that sounds familiar now, with the pitcher having to take the spot if no one else. Either way it worked out as best as it could with the W.
And I think Myers will do well tonight, he’ll have fresher legs under him this time, and Dobbs in the lineup should produce some more runs.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
just a thought-myers pitches better at home. why don’t we start myers game 3 and moyer tonight.
like i said, just throwing it out there. feel free to rip into the above statement.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Even though Myers does well at home, after he came up from the minors, he hasn’t pitched bad on the road really either, except for 1 or 2 not great outings in the begining of September. I think he is pumped for tonight, and believes he can win this game. We have the momentum going into tonight, and I really think Tampa will still be thrown off a little after last night. I’m thinking it might take Tampa some time to settle in tonight.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
they want him to be able to be ready to go if the series goes 6-7 games, so they need his first start to be earlier in the series
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Is that really the rule for the DH? You can’t move a position player to the DH during the game? I played baseball at the collegiate level and I thought i knew the rules pretty well. Point is the DH should not exist in the first place