The last 3.5 innings of game 5 lived up to the hype, starting on an odd tilt, with the home team taking the first at-bats. By then the crowd, a stunning (given the make-up circumstances) 44,000+, was in full cry. Geoff Jenkins, pinch hitting for Cole Hamels, led off. He slammed a hit to the right field wall off of Balfour and ran to 2nd with mighty fist pumps. After Jimmy bunted him over, Jayson Werth brought him in on a bloop single just out of the reach of 2nd baseman Iwamura. Hey, we can play small ball! And just like that, the Phillies had a 3-2 lead.
Madson came in for the 7th, got one out, then gave up a solo homer to Rocco Baldelli, the first home run Madson had surrendered at CBP since April. Jason Bartlett then reached on a single and Joe Maddon opted to keep the lefty Howell in the game to sacrifice him over. With two outs and a man on 2nd, Charlie went to J.C. Romero, who got Akinori Iwamura to hit a soft grounder to 2nd. Chase Utley, in a tremendous play, grabbed the ball, pumpfaked to 1st, then threw home on Bartlett. Ruiz made a great catch and tagged Bartlett out. Game tied 3-3 going to the bottom of the 7th.
Pat Burrell, who had been 0 for 13 in the series, led off with a booming double to left center. He just missed it and settled for a double. Buck and McCarver opined that he should have been on 3rd but given that piano on Pat's back 3rd might have been a stretch. It was a big hit for a guy who may have played his last game in a Phillies uniform. Eric Bruntlett came in to pinch run for Burrell. Victorino then tried to bunt him over and finally grounded out to 2nd. Mission accomplished. Next up, Pedro Feliz, who singled up the middle, allowing Bruntlett to waltz home. Phillies grabbed the 4-3 lead. J.C. Romero, who got the last out in the 7th, stayed in for the 8th. The Rays went with lefty phenom David Price.
With the score 4-3 going into the 9th, it was time for Lidge. He got Longoria to pop up. Then Dioner Navarro hit a broken-bat single to right and was replaced at 1st by speedster Fernando Perez. Zobrist, pinch hitting for some reason for Baldelli, laced a seed right to Werth. Perez then stole 2nd. But Lidge got Eric Hinske out swinging on three pitches.
This morning a 20-year-old guy who was at the game played back the video he took of the Rays' final at-bat. As Lidge got the strike-out, the roar of the crowd was just awesome. I had goosebumps just hearing it. As soon as the game ended, the customary fireworks went off all around the rim of the park. This guy said he never even heard them. The crowd was that loud.
The game lasted about an hour and 20 minutes and was packed with timely hits, clutch pitching, and sparkling defense, particularly by the two guys at 2nd. In the end, Charlie Manuel outmanaged Joe Torre and Joe Maddon, who both made odd moves with their bullpens. As in the regular season, everything Charlie did seem to work.
I had picked the Phillies to win in five and they did. But I have never been as nervous before a game as I was last night. Butterflies, palpitations, shallow breathing. As Brad Lidge replied once when asked about about coping with the stress of the postseason, "We just want to throw up all over ourselves." This from a fab guy who was a perfect 41 for 41 during the regular season and 7 for 7 in the postseason. As Jimmy Rollins says, "Do it afraid." Skill, determination, focus, and heart help. Not to mention good pitching. There was really little doubt about who would win the series.
