If the Phillies end up missing the play-offs, many of us will think immediately of Tuesday night's game. I missed the first 11 innings because I was at an IronPigs game. But I did catch the other five. When Jimmy Rollins tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, I said to a guy next to me, "Win it now, boys!" But they did not.
It was in the 14th that things fell apart, with the inexplicable taunting of Ryan Howard by fill-in umpire Scott Barry, who seems to have something against Ryans. Last week he tossed Ryan Zimmerman, also for tossing his bat after sriking out. With two on and two out, Barry called Howard out on a check swing that clearly had been checked. Howard, a mild-mannered guy, was furious. There was only one arrogant jerk in this story and it was the umpire, who tossed the star player.
With Howard gone and no position players left, a pitcher had to come in to play the field. Enter Roy Oswalt in left, as Raul Ibanez went to first. I was beside myself. Sure enough the first ball put in play in the 15th was an easy fly to Oswalt, who made the catch to a standing O. Ibanez made the other two outs, including an outstanding play on the speedy Michael Bourn. Alas, the Phillies' offensive woes continued. David Herndon did a yeoman's job pitching late but flagged in the 16th, walking one and hitting another batter. He then got the ground balls he wanted but the double plays needed could not be turned. The Astros went up 4-2 and won the game. The final out was made by Roy Oswalt, batting fourth for Howard. With two on, he worked the count from 0-2 to 2-2, then grounded out.
There's too much to say about this game, too much that would be about this dismal umpiring crew, the Phillies' offense, how the Astros always beat the Phillies at home, the airhead baserunning, and on and on. One thing that was stunning to me is that at 12:20 a.m., there were tons of people in the ballpark. When Oswalt took left, the bottom bowl looked to be filled with standing fans. When he came up to bat in the bottom of the 16th, the place was absolutely rocking with chants of "Let's go, Oswalt".
Beat writer David Murphy had a great piece at High Cheese yesterday about what was going through Oswalt's mind out there in left. Turns out all he wanted was a chance to throw someone out at the plate. He wanted to show the outfielders how it was done! Oswalt was loving every minute of it of his chance to play the field. At Philled In, David Hale, another beat writer, added that Oswalt after the game remarked that he had never had his name chanted by more than maybe five people ever. On Tuesday night it was more like 40,000. Way to go!
