You just wouldn't expect a game started by Roy Halladay to be finished, and won, by second baseman Wilson Valdez 18 innings later. But that's what happened in game 3 of the Reds series, in a game that went deep into the night. By the time the game ended, after one a.m., starters Halladay and Wood were distant memories. Wood went six, Halladay went seven. Both gave up three runs.
Ibanez led off the bottom of the eighth with a triple---and languished at third. The Phillies loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth---and did nothing. Jay Bruce (him again) led off the 10th with a solo home run that just made it over the right field fence, much to reliever Antonio Bastardo's disgust. Ryan Howard led off the bottom of the 10th with a mammoth homer that skittered down the bullpen stairs. Game tied: 4-4.
In the 11th, J.C. Romero hit a batter and walked two, but managed to get two outs. One was a pick-off at second of Brandon Phillips, who was busy schmoozing with Jimmy Rollins. What a gaffe. With the bases loaded, David Herndon came in for the final out, which he got on a backwards stutter-step catch off the mound, then a hard throw to Howard at first. By the 14th, the two bullpen guys left standing were call-up Carlos Fisher for the Reds and Danys Baez for the Phillies. The two went at it for inning after inning. In the 18th, both were obviously flagging.
With his bench emptied as well, Charlie Manuel went to Wilson Valdez, who had started the game at second. Polanco went from third to second, Ruiz from catcher to third, and Sardinha, who had pinch-hit in the 18th, took over behind the plate. All Valdez had to do was sit down the heart of the Reds' order. He got Votto on a pop-up, hit Rolen, got Bruce on a pop-up and finished off with a pop-up by the pitcher. It took him only 11 pitches. Wow.
In the bottom of the 19th, the pitcher Fisher was looking totally gassed. No wonder. He had thrown almost 90 pitches. (Baez, by the bye, had thrown 73.) An Ibanez sac fly scored Rollins from third and the game was over, six hours and 11 minutes after it had started. It was a total team effort on both sides. You had to feel for Reds' reliever Carlos Fisher who, like Danys Baez, stepped in and did yeoman's work.
The game was one for the ages, for sure. Wilson Valdez got the win and became only the second player in major league history to start a game as a position player and finish it as the winning pitcher. The other time it was done? In 1921 by Babe Ruth.
