The Phillies Should Pay Me to Go to Playoff Games

Let's take a walk down memory lane for a moment here. I, the Reverend Paul Revere, have been to a grand total of three Phillies playoff games in my lifetime. Three. The first was game 4 of the 2008 World Series. The Phillies scored 10 runs and won. The second game was game 3 of the NLDS this postseason. The Phillies scored 11 runs and won. And then last night, I was in attendance again. The Phillies scored eight runs and won. That's 3-0 in postseason games I've attended with 29 runs scored, an average of 9.67 runs a game. When I show up in the postseason, the Phillies not only win, but the bats come alive.



The moral of this story is that the Phillies should pay me to go to all of their playoff games. I'm the good luck charm for the team and the offense. At the very least, they should provide me with free tickets to every postseason game. I'm 3-0 and averaging nearly 10 runs a game. The numbers don't lie. Get me to New York Wednesday and Thursday, Phillies, and you'll have yourself another parade down Broad Street. Make it happen.

That's not to say it was all daffodils and dandy lions last night. Far from it. The game started tense and ended even tenser, but the Phils found a way to win, 8-6. They aren't dead yet, even if they almost killed us in the process. Clifton Phifer Lee, who has been nothing short of the greatest man who ever lived, came out fighting himself right off the bat. He struggled with his control all night, and the Yankees wasted no time taking advantage. The suddenly impossible to get out Johnny Damon singled to center, and two batters later, Alex Rodriguez drove him in with a double. 1-0 Yanks, 27 outs from World Series No. 27.

But these Phillies, as they've grown accustomed to doing, weren't about to take this lying down. If they were going to go down, they were going to go down swinging, literally. After Cliff got through that first, the Phils came out and showed they had his back, the way Cliff had had his teammates' backs this entire postseason run. A.J. Burnett, who was damn near unhittable in game 2, had no such luck this time around. Jimmy Rollins got things going with a single. Then Shane squared around to bunt, and Burnett came in high and tight on Victorino, nailing him in the hand. In my biased opinion, A.J. saw Shane square and decided to peg him, a retaliation move for hitting A-Rod three times the previous two games. I was none too pleased with A.J., especially since Shane was taking a while to gather himself. I turned to my roommate and uncle jellyfish and told them, now make him pay with a home run. That's how you make him pay. And wouldn't you know it, Chase Utley, who almost never swings at the first pitch, exploded at the first pitch he saw, sending it deep to right field. 3-1 Phils. Finally, the Phillies hit a home run with runners actually on base this World Series, and it couldn't have come at a better time.



The Phillies never looked back. Sure, they made it interesting, but they simply refused to lose. With the Yankees starting a 7-8-9 of Brett Gardner, Jose Molina and A.J. Burnett, Lee rolled through the 2nd, though he was still fighting himself through the game. He walked Johnny Damon in the 3rd, though luckily handled Teixeira and A-Rod to get his teammates back to the plate. They did not disappoint. Chase walked, then he stole 2nd. Then Howard walked, and the place started to get crazy. Jayson Werth followed with a single to plate Utley, and Raul made it back-to-back RBI hits, singling home Howard. 5-1 Phils. That was all she wrote for A.J. Burnett. The same guy who shut down the Phils in game 2 lasted a grand total of 2 full innings, walking four and surrendering four hits, and after Chooch drove Werth home on a fielder's choice, Burnett's final line read 2 innings pitched, 6 earned runs on four hits and four walks.

With a five-run lead and the best pitcher of the 2009 postseason on the hill, I'm pretty sure everyone in that stadium felt comfortable, felt like this thing was in the bag. But we should have all known better. The Yankees are much like our Phillies, never dead until that 27th out is recorded. They're a resilient bunch, and a dangerous one at that.

With Burnett out, the Yanks pinch-hit Posada in the 5th and left him the game, adding another potent bat. Lee got him the first time around, but then he walked pinch-hitter Eric Hinske with one out and a five-run lead. That's inexcusable. I know Lee was struggling with his command, but damn, you have to attack everyone with a five-run lead, especially the guy who Brad Lidge struck out to win the World Series last year. Jeter followed with a single, and of course, Hinske scored before it was all said and done. A five-run lead suddenly became a four-run lead with a lot of baseball left to play. And Lee did not quite look like himself. But he continued to fight through.



He breezed through the 6th and 7th, and the Phils could sense it. They were headed back to New York. But just to make sure, Chase Utley decided to tie Reggie Jackson for most home runs in one World Series, crushing his fifth homer of this series.



Then Raul emphatically stated that his third-inning single was no fluke, launching one off the Jeep sign to make it 8-2. Raul Ibanez, it's nice to have you back. We missed you, buddy. To add to the excitement, Cliff Lee chipped in with his first career World Series hit, ripping a single. Things were looking good.

At the time, we had no idea just how important those runs would be. Because Cliff Lee was sent back out there in the 8th, and to our surprise, Shane Victorino was not. Ben Francisco was manning center, and I have to call the move puzzling. We were worried that Shane perhaps had broken some fingers or his hand when he got hit in the first, but thankfully X-rays were negative. That means Charlie pulled him simply as a precautionary method to let the swelling go down before game 6. One problem, the Phils still needed six more outs to get there, and taking out your best outfielder, no matter how banged up, is not a good idea. And that unfortunately played out.

Lee, still struggling to hit his spots consistently, gave up a leadoff single to Damon. Teixeira followed with a double, and up came A-Rod with runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. I thought Charlie was going to go get Lee. He did not, and A-Rod ripped one to left. Raul made a dive for it, and the ball went right off his glove, 8-4. It was a play Ibanez should have made. He didn't have to go that far to get to it, and it hit right off his glove. Had Charlie simply left Shane in and put Francisco in left, as he has numerous times this season, the play would have been made. I have no doubt Francisco catches that ball. Now the Yanks were within four still with six outs to go and A-Rod on 2nd.

That was it for Lee, and you could feel the tension in the place. I said, "Please don't pitch this thing into a save situation," but that was inevitable. Chan Ho came in and did a great job, getting all three batters he faced, but A-Rod still managed to score somehow on a shallow fly to center. Francisco played it horribly, not backing up and charge it to get his momentum, and he made a horribly weak throw to home. If Shane had been in the game, A-Rod probably wouldn't have even ran, and if he did, he would have been dead to rights. But Shane was out, and suddenly a six-run lead in the 8th turned into a 3-run lead with three outs to play. And the Phils couldn't muster any offense themselves, as Matt Stairs grounded into a double play after Chooch led off with a single, and J-Roll grounded out to end the 8th. It would be nice if Greg Dobbs was still alive. Just saying.

Anyway, after Brad Lidge shit himself on Sunday, there was no way he was getting anywhere near that mound. That meant it was Ryan Madson, he of the equally torture-inducing save situation success. Sadly, Madson came out like a scared child, failing to throw strikes with a 3-run lead. And though he was facing the bottom of the order, this was not longer Gardner, Molina and the pitcher spot. By the 9th inning, the Yankees had transformed the 8 and 9 hole into Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, followed by Derek Jeter as the first three hitters in the final inning. That doesn't seem fair.

Madson fell behind Jorge and gave up a double. Then he fell behind Matsui, at which point I lost it, screaming at him, "THROW FUCKING STRIKES YOU FUCKING BUM!" Then he gave up a single to Matsui, 1st and 3rd with nobody out, Derek Jeter up as the tying run. I lost it, yelling, "GET HIM OUT, CHARLIE! GET HIM THE FUCK OUT!" Charlie didn't listen. All I could see was impending doom. The Yanks had the tying run at the plate with no one out, and it was in the person of Derek fucking Jeter, the most clutch player I've ever seen. The guy came into the game batting .412 in the World Series. All I could picture was another devastating comeback by New York, this time to win the whole damn thing. I wanted to throw up.



I couldn't even muster up any energy to yell, cheer or anything. I was fuming, silent and waiting for the inevitable. But then, somehow, Madson sawed off the great Derek Jeter, who hit the ball right to Jimmy Rollins, 6-4-3. Damon scored, but suddenly the Phils went from impending doom to up 8-6 with no one on and two out. I couldn't fucking believe it. All I could picture was Jeter sending one to the gap or god forbid, launching one into the left field stands to tie it. But he didn't. Derek Jeter, for the first time this series, failed to come through.

But the game wasn't over yet. Up came that pesky Johnny Damon, and the little fucker worked another great at-bat to single. Fuck. Madson had to get Teixeira, just had to. Because if A-Rod came up again, things were not going to end well. Thankfully, Madson did, striking out the playoff fraud that is Mark Teixeira, sending this thing back to New York. They're still down 3-2, but they aren't dead yet. This team still has a pulse, and as we all know by now, nothing is impossible with these guys. Nothing.

On a side note, I'd like to point out just how much I fucking hate these Yankees. I've always despised Mark Teixeira, and that hasn't changed, but now two new hatred-fueled relationships have developed inside me. I cannot stand Johnny Damon, that Benedict Arnold, and his fucking pesky at-bats. He had sucked all playoffs and in the first two games. Now, the Phillies can't get him out. Fuck that guy. And Jorge Posada. I used to have no problem with this fucking rat, but now I hope he dies a horrible, embarrassing death. He is the most whiny, petulant bitch I've ever seen, especially for a catcher. He complains after ever called strike. The guy is a fucking catcher. That's just stupid. You have to stand in front of that ump and hope he gives you calls as a catcher. Instead you bitch and moan like a little girl. Go fuck yourself, Jorge. Especially after that fucking tantrum you threw after Lee quick-pitched you. Grow the fuck up. You were taking forever and whining after every pitch. Lee got pissed, and he put you in your fucking place. It's not like your pitchers haven't done that. Remember CC's quick pitches in game 4? It's part of baseball. Deal with it. And die, you fucking asshole. Jorge Posada is a fucking rat bastard.

I hate the fucking Yankees. Fuck them. Win two more games, Phils. You got it in you. You really do. Fuck the Yankees.

LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!

Another Pitching Duel

Twice this postseason Pedro Martinez has pitched very good, and twice this postseason, the Phillies have lost, squandering excellent starts by the old goat. You gotta feel bad for the guy, what with having the best offense in the National League behind him failing to put up any runs.



Of course, the reason the Phils were silent at the plate was A.J. Burnett. The guy was just filthy last night, the best I've ever seen him. A pitcher who has been notoriously wild in his career had pinpoint control last night, and his sharp curveball was giving the Phillies fits last night. Hats off to A.J. last night. He put forth an incredible outing. Now go fuck yourself, A.J.

Prior to last night's gem, Burnett had struggled in the playoffs, posting an ERA somewhere around 5. And with 37-year-old Pedro starting in cooler weather, most people expected a game full of runs. Game 1 was supposed to be the pitchers duel, which of course it was, while game 2 was supposed showcase the two potent lineups, with fireworks galore. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

It was evident from the first inning that both pitchers had brought their A stuff. Burnett set down the Phils 1-2-3 and was pounding the strike zone. There was nothing wild about his performance. Pedro simply starting things off by striking out Derek Jeter, then Johnny Damon and finally getting Mark Teixeira to pop out. I had a good feeling the old goat was going to dig down deep and come up with a big performance. And in the second inning, when Raul Ibanez dropped in a two-out ground rule double by poking another nasty Burnett pitch into left and Matt Stairs followed with a single to drive him home, I thought the Phils had gotten to Burnett, that the big righty was ready to unravel, lose his command and let the Phils break things wide open. He did not.

Instead, Burnett didn't let a bloop hit off the end of the bat by Raul or the single by Stairs that went right under Alex Rodriguez's glove slow him down. Not one bit. Nope. Burnett went out there and showed why the Yankees paid so much money for him, showed that nasty stuff that is as good as anyone's. He was on last night. The Yankees needed a big performance from Burnett, and they got it.



The fact that a guy who reminds me of Kid Rock pitched so damn well against the Phillies angers me, but such is life. A.J. showed up big time. A big key for his success came in the 3rd inning. Already trailing 1-0, Burnett walked Jimmy Rollins with one out. Then Shane Victorino grounded out for out number 2, but Burnett followed that up by walking Chase Utley. Perhaps the wildness was finally getting to him. Up stepped Howard with two on and two out. This is the spot the big man has been relishing this postseason, the spot where he has come through time and time again. But not this time. Burnett, with his filth, got Howard on strikes, a familiar occurrence last night. Howard finished with the golden sombrero, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Still, things were going reasonably well. No one really thought one run would hold up against the Yankees, but Pedro was dealing. Through three innings, he had shut down the Yanks, striking out 4 and commanding the strike zone. Pedro looked like the Pedro of old again. But he wasn't getting any help from his offense. Burnett was keeping the Phils at bay, and he was killing them by getting strike one to just about every hitter. Finally in the 4th, however, the Phils got their leadoff man on via a Jayson Werth single. That rally was killed quickly when Werth inexplicably wandered too far off first base and got picked off by Jose Molina on a snap throw to first. It was pathetic and inexcusable. At least once every few series, Werth does something stupid like that. The World Series is no time for such brain cramps. And for fuck's sake, Jayson, why didn't you slide? It probably doesn't matter anyway, because Molina had you dead to rights, but damn. That was awful.

To make matters worse, the Yanks tied it in the bottom of the inning on a home run by Teixeira. Looking for a changeup, Teixeira launched one that was down and outside into the center field bullpen. Honestly, it wasn't even a bad pitch by Pedro. It was on the outer half of the plate and down. Teixeira just got the better of him on that one. That's not good. Tex has been struggling at the plate in his normal October fashion. Hopefully that's not the swing that wakes him up. We could use more slumping out of him. And did I mention that I hate Teixeira's douchey face? No? Well mark this down, I hate Mark Teixeira's douchey face.



The thing about this Phillies team is that whenever the other team pushes, the Phils seem to push back. And in the 5th, it looked like they were about to do that. Carlos Ruiz got things going with a one-out double, bringing the top of the lineup to the plate. This was Jimmy's chance to get the Phils back on top and put the pressure back on the Yankees. Instead, Jimmy struck out swinging on a low, inside curveball, the same pitch he had been swinging at and missing all night. It was a good at-bat until that point, working Burnett to a full count, but Jimmy couldn't lay off a pitch that everyone in my house knew was coming. And that's bad baseball. All night long, Burnett had been putting Phillies away with two strikes by throwing that nasty curve. Against Jimmy specifically, he kept throwing it down and in, almost on his toes, and Jimmy kept chasing. Instead of adjusting like a good hitter is supposed to do, Jimmy flailed at it again, this time in a huge spot. That at-bat is the killer at-bat playing over and over in my head. Shane failed to pick Jimmy up, popping out, and unfortunately, it looks as though Shane's big loop is back in his swing. That's never a good thing.

From there, it was Pedro and Burnett matching each other pitch for pitch. The question was, who would make the first mistake? Unfortunately for Phils, it was Pedro. Martinez was cruising along, striking out Teixeira and A-Rod to lead off the 6th, and then getting ahead of Hideki Matsui 0-2. Could he strike out the side this deep into the game? Yes, please. Well, no, he couldn't. Pedro threw an offspeed pitch down at the toes, and Matsui dropped the head, sending it deep into the right field bleachers. 2-1 Yanks. It's hard to kill Pedro, who pitched an excellent game, but there's no question he missed his spot there. My roommates and Tim McCarver were saying how he golfed it out off the ground, hard to blame Pedro. Bullshit. Matsui, and a lot of lefthanded hitters, love the ball down and in so they can drop the head right on it. The pitch was supposed to be away. That's where Ruiz was set up. But Pedro yanked it and it went inside. Then it went out of the park. It was a mistake pitch, and it was costly. Still, one run wasn't going to cut it anyway.

When Ibanez and Stairs both went down looking to begin the 7th, I was getting pissed. Burnett had been going to the curveball all night with two strikes. How the fuck could both of them get frozen on it? Seriously, had they not paid attention to what A.J. was doing all game? What the fuck? Get your head out of your asses, guys. If I know what pitch is coming, you definitely should. It's kind of your job. I'm not saying you would have done anything with it, not the way Burnett was tossing and how nasty that thing was, but damn, don't just stand there and watch it. Pathetic.

As far as Charlie's decision to send Pedro out there for the 7th, I was in 100 percent agreement. I really was. Pedro was dealing. He got hurt on two pitches, the same way CC had in game 1, but was otherwise motoring along. Of course, Pedro gave up two hits and then came out, and that extra run came across, making the game almost out of reach against Mariano Rivera, but Charlie had to send Pedro back out there. He just had to.



The real move that will be second-guessed to the end of time is his decision not to start the runners on a 3-2 count with one out in the 8th. Let's face the facts, you aren't going to get many opportunities to get to Mariano Rivera. Just not happening. The guy is the greatest closer to ever roam the earth and as close to unbeatable as they come. But last night, the Phils had their chance in the 8th inning, when Rivera came in with a 3-1 lead for the two-inning save.

After Chooch grounded out, Rollins worked an awesome at-bat, getting Rivera, the man who never walks anyone, to walk him. Then Shane followed with a single through the hole on the right side. The tying run was on first with one out. When you get the chance to get to Rivera, you have to take it, because you never know when your next chance will come. Chase worked himself to a 3-2 count, and Tim McCarver said the Phils had to start the runners. Everyone seemed to agree. Charlie did not, and Chase, who never grounds into double plays, grounded into an inning-ending double play. Replays showed Utley actually had beaten it out and should have been safe, but the Phils also got a call go their way earlier, on the double play Howard caught but didn't actually catch. Doesn't excuse the umpiring, but it certainly brings to light that the Phils should have been running on the play.

With the fastest guys on the team, Rollins and Victorino, on the base paths, you just had to start them. Had to. In his postgame press conference, Charlie said he didn't start them because a) Chase doesn't ground into double plays, b) he didn't want Jimmy to get thrown out at third because Posada had a clear shot to third with the lefthanded Utley at the plate, c) he didn't want Chase to line into a double play and d) he wanted Howard to hit. Here's the problem with those things. For starters, Chase doesn't swing and miss often, so getting Jimmy at third would be tough, especially since Posada throws like a girl. As far as Howard hitting, I get that, but I'd take Jayson Werth with the bases loaded as well. And the line drive thing, well, you have to take some risks, and Buck Showalter said it best: the Phils were already up 1 game to none, so why not be aggressive and go all out? I agree with all those sentiments. Though to be fair, Chase was safe at first, which means he really didn't ground into a double play. And Charlie let the reporters know it, telling them that Chase was safe.

Either way, if he had started the runners, there would have been no chance at a double play. The umpires wouldn't have even come into play. Such is life, I guess. From there, Rivera shut the door and the series is all tied up at one apiece. A successful split, coming back to Citizens Bank needing just three wins, but another wasted good outing by Pedro leaves a bitter taste. A 2-0 lead would be looking mighty nice.

Really, the highlight of the night for the Phils, besides Pedro, was this catch by Raul in the 2nd. Other than that, the bats were silent and the Yanks simply refused to go down 0-2. A.J. earned this one. And I hate him for it.

The good news is the Phils have stolen home field advantage, and coming back to Philly tomorrow just three wins away from another parade sounds good to me. I think they got three more in them.

LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!!!!!