Cole Hamels and Chase Utley continued to solidify their legacies as big game players by single-handedly carrying the Phillies in last night's 3-2 nailbiter.
Hamels, improved to 4-0 in the postseason, pitching 7 remarkable innings, while allowing just 2 earned and striking out five. The key number is seven and that's how many baserunners he allowed in seven innings (5 hits and 2 walks).
Suffice it to say, he's lived up to his billing as a dominant ace and slowlly closing the gap after every start between himself and "Lefty" as the best big game pitcher in franchise history.
Chase Utley, who we can now call a big game player came through with a 2-run shot in the first inning that kept the Phils in the game. Carlos Ruiz, of all people had a go-ahead RBI in the 4th that gave them a 3-0 lead.
And, that's all they needed, but it wasn't easy most certainly. Crawfod and Iwamura answered back with a dinger and RBI double in the 4th and 5th to make it a ballgame, but Hamels shut them down the rest of the way before handing the ball off to Ryan Madson, who has allowed just one earned run in the entire postseason. In fact, Madson and Lidge are the Phillies' answer to the Reds nasty boys from 1990. They are virtually unstoppable when they are on---Madson, with the change-up and lights-out fastball and Lidge with his three different sliders.
I can't believe I'm saying it, but Madson has finally emerged into an unbelievable relief pitcher. He scared the daylights out of myself and many other Phillies fans throughout the season, but he has been a boon to the team in this postseason.
Now, as far as the broadcast from last night goes, it was sickening to hear them play Tom Petty's "Running Down A Dream" over and over again-almost as annoying as Direct TV beating that Poltergeist spoof commercial to death the last two weeks. I was delighted to see Direct TV finally put a different ad out there. Now, they can run that one into the ground.
And, the fans in Tampa are beyond annoying-they are brutal. If I see another knucklehead with a faux mohawk I might just jump off the balcony from my apartment head first into the ground. Enough already! It seems like every time a small market or phony (in the case of LA fans) fanbase jumps on the bandwagon when their team finally does well they latch on to some ridiculous or annoying fad-ala the 2002 Angels with that Rally Monkey and the Dodgers fans with their Manny Ramirez wigs.
Aside from that it's just peachy to see the Phils win game one. 10 of the past 11 teams who have won game one in the World Series have won it all.
It will be a tough one tonight as they go up against one of the top pitchers in the AL in James Shields. He's a high strikeout pitcher that doesn't allow too many baserunners. But, he's a right-hander, which should be good news to Ryan Howard.
Game starts at 8:35. Myers will take the hill against Shields.
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