How the Phillies Won the 2008 World Series
Philadelphia Beat Tampa Bay Rays to Become World Champions
Nov 8, 2008
The city of Philadelphia has waited a long time to be called a sports champion again and endured many failed seasons from their four professional teams. Sure, the NHL's Flyers, NFL's Eagles and NBA's Sixers have had some success since the city's last championship in 1983 (Sixers). The Flyers have played in the Stanley Cup Finals three times (1985, 1987 & 1997), the Sixers reached the NBA finals in 2001, and the Eagles made a trip to the Super Bowl in 2004. But all three of these teams, like the 1993 Phillies, came away without the glory they all start each season striving toward. This year would be different...
World Series
Philadelphia Phillies vs Tampa Bay Rays (best of 7)
- Game 1 (Phillies 3, Rays 2): Chase Utley became the 34th player in MLB history to hit a home run in his first WS at-bat when he drove a two-run shot into right-field in the first inning. The Phillies scored their other run in the fourth when Carlos Ruiz brought Shane Victorino home on a sacrifice ground out. Then they just rested behind the arm of their ace, Cole Hamels, the rest of the way. Hamels struck out five and gave up two runs on five hits over seven innings to move to 4-0 in the 2008 postseason. Brad Lidge recorded the save.
- Game 2 (Rays 4, Phillies 2): Tampa Bay squared the series after Philadelphia continued to leave runners in scoring position on base, going 1-for-15 in Game 2 after finishing 0-for-13 in their Game 1 win. Starting pitcher Brett Myers was shaky to start, surrendering three runs in the first two innings, but settled in afterward. He just never received the run support he needed. The series shifted to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the next three games.
- Game 3 (Phillies 5, Rays 4): It took until the bottom of the ninth and the last pitch to decide the outcome. That's when Ruiz, with the bases loaded and no outs, hit a dribbler down the third base line that brought Eric Bruntlett home for the walk-off win. The 45-year-old Jamie Moyer pitched a strong game for the Phillies but did not get the decision.
- Game 4 (Phillies 10, Rays 2): The Phillies unleashed an offensive barrage that included two homers by the struggling Ryan Howard, one by Jayson Werth, and another from starting pitcher Joe Blanton, the first pitcher to hit a long ball in the Fall Classic since 1974. Blanton also performed well on the mound, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out seven batters over six innings. The Phillies were now just one win away from clinching the World Series.
- Game 5 (Phillies 4, Rays 3): The Phillies struck early, again, following a two-run single by Victorino in the first inning. But the Rays were able to tie the game at 2 before torrential rainfall forced the umpires to suspend the game after the top-half of the sixth. Two days later the game resumed and the Phillies jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the sixth when pinch-hitter Geoff Jenkins led off the inning with a double and was brought home two batters later courtesy of an error by the Rays. Tampa Bay tied the game in the seventh but fell behind again when Pedro Feliz knocked in a run in the bottom-half of the inning. Reliever J.C. Romero acted as the "Bridge to Lidge" before the closer came on in the ninth and secured the victory for Philadelphia with a three-pitch strikeout of Eric Hinske.
Phillies Win World Series 4 Games to 1
Phillies Notes:
Hamels was awarded the 2008 World Series MVP trophy. He was 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA and eight strikeouts in two WS starts. He finished the postseason with a 4-0 record and 1.80 ERA to go along with 30 strikeouts. He was just the fifth player in MLB history to win NLCS and WS MVP honours in the same year.
Philadelphia finished the 2008 postseason with an undefeated 7-0 record at home in Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia hit nine home runs in the World Series while Tampa Bay hit only four. Entering the World Series, Tampa Bay had clubbed 22 home runs in their NLDS and NLCS series while Philadelphia had sent 10 over the fences.
Lidge saved all seven of his opportunities in the postseason and finished a perfect 48-for-48 since joining the Phillies in the offseason.
Victorino drove in a team-high 13 runs in the 2008 postseason. He now holds the franchise record for most RBIs in a single postseason, surpassing the 10 runs Lenny Dykstra batted in during the 1993 postseason.
Jayson Werth led the Phillies' offense in hits (17), batting average (.309) and doubles (7), and was second in runs scored (9) during the 2008 postseason. However, he also struck out a team-high 17 times.
Howard, who led the league with 48 home runs in the regular season, failed to hit one until Game 3 of the World Series in his 43rd at-bat of the 2008 postseason. He finished with three home runs after clubbing two in Game 4.
Moyer and Pat Burrell are currently the only free agents from Philadelphia's World Series roster.
How the Phillies Made it to the World Series...
Sources:
www.mlb.com
www.philadelphiaphillies.com
