Phillies-Rays: Guts, Glory, and a Bit of Luck Carry Phillies to Victory

A 10 PM EDT start. A 95 MPH fastball pitcher vs. an 81 MPH fastball pitcher. A hot team. A hotter visiting team. A sure win? Nope.

To borrow an old cliche, it's why you play the game. The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4, in the bottom of the ninth to take a 2-1 lead in the 2008 World Series.

By now, you've heard the stories of the Phillies' 45-year-old slow-ball pitcher Jamie Moyer, him of a 22-year career, where he has a greater winning percentage after he was 29 years old. He faced a man half his age, ALCS MVP Matt Garza.

The Phils struck first, finally advancing a man home from scoring position on a groundout. Tampa tied the game in the following inning on a sacrifice fly, before Phils' catcher Carlos Ruiz put the Phils up 2-1 in the bottom of the second.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth, when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit back-to-back home runs to put the Phils up 4-1.

"Is your TV whacked or is it me?" my friend texted me as I was just about to brag to another friend about the back-to-back jacks. Turns out that, not only my friend, but thousands of Phillies fans across the region missed the Phillies' power surge due to cable outage.

I was lucky: My HD broadcast was not affected. Another friend said he watched the game on his old analog television. Figured it was an important part of the game and not some 24 shill. Does anyone care that Joe Buck got to watch a private premiere of the show's season opener? He is starting to sound like McCarver.

Jamie Moyer survived a long, loud out by Rays' Evan Longoria, and I figured he was done for the night, and another Phils' pitcher would start the top of the seventh. Wrong.

Sure enough, the Rays scored two runs in the top of the seventh, with all runs charged to Moyer. A bang-bang play at first to start the inning started the barrage, which Moyer started and Chad Durbin finished.

B.J. Upton's speed and a Philly error tied the game for the Rays in the top of the eighth.

If not for that run, Brad Lidge would come in to pitch the top of the ninth. Ryan Madison was charged with the tying run, but J.C. Romeo finished the eight inning for the Phils and pitched an uneventful top of the ninth.

What happened next was wild. It culminated with the Phillies' winning run, shown above, courtesy of a Philadelphia Inquirer photographer.

But let me back up. The texts were hot and heavy last night and early this morning.

"Hit 'em" I texted to my friend at the bottom of the ninth. It was after 1 AM now, culminating a game that started at 10 PM EDT.

"What," he wrote. "I fell asleep."

"Eric Brunlett got hit," I texted back.

Shane Victorino, one of the Phils' playoff heroes, squared to bunt. Rays pitcher J.P. Howell threw the ball past his catcher, Dioner Navarro, almost hitting Victorino, and Brunlett moved to second. The ball caromed off the brick backing, and, as Brunlett slid into second, Navarro's throw got away and Brunlett moved to third. First and third and no outs.

"Move the outfields and infielders in and walk the bases loaded. Fly ball wins the game," I texted to my friend.

Rays manager Joe Madden not only did that, he took an outfielder Ben Zubrist and moved him into position as the fifth infielder. Brunlett's run was the only one that mattered.

Ruiz, on a 2-2 count, made contact, producing a dribbler down the third-base line and the bases juiced. Longoria ran in to field the dying swan and tried to scoop it with his glove to Navarro.

The ball sailed over Navarro's head, and Brunlett scored the winning run, above, as Matt Stairs, the next batter, celebrated. Phils win! Phils win! It is 1:47 AM.

The pressure is squarely on the Rays, but from a Phillies perspective, a win in Game Four will clinch the series for the Phils in Philadelphia. Why?

Cole Hamels will pitch Game Five Monday against Scott Kazmir. Now, Kazmir is a fine pitcher. But Hamels has been unbelievable, going 4-0 in the postseason with an ERA near 1.50.

Joe Blanton will face Andy Sonnanstine in Game Four tonight. They seem to be comparable pitchers, so it could be anybody's game on paper.

The Rays need the game to keep pace in the series. The are a good team, but...The Phillies need the win to pave their way to history as only the second World Champion in the team's 125-year history.

One thing is on the Rays' side, however. This is Philly. Anything can happen.

But this team. This team. This team does not believe in any history...but their own.