Philadelphia Phillies Keep Fighting in Win over Mets and in Their Season

Wednesday night’s 3-2 win over the New York Mets was, for the Philadelphia Phillies, symbolic of the way the 2012 season has gone.

It’s been a long season for the Phillies, and part of that reason has been a very quiet offense. The team is currently ninth in the National League in runs scored.

Even with strong pitching performances from their starters, the bats have not held their end of the bargain, resulting in the Phillies dropping to 13 games under .500 at the All-Star break. For example, Cliff Lee is 22nd in all of Major League Baseball with a 3.27 ERA, but he is 21st on the list of worst run support in the league at 3.89 runs per game. He has only six wins on the season despite some brilliant pitching performances.

A lack of offense and run support was once again the case Wednesday night. Despite Cole Hamels  going six innings and allowing only two runs—with the bullpen pitching another two scoreless innings—the Phillies trailed going into the top of the ninth 2-1.

The offense had mustered up one run on two hits the first eight innings of the game. They forced only three walks. And that lone run? It came on the first at-bat of the game, thanks to a Jimmy Rollins solo home run. It was a long night of dormancy, much like the majority of the season has been.

But the Phillies have come alive lately, going 12-5 in September, breaking .500 and clawing to within four games of the second wild card spot.

They continued to fight Wednesday night.

Down to the team’s last out in the top of the ninth inning, Chase Utley—who didn’t play his first game until June 27—drew a walk on an eight-pitch at-bat.

Then, the struggling Ryan Howard—who didn’t play his first game until July 6 and is hitting a career-low .225—came to the plate. Howard slugged an 0-1 fastball into the upper deck, giving the Phillies a one-run lead, which they would hold on to for the victory.

Just when the Phillies were counted all but out of this game, the team continued to fight and make plays to come from behind.

And that’s really what this season has been about. After all the injuries, after all the losses, after all the trades of big pieces of the lineup, many people looked past the five-time defending NL East champions.

But here they are in September with a chance—albeit a long-shot—at making the postseason for a sixth consecutive season. Guys filled in for those injured, suspended or traded. They made plays. They just kept fighting.

The resiliency they showed against the Mets Wednesday night is the main reason why that win was more than just a feel-good game. That resiliency is why the win had playoff implications for the Phillies.

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Philadelphia Phillies: When Will the Team Give Up on David Herndon?

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday—the team’s second in a row—does not mean it’s time for fans to panic. It’s one series very early in the season.

But, it doesn’t mean that players cannot be evaluated, especially those with a history with the team.

That being said, when does the David Herndon experiment end?

The 6’5″ right-handed relief pitcher came on in the ninth inning of a 4-4 game and gave up two hits and the game-winning run, earning the loss. It was his eighth loss with the Phillies since he made his debut in 2010.

Herndon was originally acquired by the Phillies as a Rule 5 Draft pick in 2009, the same way they acquired Shane Victorino. In order for the Phillies to keep Herndon’s rights, they needed to keep him on the 25-man roster for the entire season.

So if the team wanted to give Herndon time to develop and a chance to be an invaluable member of the bullpen, they needed to live with some of his growing pains.

He’s had two years plus one game now. The majority of the time Herndon has disappointed.

He is 2-8 overall with an ERA of 3.85. Opponents are hitting .292 against him. Coming into this season, lefties hit an exceptionally high .343 with a slugging-percentage of .594 against him and righties were hitting a respectable .262.

As stated above, he has eight losses for the Phillies. His four losses last season were tied for sixth most on the team. As for relievers, though, only Kyle Kendrick—who started 15 games out of 34 total—had more losses than Herndon. Danys Baez had as many as Herndon. Even Vance Worley, who made 21 starts, lost fewer games than Herndon.

Herndon’s redeeming “skill” is his ability to get ground balls. Herndon’s go-to-pitch is a sinking fastball, followed by a slider and change-up combination. Getting ground balls is especially important for Phillies pitchers because Citizens Bank Park is known to be a hitter’s park.

The problem is that Herndon still gives up the long ball in abundance. Last season, Herndon gave up nine home runs, the most by any relief pitcher (excluding Kendrick).

Herndon has difficulty getting players out, gets hit very hard and does not come up big when the team needs him.

It makes no sense for him to keep a roster spot if all he is “good” for is mop-up duty in blowouts.

More times than not when Herndon comes in, he hurts the team. The question is how much longer will Phillies management allow him to do so?

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MLB Trade Deadline: Philadelphia Phillies Need to Trade for Hunter Pence

While the Philadelphia Phillies will be looking for bullpen help at this summer’s MLB trade deadline—as they do most seasons—their biggest weakness is their offense.

After being a feared lineup before last season the team’s offense has sputtered. It went missing in the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants and this season is 18th in all of baseball in home runs (81, a shame in its supposed hitter’s ballpark), 19th in OPS (.700), 21st in batting average (.248) and 22nd in slugging percentage (.379).

The man the Phillies should target is Hunter Pence, an outfielder with the Houston Astros.

Outfield is the position that the Phils could upgrade and Pence is a righty, which will help balance their lefty-heavy middle of the order (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez).

Pence is enjoying a great year. He has 11 home runs this year and 61 RBI and those totals would be third and second best on the Phillies right now. His .318 average would lead the team and he’d also be in the top few in on-base percentage (.359) and OPS (.843).

This season the Phillies have mostly used a right-field platoon of Dominic Brown and Ben Francisco. Combined, those two have hit 11 home runs and only 47 RBI. Add John Mayberry, Jr.’s 24 RBI and that total just eclipses Pence’s total by 11. And none of those three are hitting above .243.

It isn’t just his hitting that makes Pence the perfect fit in Philly, though. He’s a good fielder who has never committed more than six errors in a season, has a career fielding percentage of .986 when playing right field (he spent some of his rookie season in center field) and has a good arm. Pence also has good speed and runs the bases well (he would be fourth on the Phillies with seven steals and he hasn’t been caught stealing yet).

His contract situation is also suitable. He’s making a manageable $6.9 million this season and, more importantly, is signed through 2013. He won’t just be a rental player.

Having Pence would also let Brown develop on his own pace better this year with less pressure, as the rookie looks has struggled this year after missing the beginning of the season due to an injury.

The Astros should be sellers at the trade market, owners of the worst record in MLB (30-63). Word from Houston’s management is that they aren’t terribly interested in trading Pence, but that’s not to say the Phils don’t still have a chance to swing a deal.

Philadelphia and Houston are familiar trade partners. Astros general manager Ed Wade previously held the same position with the Phillies, and he has swung some nice deals with his old employer. Before the 2008 season he sent Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies and both played big roles in helping the Phillies win the World Series that year. Last season Wade shipped long-time Astro ace Roy Oswalt to Philly.

It’s not like the Astros haven’t received anything in return either. The Lidge trade netted them Michael Bourn, a speedy centerfielder who is enjoying a career year with a .287 batting average, 60 runs, seven triples and 35 stolen bases.

In exchange for Oswalt Houston received J.A. Happ, a solid middle of the rotation guy.

And while the Phillies farm system has been depleted over the past few years with trades for Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Oswalt they still do have some young talent that would be available to move.

Brown came in the season as the Phillies top-ranked prospect. He would be a major league-ready prospect that the Astros could slide into the lineup immediately. Another young player on the Phillies major league roster that could interest the Astros is starting pitcher Vance Worley. He is 5-0 this season with a 2.15 ERA filling in for injuries on the pitching staff. When Oswalt and Blanton come back off the DL, however, he will most likely be the odd man out.

Other prospects that interest teams are first baseman/outfielder and slugger Jonathan Singleton (currently blocked at first base by Ryan Howard), catcher Sebastian Valle and pitchers Brody Colvin, Jarred Cosart, Jesse Biddle, Trevor May and Phillippe Aumont.

Pence may cost the Phillies more than some of the other available outfielders on the market—Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick and Jeff Francoeur—would. But look at those names. None of them have been more consistent throughout their careers than Pence. Francoeur leads those three in career batting average (.267) but doesn’t come close to Pence’s (.292). Their power numbers this year aren’t even that much different from Pence. Willingham and Francoeur have 12 home runs while Ludwick has 11 and all three have fewer RBIs.

Also, are any of those three really that much better than Dominic Brown? Pence is a significant upgrade, but the other three don’t improve the position that much more to merit making a trade.

The Phillies’ championship window is getting smaller and smaller with guys like Howard, Utley, Rollins, Halladay and Lee all in their 30s. Now is the time to take advantage of their talents by adding equally talented players to the roster to complement them.

Pence fits the bill. All other options are just cheap substitutes.

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Jayson Werth Isn’t the First OF the Philadelphia Phillies Have Had to Replace

Jayson Werth became a fan favorite in his four seasons with the Phillies, be it because of his great production on the field, his blue-collar attitude and hard work, or his beard.

Werth his 95 home runs, batted in 300 runs, and stole 60 bases. He was the power right-handed bat that balanced a lefty-dominated middle of the lineup. He also was very good defensively, both with his fielding and his arm.

He was very productive for the Phillies. So productive, in fact, he became too pricey to keep.

A free agent, Werth signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals, numbers the Phillies were in no way going to compete with.

While the fan base is disappointed they won’t be keeping their bearded right-fielder, they must remember that the team has lost fan-favorite outfielders before, replaced them without missing a step, and watched the decline of the by-gone outfielder’s career.

It all started in 2006, when the Phillies traded Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. Abreu was the Phillies star player, hitting as many as 31 home runs in a season and batting as high as .335. In seven full seasons with the Phillies, Abreu hit .300 or better in six of them.

In the four seasons after the trade, he hasn’t hit over .300 and has averaged 17.8 home runs a season.

Not terrible numbers, but the Phillies did a good job of replacing him with Shane Victorino.

In the four seasons Victorino has been a full-time starter, the Phillies have made the playoffs each year. He’s won three Gold Glove awards, and has been selected to one All-Star game. He’s got tremendous speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, and he provides a ton of energy.

Aaron Rowand was the team’s center-fielder in 2006 and 2007 and he cemented himself in Phillies’ lore by running into a fence to make a catch against the Mets. He suffered a broken nose, but he made the catch, saved at least one run, and the Phillies went on to win the game 2-0.

His contract year of 2007, he finished career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (89). He signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the San Francisco Giants that offseason.

Rowand has not hit more than 15 home runs, batted in more than 70 runs, or hit higher than .271. In August of this previous season, he became a platoon player.

While he has fallen off the radar in San Francisco, the Phillies moved Victorino to center field and put Werth in right field.

And then there is Pat Burrell. Even though his last three seasons in Philly he couldn’t hit higher than .258, he still had a lot of pop in his bat, hitting 29, 30, and 33 home runs. After finally winning a World Series after nine seasons with the franchise that drafted him first overall, he was not brought back and he moved on to Tampa Bay.

Burrell continues to struggle with his average, finishing 2009 with a .221 average and 2010 (with both Tampa and San Francisco) with a .252 average, and he also doesn’t have the power numbers he used to put up, hitting 14 and 20 home runs with only 64 RBI both seasons.

The Phillies replaced Burrell with Raul Ibanez, who in his first season in Philadelphia hit 34 home runs, 93 RBI, and had a .272 batting average, along with being named to his first All-Star game. His home run total dramatically dropped last season to only 16, but he still drove in 83 runs and hit .275.

Maybe the change in ballpark goes into these players’ numbers dropping once they leave Philly, but none of those players were more popular on a national scene then when they were a Phillie. And when they left, their replacement rose to stardom.

So with Werth gone, who will take his place?

It could very well be an in-house candidate—most likely Ben Francsico, who came over from Cleveland in the Cliff Lee trade, or farmhand Domonic Brown.

Francisco has been a solid contributor off the bench for Philadelphia, and he could, like Werth, get even better if he became an everyday player. Brown was named Major League Baseball’s top prospect by Baseball America in 2010, and like Werth, is considered a five-tool player.

So while it may be disappointing to see Werth leave, the fans should trust that the organization will properly fill his spot in the lineup.

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Philadelphia Winners in More Ways Than One As Roy Halladay Outshines Cliff Lee

In the eyes of the Philadelphia Phillies, as good as Cliff Lee is, Roy Halladay would always trump him. On the first day of the 2010 MLB playoffs, “Doc” did that.

At last season’s trade deadline, the Phillies strongly pursued Halladay. The asking price was too high, so they “settled” on Lee.

Lee was dominant for Philadelphia. He helped get them to the postseason, won his first-ever playoff start, and was the winning pitcher in the only two games Philly won in the World Series. He finished the 2009 playoffs with a spotless 4-0 record.

However, the team did not repeat as champions, so the love affair with Halladay continued.

They finally landed their man in December, and fans salivated at a rotation featuring the one-two punch of Halladay and Lee. The Phillies’ front office didn’t have the same plans, though, and looking to restock their farm system, shipped Lee off to Seattle.

The media and fans continuously asked why the two couldn’t coexist for one miraculous season, but were forced to wonder, what if.

Looking for more help at this year’s trade deadline, the Phillies went out and traded for Roy Oswalt. The cries for Lee came back strong. “I told you so,” was a popular sentiment. Other phrases uttered included, “If they kept Lee they wouldn’t have needed to trade for Oswalt,” and “The trade for Oswalt was the team admitting they made a mistake trading Lee away.”

Could Philly fans really be that upset, though, as Halladay finished the season with 21 wins, a perfect game, a probable Cy Young Award, and another Division Championship?

Lee was traded to the Texas Rangers, who also made the playoffs. Both teams were scheduled to play on the first day of the playoffs, and fittingly, Lee and Texas would come before Halladay and the Phillies.

Lee delivered a gem. He went seven innings, allowed only one run, and in a masterful display of control, struck out 10 opponents while walking none. The Rangers won the game and Lee proved, once again, how dominating he can be.

Fittingly, Halladay did him one better, hurling a complete-game no-hitter, only the second in the history of the playoffs.

While nothing will matter to the Phillies if they don’t win the World Series, tonight proved the Phillies offseason theory.

Lee is incredible, Halladay is unhittable.

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Philadelphia Phillies Look To ‘Ace’ the Test Given by the Atlanta Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies have made another late-season surge in order to pass the Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings, stretching their own lead to three games.

The Phillies are preparing for another deep playoff run, but first they need to fend off the Braves for the division crown. It’s a big series as Atlanta comes to Citizens Bank Park for three games, hoping to cut into the lead and in a best case scenario make it all even once more.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has put his best effort to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Facing the Braves will be Philadelphia’s all-star trio of starting pitchers: Cole Hamels to open the series, Roy Halladay on Tuesday, and Roy Oswalt in the closing game.

If the Phillies can at least win the series, they will pick up an extra game in the standings. A sweep would put the Phillies up by six games with nine remaining.

It’s a tall order in front of the Braves. Not only have they gone on a slide of their own, the Phillies have won seven in a row and 11 of their previous 12. The surprisingly inconsistent offense has finally erupted, scoring 108 runs in 18 games in September.

And at a time when the team has been playing its best baseball, the pitchers taking the mound have been at their absolute best.

Hamels, who hopes to get the Phillies started off on the right foot, has allowed only one run in his previous 31 1/3 innings pitched, and has compiled an ERA of 1.79 in his past 13 starts. This recent stretch has lowered his season ERA to 3.01, just outside the top-10 in the National League.

Halladay, the hurler of a perfect game earlier in the season, has won his past three straight starts. He is the MLB leader in complete games. He owns a 2.49 ERA, his lowest total since 2005 and is good enough for third in the National League. He also has a career high in strikeouts (210), good enough for second in the NL, and has the most wins (19) in the NL and second-most in all of MLB.

Newly acquired Oswalt has been a fantastic pickup for Philadelphia. Since being acquired at the trade deadline, Oswalt has compiled a 7-1 record (the lone loss coming in his first start with the team) and a 1.94 ERA. His ERA over the entirety of the season is 2.90, putting him ninth in the NL.

While getting everyone healthy (starters Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, and Carlos Ruiz have all seen stints on the DL) and getting the offense right have been big for the Phillies, the amazing pitching from the top of the rotation has been instrumental in Philadelphia’s latest pennant race.

For the upcoming series, not only does aligning the rotation as it is put the team in the best position possible to win its fourth consecutive division title, but it also is the best possible warm-up for October baseball.

Facing a playoff-caliber team (the Braves are currently the Wild Card leaders) the Phillies will line up their three best pitchers in a playoff atmosphere. The importance of the games is huge and the fans in Philadelphia will be loud and behind their team 100 percent.

The Phillies are once again playing their best baseball heading into the postseason, and their most valuable players over that stretch will look to keep the momentum rolling.

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The Two-Part, Turnpike World Series Preview

Finally, after 4,860 games from 30 teams, we have the World Series that we had all hoped for. We have the two juggernauts of baseball. The two cities, separated by 26 exits of Turnpike through the great state of New Jersey, will indeed give us the World Series that we could only wish for at the beginning of the season.

Now this World Series preview is going to be a two-part piece, courtesy of the two most entertaining, unknown sports blogs this side of the Toms River. I am going to give you the Phillies‘ preview and why they can win this series. My colleague over at Chit-Chat Sports, Mr. Tom DeRiggi (a die-hard Yankee fan) has humbily agreed to give you the New York side of the series.

To see how the Yankees could pull off an upset victory, go over to Chit-Chat Sports for an excellent and entertaining Yankees preview.

No, they don’t have the payroll the Yankees do. Matter of fact, their team salary is about $100 million less.

No, they don’t have the championship pedigree that the Yankees do, either. Even though the Phillies franchise has been around 29 more years than the Yankees franchise, New York has 24 more World Series championships.

Even this year, the Yankees had more wins (103 compared to Philadelphia’s 93).

Alas, don’t let these numbers fool you. If anyone can beat this New York Yankees team, it is these Philadelphia Phillies.

May 22-24, the Phillies and the Yankees squared away in New York for a three-game Interleague series. Philadelphia won the series 2-1, and would have swept had it not been for the perfect storm of another Brad Lidge meltdown and another New York Yankees magical walk-off win.

The Yankees have a potent lineup, I can’t argue that. But the Phillies have the offensive firepower and versatility to stand toe-to-toe with New York and challenge them.

At the top of the order, the Phillies have a ton of speed (not something the Yankees have much of). Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino wreck havoc on the base paths. Together, they combined for 18 triples (Victorino led the majors with 13) and 56 stolen bases (Rollins was tied for tenth in the majors with 31), while only being caught stealing 16 times. Chase Utley and Jayson Werth also run the bases extremely well, each stealing at least 20 bases.

Then there is the power in the middle of the lineup. The Phillies were the only team to have four players hit for 30 or more home runs apiece: Ryan Howard (45), Werth (36), Raul Ibanez (34), and Utley (31). For extra measure, Rollins also hit 21 dingers.

This is also a team rallying behind tragedy. Last season, manager Charlie Manuel’s mother and Victorino’s grandmother both died during the team’s postseason run. The players got behind their fallen teammates, supported them, and used it as further motivation to win it all, playing in honor of their fallen loved ones.

This season, the Phillies suffered another tragedy, one that touched the whole organization. In April, longtime broadcaster Harry Kalas collapsed in the booth and died. Since then, with a black “HK” patch sewn on their jerseys above their hearts, the Phillies have been playing in his honor. A common phrase from fans has been “Do it for Harry.”

The Yankees have home-field advantage in the series. That won’t bother Philadelphia. They were tied for the best road record in the majors, with a record of 48-33 away from home.

The Phillies have two starting pitchers that have performed extremely well in the World Series. Game Two starter Pedro Martinez is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in the October Classic, and Cole Hamels, the Game Three likely starter, was last year’s World Series MVP.

New York’s Game One starter was dominant in the playoffs last year. Too bad the Phillies owned him when they faced him in the NLDS as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Sabathia lasted only 3.2 innings, giving up six hits, four walks, and five runs. Lowlights included walking pitcher Brett Myers and giving up a grand slam to Shane Victorino.

The Phillies have a certain swagger to them. It isn’t cockiness, it’s confidence. They proved that they are a team that lives for big moments, not one that cowers when the lights shine bright. They will not be intimidated by the enormous new Yankee Stadium, or the history that goes with being a member of the blue pinstripes. This team is able to separate themselves from all of the outside hoopla and just play good baseball.

The Phillies players have confidence in themselves and their teammates. Everybody knows what their role is. Everyone is held to the same standard of play, from NLCS MVP Howard to reserve utililty player Eric Bruntlett (who scored the game-winning run in two of Philadelphia’s victories in the ’08 World Series).

They are able to slow the game down. They don’t see the game in nine innings. They see it in one single pitch. Each play is magnified so that they can get the most out of it. This allows them to not get too ahead of themselves or too far in over their heads. Instead, they are able to relax and come up big no matter how late in the game it is or how many runs they are down by.

Each pitch is unique, and the team doesn’t feel the anxiety. It’s how you wind up with the dramatic 5-4 walk-off win that the Phillies pulled off with two outs in Game Four of the NLCS to beat the Dodgers and go up 3-1 in the series.

Most importantly, they show why having such good clubhouse chemistry is important. Nine key players were homegrown talents that played together in the minors before reaching the big leagues: Howard, Utley, Rollins, catcher Carlos Ruiz, and pitchers Hamels, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, J.A. Happ, and Antonio Bastardo. They took that core, developed them, and then built around them with guys like Werth , Victorino, and Cliff Lee.

The guys have played together for so long that they’ve built good relationships with each other and want to win not only for themselves, but for the guy next to them. They don’t want to let everyone else down. The relationships are strong, and that makes every player work harder, so that they all can share in success.

It will be a challenging World Series against the team with the best record in the majors and the defending World Series Champions. But the Phillies have the physical talent and the mental tenacity to take home the trophy and be the first team to repeat as champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees.

Prediction: Phillies in seven.

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Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees Meet in Exciting World Series Matchup

Many baseball fans have complained that the World Series has not been entertaining or memorable during the past few seasons.

Last year Philadelphia and Tampa Bay had the now-infamously suspended Game Five, which made that series memorable for all the wrong reasons.

In 2004, the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, certainly memorable for Boston fans, but for the rest of the country the series was awful, with the Sox sweeping easily. That year’s American League Championship Series was much more entertaining than the World Series.

The last really good World Series? I would say 2001, when the New York Yankees faced off against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It took seven games and a walk off win to bring home the trophy. Couple that with all the emotion, especially emanating from New York following the biggest tragedy in the country since Pearl Harbor, and you have a series for the ages.

However, baseball fans, there is no need to fear this year.

The saying is that “to be the best, you have to beat the best,” and that holds true here. The Yankees, with the best record in Major League Baseball this year at 103-59 (the only team in the majors to win 100 games) square off against the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Philadelphia versus New York has all the elements needed to make this year’s World Series truly exciting and memorable.

Geography

No, it’s not the Subway World Series of 2000 between the Yankees and Mets, but it’s still close.

This year it is the American League East champion against the National League East champion. With both cities separated by the New Jersey Turnpike and a rich sports history between the two fan bases (NFL’s Giants-Eagles rivalry anyone?), the geographic tension alone gives this matchup a boost in intensity.

Ballparks

If you’re going to any of the games, either at Yankee Stadium or Citizen’s Bank Park, make sure to bring your glove because there are sure to be a ton of souvenirs. Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia saw 207 home runs clear its fence, the most in the National League, while the new Yankee Stadium surrendered 237 home runs, the most in the American League.

Both teams led their respective leagues in runs scored.

Chicks dig the long ball, and so will everyone else that watches this series.

Star Power

Combined, the two teams have nearly a $315,000,000 payroll, 75 total All-Star appearances, five Cy Young awards, five MVP awards, and three World Series MVP awards.

I could also just list names: Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Alex Rodriguez, Chase Utley, Mark Teixeira, Jimmy Rollins, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Mariano Rivera, Pedro Martinez, and Andy Pettitte.

These two teams are like their very own All-Star teams, having assembled the best talent in all of baseball. Now they will all be on one field in the sport’s biggest showcase.

Late Inning Heroics

Both these teams have a taste for dramatic wins.

The Yankees led all of major league baseball with 15 walk-off wins and 51 comeback victories in 2009. It wasn’t always the big boppers that got key hits either. Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, and Robinson Cano all got chances to play the hero for New York.

The Phillies also have their fair share of walk-off wins, especially in big games. In last year’s World Series, Carlos Ruiz won Game Three with a walk off infield single , giving the Phillies a 2-1 series lead that they would not relinquish.

Just last week in the NLCS Game Four, Jimmy Rollins came through with a walk-off two run double with two outs, putting the Phillies ahead in the series 3-1, and demoralizing pitcher Jonathan Broxton and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

These two squads are full of players who are very confident in their, and the rest of their team’s, abilities. No deficit is too insurmountable and it’s never too late. Their penchant for coming from behind and making it interesting until the final out will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.

Familiarity

Many fans who sought a Yankees and Dodgers matchup wanted to see Joe Torre back in the Bronx and while others wanted the opportunity to boo Manny Ramirez one more time.

However, these two teams are more familiar with each other than people realize.

For starters, Phillies reserve infielder Miguel Cairo played for the Yankees from 2004-2007.

In 2006, Yankees manager Joe Girardi got his start as the manager of Philadelphia’s division foes the Florida Marlins, where he was named National League Manager of the Year. That team went 6-13 against the Phillies that season.

Wednesday’s Game One starters—CC Sabathia for New York and Cliff Lee for Philadelphia—were teammates with the Cleveland Indians from 2002 to 2008.

Sabathia’s manager his first year and a half in the big leagues was Philadelphia’s current manager Charlie Manuel.

Probably the biggest tie between CC and the Phillies is last year’s NLDS, when Sabathia was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. In his one start in Game Two, Sabathia was shelled by the Phillies offensive powerhouse. He lasted only 3.2 innings, giving up six hits, four walks, and five runs. Lowlights included walking pitcher Brett Myers and giving up a grand slam to Shane Victorino.

While Manny Ramirez was certainly a popular nemesis to the Yankees, who was really New York’s No. 1 villain? That would be Martinez of course.

When asked about his history with the Yankees recently, Martinez replied, “Really? They have a long history with me.”

Pedro has a career record of 10-11 against the Yankees, and is 1-2 in the playoffs against them.  Statistics aside, the memories Martinez and the Yankees created have been juicy; perfect to elevate the entertainment of the series.

There was the time, in a bench clearing brawl, that Martinez pushed aside then-Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground. There was also the time Martinez was asked about the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry and he replied, “I don’t believe in rivalries. I don’t believe in curses. Wake up the damn Bambino, maybe I’ll drill him in the ass.”

And of course, after a late-season loss to the Yankees, Martinez said in a post-game interview, “I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddies.”

Martinez against the Yankees is first class theatre. Martinez in the playoffs is domination. He is a career 6-2 in the postseason, including a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in the World Series.

How much more drama can fans ask for?

History

Finally, there is the prospect of both clubs making history.

For the Yankees, a win would give them their 27th title, extending their stranglehold on the MLB record. It would also be their first championship since their victory in the 2000 series.

The Phillies have an opportunity to be the first team to repeat as champions since the Yankees did it in 1998, 1999, and 2000. They would also be the first National League team to win consecutive titles since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.

Both these teams are deserving of playing for the championship. They both have become teams that live to play in the huge moments like those that await them in the series. The teams are fearless and confident, and they will not back down to the other squad; rather they will answer every challenge that is brought up.

It is sure to be an exhilarating series, just you watch.

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Carlos Ruiz’s Performance Gives Philadelphia Phillies Flexibility

Carlos Ruiz’s career stats aren’t that impressive—he’s hit 15 home runs and is batting only .249.

Yet, since the 2008 World Series, Ruiz has raised his level of performance, giving the Phillies flexibility at the catcher position, as well as other roster spots.

In Game Three against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ruiz hit a home run and a walk-off single. His series average was an astonishing .375, second only to Jayson Werth among Phillies starters.

While fans were jubilant about the championship, and pleased with Ruiz’s play, they still figured his time was limited. Top 10 prospect Lou Marson was waiting in the wings and his potential is much greater than Ruiz’s.

In Marson’s first game as a Phillie in September 2008, he went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Baseball America also considers him the team’s best defensive catching prospect.

Marson’s ability on both offense and defense left Ruiz’s future with the team, at least as a starter, in question. Still, Ruiz again won the job in spring training and has since been one of the Phillies’ most consistent performers.

He is hitting .305, good for second on the team behind Raul Ibanez and better than All-Star Chase Utley.

His defense has also been much-improved this year. He’s gotten better at blocking the plate, preventing runs, and has thrown out 10-of-22 base runners attempting to steal.

Also helping Ruiz’s case are the performances from the Phillies’ other minor league catching prospects.

Travis D’Arnaud—with low Single-A Lakewood—is rated as the seventh best Phillies prospect by Baseball America. This season, he has hit seven home runs and has a .363 slugging percentage.

Joel Naughton has hit six home runs for the high Single-A Clearwater Threshers.

Tim Kennelly, also on the Threshers, is second on the team in both batting average (.304) and RBI (29).

Tuffy Gosewisch, playing for the Double-A Reading Phillies, has been invited to spring training the past two seasons.

What does all this mean? The Phillies have plenty of trade bait they can use to help out the starting rotation.

Most recently, Brett Myers was put on the 15-day DL and is expected to undergo season-ending hip surgery.

Cole Hamels has battled through a number of minor injuries early in the season, and his poor injury history raises concern for the team’s ace.

The 46-year-old Jamie Moyer has lost the magic he pitched with last year and looks like he is finally at the end of his career.

Joe Blanton, though he has pitched well his past few starts, still has an ERA of 5.86.

Chan Ho Park was ineffective as a starter before being banished to the bullpen.

J.A. Happ, Antonio Bastardo, Andrew Carpenter, and Carlos Carrasco are all still too young and inexperienced to rely on.

And Kyle Kendrick is still getting his form back together in Triple-A after faltering for Philadelphia down the stretch last season.

If the Phillies plan to defend their NL Championship as the season drags on, they need to get another starting pitcher. Having another effective starter will also help take some pressure off the bullpen, keeping it fresh throughout the season rather than overworked.

Grabbing an average starter from another team isn’t enough either—The Phillies have a slew of average pitchers right now. They need to go out and get a legitimate No. 1 or 2 starter.

They don’t come cheap, though.

This is where Ruiz’s abilities come in. With his standout play behind home plate and the depth of the position in the minors, top prospect Marson, once thought to be untouchable, now becomes expendable.

Marson can be packaged with a few other prospects in order to get any of the top-line pitchers who could be on the market, including Jake Peavy, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt.

While it would not be ideal to let Marson go, the Phillies will have to give something to get something.

With the aforementioned pitchers, you know you will be getting something of value in return for a top prospect, unlike in past seasons when the Phillies acquired average pitchers with question marks in their games like Blanton and Kyle Lohse.

Ruiz’s breakout play this season now gives the Phillies the flexibility they did not have in the past.

Ruiz has done more than enough to earn the starting catcher job, allowing the Phillies to package any of their top catching prospects, including Marson, for a top of the line pitcher without worrying about jeopardizing the position now or in the long run.

If they do trade Marson, the Phillies can be confident that Ruiz will man the fort while the other prospects take their time to develop.

If they don’t make the trade, then the organization will face a difficult decision in the near future, because Ruiz is proving he is an everyday catcher.

Raul Ibanez Making Phillies Fans Forget About Pat Burrell

When the Phillies signed outfielder Raul Ibanez in December, Phillies fans questioned the decision.

Ibanez never received much publicity playing for a bad Seattle Mariners team on the West Coast, so to the common fan he was an unfamiliar face and name. He was 36, turning 37 in June.

He was a left-handed hitter, even though the Phillies already had lefties Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the middle of their lineup. An even bigger reason the Philly faithful were skeptical of the signing was because it meant the team wouldn’t be resigning fan favorite Pat Burrell.

Sure, Burrell received his share of boos during his slumps, but he was a lifelong Phillie. He was drafted by the Phillies and actually signed with them, unlike J.D. Drew. When times were rough, he didn’t run himself out of town like Scott Rolen did.

He provided some huge hits for Philadelphia, especially against the rival New York Mets. After the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, Burrell and his dog led the parade.

Even when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, Burrell took out a full page ad in Philadelphia newspapers thanking the fans for a great time as a Phillie and saying that he hoped to see everyone again in October for the World Series.

Throughout the offseason, Phillies fans peppered the front office with questions like “Why didn’t we bring back Pat Burrell?” and “Who is Raul Ibanez?”

To answer the latter question, Ibanez was a 13-year MLB veteran. A lifetime .286 hitter with nearly 800 RBI, Ibanez is only one of five outfielders to have 100 RBI in each of the past three seasons, along with Carlos Beltran, Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez, and Bobby Abreu.

Now, Ibanez is making Phillies fans ask “Pat who?”

Ibanez is off to a blistering start. He is a much more consistent hitter than Burrell, currently hitting .368—good enough for sixth-best in the major leagues. He has just as much power as Burrell, hitting 13 home runs and 35 RBI so far this season, and he leads the majors with a .735 slugging percentage.

His had his most impressive offensive display thus far this season yesterday against the Washington Nationals. In the first game of a double header, Ibanez went three for five with two home runs and drove in four runs. He followed that up in the second game with two hits in three at-bats, another home run, and three more RBI.

He’s also been clutch, hitting a two-run single Friday night to give the Phillies the lead in the 12th inning.

Ibanez is a more competent defensive player than Burrell, who was routinely subbed out late in games for a defensive replacement.

Ibanez is proving to be one of the best off-season signings. At a rate of $30 million over three years, Ibanez is also one of the biggest bargains, compared to the high price players such as C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and Manny Ramirez, who haven’t quite lived up to their hefty contracts.

While Burrell was a homegrown product who was a part of the franchise’s first World Series in 28 years, Ibanez is proving to be a fantastic addition.

Fans are no longer questioning the transaction. And those aren’t boos you’re hearing in the stadium. They are chants of “Raul!”