Shane Victorino
Lee, Phillies Cruise Past Yankees 6-1 in World Series Game 1
Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
Cliff Lee made it look easy as the Phillies cruised past the Yankees 6-1 in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. Heading into the 9th inning, Lee had given up just 4 hits (and no walks!) through 8 innings while striking out 8. After giving up singles to Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon to start the inning, Lee induced Mark Teixeira to hit into what should have been a double play. But Jimmy Rollins error allowed Jeter to score and Teixeira to move up to 2nd base with 1 out. But instead of getting flustered, Lee simply struck out Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada swinging to end the “mini” threat. Phillies 6, Yankees 1, Advantage Phillies with the 1-0 lead. The Lee – Sabathia duel was a good one, but Lee was just that much better. To not walk a single Yankees batter while pitching 9 innings is simply incredible. Lee never seemed out of sync and he never seemed to be intimidated by pitching in the Bronx.
Sabathia pitched well for the Yankees, but not good enough. He only gave up 4 hits and 3 walks in 7 solid innings of work. But 2 of the hits were solo home runs to Chase Utley. The Phillies only broke the game open after Sabathia departed after throwing 113 pitches in 7 innings. Phil Hughes promptly walked the only 2 batters he faced in the top of the 8th inning. Both runners came around to score on Raul Ibanez’s clutch 2-out 2-run single against David Robertson. That gave the Phillies a daunting 4-0 lead with just 6 outs left for the Yankees. Brian Bruney and Phil Coke did not fare much better in the top of the 9th inning. The 2 pitchers allowed 2 more insurance runs to score on Shane Victorino’s single and Ryans Howard’s double.
All in all, it was a solid start for the Phillies. They showed they were not intimidated by the Yankee “aura”. They showed the could score runs against the Yankees best pitcher. And they showed that they were in this for the long haul.
There’s not too much time to dwell on the Game 1 loss for the Yankees. Game 2 is tonight at 7:57PM EST on FOX. Pedro Martinez will surely be greeted with a lot of boos as he tries to pitch the Phillies to a 2-0 lead against A.J. Burnett. I hate to say there is a must-win game this early in a series, but it would serve the Yankees well to find a way to get a W tonight in the Bronx. Heading back to Philly for Game 3 on Saturday night down 2 games to none is not the game plan that Manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees drew up before the start of the 2009 Fall Classic.
Unsung Heroes Lead Phils to 7-5 Win Over Dodgers
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Monday October 13th. The Phillies lead the Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 series. Trailing 5-3 entering the 8th inning, the Phils used 2-run home runs by each of Center Fielder Shane Victorino and Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs to vault into the 7-5 lead. Reliever Ryan Madson picked up the win in relief, pitching 1 2/3 inning allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk. Fellow relievers J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge closed the game out for the Phillies, as Lidge picked up his 3rd save of the NLCS. After a shaky 1st inning in which Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed 2 earned runs, he settled down through 5 innings of work to put his team in a good position to win the game. But the bullpen could not hold onto the lead – Hong-Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton each allowed earned runs in relief, while Cory Wade allowed 2 earned runs to take the loss. Manny Ramirez continued his hot hitting – he had 2 hits and an RBI and was walked by the Phillies 3 other times. Dodgers 3rd baseman Casey Blake hit a solo home run in the 6th inning. The Dodgers now have their backs up to the wall – needing to win each of the next 3 games to advance to the World Series. The Phillies will throw ace Cole Hamels in Game 5 of the NLCS on Wednesday October 15th. Hamels won game 1 of the NLCS by allowing only 5 hits and 2 earned runs to the fiery Dodgers offense. The Dodgers will put their season in the hands of Chad Billingsley, who gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Dodgers Win 7-2, Trail 2-1 in NLCS
Monday, October 13th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning to jump out to a commanding 5-0 lead. Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake had RBI singles and Blake DeWitt drove in the final 3 runs of the inning with a crushing 3-run triple. Dodgers Starting Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda pitched 6 strong innings giving up only 2 earned runs on 5 hits. Kuroda walked one and struck out 3 in picking up the Dodgers first ALCS win of the 2008 post-season. Phillies Starting Pitcher Jamie Moyer lasted only 1 1/3 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 earned runs and striking out only 2 Dodgers batters. Tempers flared over whether or not pitchers were throwing at certain batters. Moyer hit Russell Martin with a pitch in the 1st inning. Kuroda later threw at the head of the Phillies Shane Victorino and Victorino shouted at Kuroda to avoid throwing at his head. After Victorino grounded out, he and Kuroda exchanged words and Manny Ramirez also joined the fracas because he was upset when Phillies Starter Bret Myers threw behind him in Game 2 of the NLCS. No punches were thrown and no players were ejected. It will be interesting to see if the feud continues when the 2 teams face off in Game 4 of the NLCS on Monday night. The Phllies will throw mid-season pick-up Joe Blanton, while the Dodgers will pitch Derek Lowe on 3 days rest.
Phils Take 2-0 Lead Over Dodgers
Saturday, October 11th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5 to take a 2 games to none lead in the National League Championship Series. Although Phillies starter Bret Myers had a sub-par pitching performance – giving up 6 hits, 4 walks and 5 earned runs in only 5 innings of work – his bat helped spark rallies in the 2nd and 3rd innings to lead the Phillies to victory. Myers went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI’s at the plate including an RBI single in the 2nd inning and a 2-RBI single in the 3rd inning. Phillies Center Fielder Shane Victorino had 2 big hits – a 2-RBI single in the 2nd inning and a 2-RBI triple in the 3rd inning. Myers scored a run on each of Victorino’s hits. Victorino’s triple in the 3rd inning extended the Phillies lead to 8-2 and although Manny Ramirez’s 3-run home run off of Myers in the 4th inning cut the lead to 3, the Phillies bullpen shut down the Dodgers hot offense for the final 4 innings of play. Brad Lidge walked to batters in the 9th inning to make things interesting, but he was able to strike out Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Nomar Garciaparra to pick up his 2nd save of the NLCS in as many days.
The series now shifts to Los Angeles on Sunday, October 12th. Veteran Jamie Moyer will toe the rubber for the Phillies while Hiroki Kuroda will try to lead the Dodgers to their first NLCS victory of the series.
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