Last week, while I was taking a bit of a break from blogging, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and centerfielder Shane Victorino received Gold Glove Awards at their respective positions.

While many may think that 2nd baseman Chase Utley and 3rd baseman  Pedro Feliz were robbed, and may have point regarding Feliz, but I think that Utley took a step down in quite a few games during the during June through August when both his offense and defense suffered.

Tim Malcolm of Phillies Nation provides a rundown of the NL award winners at each position.

While talking about Jimmy Rollins, one wild rumor came out the West Coast regarding a possible Philies trade of Rollins.  This is precisely why I try to stay away from trade rumors generally, and particularly when they turn out to be insane and hot air.

Rollins is too valuable to the Phillies with the multi-dimensions that he has shown, particularly over the past 2 seasons.  Whether he’s stealing bases like in 2008, or racking up homers like in 2007, he’s the heart and inspiration for this club, even though he may have gotten lax at points in the season.   He was there when it counted and has sparked September rushes for the past 2 seasons.  Even though I’m not thrilled with his support for Obama, he makes the Phillies go. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it for you may change a cog and bring the machine to a screeching halt.

I’m glad to see the Phils re-sign lefthanded reliever Scott Eyre for next season at $2 million — a bargain compliment for J.C. Romero out of the left side of the pen.  The AP report notes;

Eyre was 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 19 appearances for Philadelphia. He had 18 strikeouts in 14 1-3 innings…  The lefty specialist held left-handed hitters to a .220 average with one home run allowed in 50 at-bats.

Eyre saw crucial duty in all-important September and delivered in the spots where he was called upon in the Playoffs and in the World Series.

Congrats to both Cubs catcher Geovany Soto and Tampa Bay 3rd baseman Evan Longoria for winning Rookie of the Year Awards in their respective leagues.

Soto had a fine year producing quite wallop in power at the catcher’s position for the Cubs with 23 homers, 86 RBIs to go along with a .285 BA while catching in 141 games.  However, he slumped to 6 for 32 over the last 10 games of the regular season and 2 for 11 against the Dodgers as the Cubs went down in 3 games in his first taste of playoff ball.

Longoria likewise had a fine rookie season, hitting 27 homers, with 85 RBIs and a .272 for the surprising Rays.  But like Soto, he was 7 for 39 down the stretch of the final 10 games of September.   In the playoffs, he was 11 for 42 with 6 homers and 13 RBI’s, but went 1 for 20 against the Phils in the  World Series.

The National League announces its’ Cyoung Award winner later on Tuesday, the Managers of the Year are scheduled to be announced on Wednesday and the AL Cy Young announcement is scheduled for Thursday.

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Following a 48 hour rain suspension, the Phiillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, tied 2-2 after the top of the sixth inning, renewed play by trading single runs in the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh before 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz singled in the winning run. J.C. Romero and closer Brad Lidge were lights-out in the eighth and ninth innings as the Phillies bested the Rays for the World Series Title by 4 games to 1 and a 4-3 score.

Ace lefthander Cole Hamels, who didn’t get his 4th post-season win, was awarded the Series MVP award for having pitched a solid 7 innings in series game 1 as well as another excellent outing going 6 innings in game 5 under treacherous weather conditions.

Reliever Grant Balfour stayed in the game to begin the Phillies’ sixth inning and gave up an inning opening double to Geoff Jenkins who pinch-hit for Hamels.  Shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ sacrifice bunted Balfour’s 1st pitch to 3rd base moving Jenkins to 3rd with 1 out.  Rightfielder Jayson Werth followed by lining Balfour’s 2-2 pitch to centerfield scoring Jenkins to put the Phils up 3-2.   J.P. Howell took over from Balfour struck 2nd baseman Chase Utley out on 3 pitches and got 1st baseman Ryan Howard to pop out to 3rd base to end the inning.  But the Phils had taken a 3-2 lead and it looked like Hamels would actually get his 5th post-season win.

Ryan Madson took over pitching duties in the seventh inning and struck out catcher Dioner Navarro for out 1.  But then Rocco Baldelli nailed Madson’s first offering for a solo homer to left and the game was again tied.  Two pitches later, shortstop Jason Bartlett singled to left and advanced to 2nd base on a Howell’s sacrifice bunt to the pitcher.  Manager Manuel then went to J.C. Romero who was greeted with lead-off hitter 2nd baseman Akinori Iwamura’s infield grounder over 2nd base. Bartlett went to 3rd and tried to score on the play when he was fooled on Utley’s alert bluff throw to first. Bartlett was a sitting duck being tagged out at home on the play as the Rays side was retired and Romero and the Phillies escaped a Rays go-ahead threat.

In the bottom of the seventh, leftfielder Pat Burrell led off by lining
Howell’s 1-1 pitch off the centerfield wall for a double.  Eric Bruntlett ran for Burrell and stayed in the game to play leftfield in the late innings.
Pedro Feliz then lined Howell’s 1 strike pitch to centerfield to drive in what turned out to be the winning run.  Catcher Carlos Ruiz and Romero both grounded out to end the inning but the Phils had the lead by 4-3.

After leftfielder Carl Crawford singled to open the eighth inning, centerfielder B.J. Upton grounded into a shortstop-to-2nd-to-1st doubleplay and 1st baseman Carlos Pena lined out to leftfield to retire the side.  Romero, who threw 14 pitches was credited with his 2nd win of the World Series.
 
The Phillies went down in the eighth as only Chase Utley reached on a  David Price walk.

Closer Brad Lidge, who went perfect for the season with 48 save in 48 opportunities through the World Series, rang up the Rays in the ninth inning.  Lidge only gave up a 1 out single to catcher Navarro and wound up the series in true Tug McGraw style — a swinging third strike on pinch hitter  Eric Hinske for the final out.  Then it was fireworks, horn-honking auto caravans and party-time in Philly with Harry Kalas giving another rendition of the Ole’ Blue Eyes tune — “High Hopes.”

Rays reliever J.P. Howell, who gave up the winning run in the seventh, was charged with his 2nd loss of the World Series and his 3rd of the post-season.

For the Phillies, 45 year old Jamie Moyer and all, it was their 2nd World Series title in the franchise’s 126-year history.  AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi noted for Yahoo sports;

The bullpen led the NL in ERA (3.22) and winning percentage (.589) during the regular season, and was even better in the playoffs. They were the biggest reason the Phillies were 89-0 this year when leading after eight innings— including 10 postseason wins.

MVP winner Hamels received both the MVP trophy and keys to a new sports car.

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Tampa Bay scored 3 runs in the 1st two innings on Brett Myers, 2 on groundouts in the first inning with runners on 3rd base, and the other run on a bases loaded single to right by centerfielder B.J. Upton.   The Phillies left another 11 runners stranded against James Shields and the Rays’ bullpen in falling by a 4-2 score in Thursday’s game 2.

Brett Myers was touched for 2 runs in the first inning.  He walked leadoff hitter 2nd baseman Akinori Iwamura on 5 pitches and gave up a rightfield single to Upton which Jayson Werth bobbled for a rare error, allowing both runners to advance putting runners on 2nd and 3rd base with none out.  Then single runs scored on successive groundouts as Tampa Bay scored 2 runs while grounding out for all 3 outs of the inning.

The Phillies looked like they were about to break out against starter  James Shields in the second inning.   1st baseman Ryan Howard lined a 1-2 pitch deep to centerfield for a double and leftfielder Pat Burrell worked a full-count before walking.  Centerfielder Shane Victorino popped out to 3rd base for the 1st out.  Shields worked a 1 ball, 2 strike count to dh Greg Dobbs before tossing a wild pitch moving the runners up to 2nd and 3rd with one out.  But Dobbs struck out looking and 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz lined out to centerfield ending the inning and stranding the runners.

AP baseball writer Mike Fitzgerald provides a recap of the Rays’ 2nd and 4th inning scoring for Yahoo sports;

…A confusing call in the second… helped Tampa Bay make it 3-0.   Rocco Baldelli walked on a checked swing that seemed to confuse players and umpires alike.

He checked his swing on a full-count pitch and plate umpire Kerwin Danley immediately raised his right arm as if to call strike three. But then Danley pointed to first base for an appeal, and umpire Fieldin Culbreth signaled safe.

“It was his intention to go to first base for help on a half-swing that he had as ball four,” said Mike Port, Major League Baseball’s vice president for umpiring. “He just gave a confusing mechanic. But he had called it a ball, and it was ruled no half-swing anyway. So it was just that particular mechanic that caused confusion.”

Myers and several Phillies infielders were puzzled, along with Manuel, who took a few steps out of the dugout but didn’t argue long.

“I thought he called the guy out,” Manuel said.

Port said the umpires would not be available for comment.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Upton hit an RBI single to right. Werth made a strong throw to cut down Baldelli, who crashed into [Carlos] Ruiz but couldn’t dislodge the ball.

In the fourth, [Jason] Bartlett, the No. 9 hitter, drove in Cliff Floyd with a safety squeeze—one pitch after fouling off a suicide squeeze attempt. Rays fans clanged their cowbells, just as they were instructed on the scoreboard in a campy “public service announcement” before the game.

Tampa Bay never really got a huge hit, but neither did the Phillies as Jimmy Rollins & crew fell to 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position.

“That might be one of our sloppiest games all year,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “I’m concerned about us hitting with guys on base, because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard. But we can fix that.”

After the fourth inning, Myers settled down and allowed only 2 Rays to reach over his last three innings, a fifth inning walk to 1st baseman Carlos Pena and a lead-off seventh inning single by Bartlett.

Myers threw 85 pitches through seven innings walking 3 and striking out 2 in a losing cause. Lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero saw his first 2008 World Series action retiring the Rays on 9 pitches in the eighth.

Winning pitcher Shields, surprisingly, was pulled after throwing 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball.  The Phils threatened against Shields in both the fifth and sixth innings but came up empty.

In the fifth, with runners on 1st and 2nd base with 1 out, 2nd baseman  Chase Utley lined into a doubleplay, from rightfield to 1st base with Werth being doubled off of 1st base.

With 2 outs in the sixth inning, Victorino and Dobbs laced successive singles to right and centerfield chasing Shields.  Reliever Dan Wheeler entered and got Feliz to ground a 1-1 pitch into a fielder’s choice retiring Dobbs at 2nd base for the final out. 

The Phils threatened again in the seventh inning as Ruiz led off with a walk and stole 2nd base as Rollins struck out.  Werth followed by going down on strilkes looking.  Young closer David Price replaced Wheeeler and walked Utley on 4 pitches putting 2 men on with 2 out.  But Price struck out Ryan Howard looking on a 2-2 pitch to retire the side.

The Phillies scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings against Price.  Eric Bruntlett pinch hit for Dobbs with 2 out in the eighth and lined Price’s 1st pitch out for a a solo homer to leftfield.

The Phils threatened once again in the ninth inning off of Price but got only 1 run to show for it.  Ruiz led off with a double to leftfield on a 3-2 pitch.  After Rollins popped out, Werth reached on an error by 3rd baseman Evan Longoria allowing Ruiz to score.  With the tying run at the plate, Price struck out Utley on 3 pitches and got Howard on a 1st pitch grounder to 2nd base to end the game.

The Phils appear to be in one of their failure to score with runners on funks.  We’ve had Rays’ pitching on the hook numerous times and have come away empty. In game 1, they got lucky because their pitching was THAT GOOD.  But, to win this series, they will have to capitalize on a far high percentage of scoring opportunities than they have thus far in the series.  With a bit of offensive elbow-room provided to this pitching staff, this series is winable. 

On Saturday, the venue switches to Philadelphia for game 3 as 45 year old lefthander Jamie Moyer faces Matt Garza.  In Sunday’s game 4, Joe Blanton contests against Andy Sonnanstine.  On Monday, lefthanders Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir face-off in a rematch of game 1.

However, there could be a fly in the ointment with predictions of a 70% chance of rain in Philadelphia on Saturday which could alter the world series schedule and, as a result, the pitching plans for both teams.

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Nearly 25 year old Matt Garza outpitched his opponent lefthander Jon Lester, but not by much, in their second meeting of the ALCS and dh Willy Aybar got 2 hits, scored 2 runs including his insurance solo homer as  Boston watched Tampa Bay thwart it’s comeback attempt  (after coming from 3 games to 1 to tie the series) by a 3-1 score.

AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall recaps the game for Yahoo sports;

The Rays were a 200-1 shot to win the World Series before the season started. Now, they’ll host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 Wednesday night.

Garza beat Boston twice in a week and was picked as the MVP.

“As a kid I think everybody pictures this night,” he said. “Usually it’s Game 7 of the World Series but I’ll take Game 7 of the ALCS.”

Willy Aybar homered and Evan Longoria and Rocco Baldelli also drove in runs to support Garza. Acquired in an offseason trade with Minnesota, Garza limited the Red Sox to Dustin Pedroia’s first-inning home run.

Longoria’s fourth-inning double off Jon Lester tied it at 1-all. Baldelli’s RBI single put the Rays ahead in the fifth after Aybar doubled and Dioner Navarro reached on an infield single.

Garza took the mound for the biggest game of his life with something, perhaps cotton balls, stuffed in his ears to help drown out the noise at sold-out Tropicana Field.

The 24-year-old right-hander struck out nine before shortstop Jason Bartlett booted Alex Cora’s ground ball for an error, leading off a tense eighth.

Boston went on to load the bases when Kevin Youkilis drew a two-out walk.  [David] Price, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, became the fifth Tampa Bay pitcher of the inning—quite a spot for someone who started the year in Class A.

[J.D.] Drew, who capped the Game 5 rally with a ninth-inning single, struck out with a check-swing on a 97 mph fastball to end the threat. Price worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and when pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie grounded out, the celebration began.

“I wanted the ball,” Price said. “I think everybody down there in the ‘pen wanted the ball tonight.”

So the Rays, who finished the 2007 season with an AL-worst 66-96 record, went from worst-to-first in 2008 with their top pitcher James Shields with a 14-8 record and 4 other pitchers with between 11 and 14 wins each, perhaps the most balanced staff in baseball in 2008, but noone hitting near .300 and their leading homer hitter Carlos Pena with 31 and with 102 RBIs.

Game 1 of the World Series is on Wednesday with the first 2 games being played in Tampa Bay followed by a day off and then with the next 3 games in Philadelphia, with the final 2 games, if necessary, back at Tampa Bay.

Just a few comparable team offensive and pitching stats;  both teams hit about the same with the Phils at a team BA of .255 and the Rays with a team BA of .260 in the regular season.  The Phils hit 214 homers to the Rays’ 180 although the Phils drove in 762 runs to the Rays 735. The Phils scored 799 runs to the Rays’ 779.  The Phils pitching staff seems even matched statistically with the Rays; Phillies Team ERA 3.88 vs the Rays at 3.82 ERA.  

The Phils have announced their starters games 1 and 2; ace lefthander  Cole Hamels starts game 1 and Brett Myers starts game 2.  The Rays have yet to name their starters.

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Shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off the game by working a full-count on Chad Billingsley before depositing the next pitch in the stands in right centerfield for a 1-0 Phillies lead.  Ace lefthander Cole Hamels once again came up big with a seven inning gem as the long-suffering Phils, losers of over 10,000 games in their history, beat the Dodgers by a 5-1 score to clinch their 1st NL pennant since 1993.

For his 2 wins in the NLCS, Hamels was awarded the MVP award.  He’s won his 3 post-season starts giving up a total of 4 runs in 22 innings.
 
Meanwhile, in the AL, the Boston Red Sox have been pummelled in their last 2 games at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, most recently in Tuesday’s 13-4 drubbing.  Boston now trails by 3-1 with one more game left in Beantown. games 6 and 7, if necessary will be played Saturday and Sunday in Tampa Bay.

And so, the long-time pennant-starved Phillies won their 6th NL Pennant in workman-like fashion putting on another late-season charge through the month of September and through a post-season in which they are 7-2 thus far. 

The Phils scored 2 in the third and two more in the fifth on 3 errors in the inning by shortstop Rafael Furcal.

AP Sports Writer John Nadel describes the Phils’ third and fifth inning scoring, Furcal’s errors and leftfielder Manny Ramirez’s solo shot for Yahoo sports;

Billingsley walked Rollins, who stole second, and Chase Utley in the third before [Ryan] Howard and Pat Burrell hit RBI singles with two outs to make it 3-0. Chan Ho Park relieved with the bases loaded and worked out of trouble.

Billingsley, 6-0 with a 1.60 ERA in his last seven regular-season starts at home, lasted just 2 2-3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander, who went 16-10 with a 3.14 ERA this season, gave up a career-high eight runs in 2 1-3 innings in Game 2, won by the Phillies 8-5.

The Phillies made it 5-0 in the fifth against [Greg] Maddux thanks to the errors by Furcal. The first two came on one play, when he booted  Burrell’s potential inning-ending double-play grounder and then threw the ball away, allowing one run to score. The second came when Furcal made another throwing error on Carlos Ruiz’s two-out grounder, drawing boos from the disappointed Dodger Stadium crowd of 56,800.

The only other player to commit three errors in one inning in the postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, was  Dodgers center fielder Willie Davis, who did so in the fifth inning of Game 2 in the 1966 World Series against  Baltimore.

The crowd came alive in the bottom of the fifth after a leadoff single by [Casey] Blake when Hall of Famer Tom Lasorda, who managed the Dodgers from 1977-96, stood near the team’s dugout waving a white towel, with the image shown on the video board. Matt Kemp followed with a single, but rookie Blake DeWitt grounded into his second double play of the game and Kent struck out as a pinch hitter.

Ramirez hit a 1-2 pitch over the right-field wall with two outs in the sixth, but Russell Martin took a called third strike to end the inning.

Hamels walked Kemp and pinch-hitter [Nomar] Garciaparra with two outs in the seventh before throwing a called third strike past Kent—the last of his 104 pitches.

The keys to the Phillies pennant-clinching win were getting to Billingsley early once again, as they had 5 days ago in game 2, flawless defense and the pitching of NLCS MVP Hamels, reliever Ryan Madson and closer Brad Lidge even though the Dodgers had at least 1 hitter reach in all but the third and fourth innings.  Hamels coaxed rookie Blake DeWitt into 2 big doubleplay grounders, the 2nd of which rubbed a 2 on, none out jam.

Centerfielder Shane Victorino, also a prime candidate in my book for MVP, is hitting .281 for the post-season, although he hit only .222 against the Dodgers.  His tying homer in the eighth inning of game 4 was huge.  Utley, Howard and Burrell were huge in this series, not so much with homers as with consistently getting on base and driving in runs.

Closer Lidge is perfect for the seson and post-season thus far; 46 saves in 46 opportunities and the Phillies extended their perfection when holding a lead after eight innings to the post-season and are now 86-0.

The Phillies now have the week off to savor their NL Pennant and to prepare for the World Series which starts next Wednesday in either Tampa Bay or Boston.   Charlie Manuel left after the game to attend the funeral of his Mother who passed away before game 2.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Thursday’s and Saturday’s games, click here and here.

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The 2008 MLB Hall of Fame balloting results were announced today with dominant closer Rich “Goose” Gossage the only player elected to enter the Hall.  Former Red Sox great; outfielder Jim Rice, with a lifetime average of .298, 2452 career hits, 382 HRs and 1,452 RBIs in 16 seasons, missed by an eyelash and former Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs outfielder  Andre “the Hawk” Dawson, with a career average of .279, 2,774 career hits, 438 HRs and 1,591 RBIs didn’t miss by much.  Click here for the 2008 balloting results.

The nod this year went only to “the Goose”, who narrowly missed entering the Hall in 2007 and was perhaps the most dominant, yet durable closers in MLB history.   ESPN brings a video round-table interview about Gossage, his career and his important part in defining
the roll of closer.

Between 1975 with the White Sox thru 1977, his one season with the  Pittsburgh Pirates and 1978 with the Yankees, his innings pitched were over 130.  In 1976, the White Sox made him a starter and he finished with a 9-17 mark with 15 complete games, 224 innings pitched and a 3.94 ERA.

Gossage’s career stats over 22 seasons were 124-107, 3.01 ERA, 310 saves, 1,502 strikeouts, 732 walks in 1,809 1/3 innings pitched.  Gossage, while defining the evolving role of the closer, had the durability to not just get 3 outs in the 8th or 9th innings, as the closers do today, but to often give his team 6 or 9 outs over multiple innings.  Gossage in the game late most times meant lights-out for the opposition.

AP Baseball writer Ronald Blum describes for Yahoo sports the scene when Gossage received the news of his Hall election;

Gossage was sitting in a recliner in his living room overlooking the Rocky Mountains when he received the call. He turned to reporters in the room and said, “Oh my god, I’ve been elected.”

“A shock wave went through my body like an anvil just fell on my head,” Gossage said about his reaction. “I think having to wait makes it that much more special.”

His mother died in 2006, Gossage said with tears welling up in his eyes, and he had hoped she would live long enough to see him inducted.

Gossage was a nine-time All-Star who pitched for nine major league teams from 1972-94 and had 310 saves — 52 of them when he got seven outs or more.

The first time he appeared on the Hall ballot in 2000, Gossage received only 33.3 percent of the vote.

He will be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown, joined by five men elected last month by the revamped Veterans Committee: former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, managers Dick Williams and Billy Southworth and ex-Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss.

Williams managed Gossage on the San Diego Padres.

“There isn’t anybody I’d rather go in with than Dick Williams,” said Gossage, who spoke with his former manager right after getting the news.

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