Red October?
After Sunday night’s game that did not end until 2:16 a.m., Phillies Nation might better have been described as Red-Eyed October as a bunch of bleary Phils fans staggered out into the world bright and early Monday morning.
Then came last night, with a much more manageable 6:07 start time in Denver, but with an absolutely cardiac-inducing finale. Call it Red-Faced October. You can exhale now, Phillies fans.
The Phils, who had been clinging to a 2-1 lead much of the night, watched in horror as the bullpen collapsed again and the Rockies rallied with three runs in the eighth to take a 4-1 lead.
The less stout-hearted among us were already making plans for Game 5 tonight in Philly. Oh, ye of little faith.
The Phils scratched and clawed to get a couple of runners on base for Ryan Howard. That’s all it took. The man who is quickly putting together numbers that have not been racked up since Babe Ruth, once again delivered. I know that post-season play is not supposed to be considered in the MVP voting. But Albert Pujols is now watching the playoffs on TV, unable to even boost the Cardinals to even one measly win against the Dodgers. In the meantime, Howard has put the Phils on his broad shoulders and delivered time after time. Howard blasted a pitch off Rockies closer Huston Street on one hop off the right-field wall, scoring both Shane Victorino and Chase Utley just steps behind him.
But the Phils weren’t done. Howard’s tag team Bash Brothers parther, Jayson Werth, then knocked the big guy in with a single to right. 5-4 Phils.
Scott Eyre looked solid to start off the ninth, getting the first two outs. Then he ran into trouble. The Rockies got two runners on base, and Charlie Manuel headed for the mound. Phillies fans knew what that meant.
An entire region of Phillies red started turning Dodger blue as fans held their breath as Brad Lidge made his way to the mound. And for the second straight night, Lidge delivered, striking out Ryan Tulowitzki.
Exhale, folks.
On to L.A., and the NLCS.
A couple of things to look for. Game 1 looks manageable enough, with a start time of 8:07 in La-La Land. That will set the stage for maybe one of the great Friday Happy Hours in recent memory with Game 2 with a 4:37 start. That will be followed with something of a Philly sports double-header. The Eagles will be in Oakland for a 4 o’clock game Sunday. Then the Phils will be in Citizens Bank Park for Game 3 at 8 p.m.
Welcome to Red October. We’re just getting warmed up.
After Sunday night’s game that did not end until 2:16 a.m., Phillies Nation might better have been described as Red-Eyed October as a bunch of bleary Phils fans staggered out into the world bright and early Monday morning.
Then came last night, with a much more manageable 6:07 start time in Denver, but with an absolutely cardiac-inducing finale. Call it Red-Faced October. You can exhale now, Phillies fans.
The Phils, who had been clinging to a 2-1 lead much of the night, watched in horror as the bullpen collapsed again and the Rockies rallied with three runs in the eighth to take a 4-1 lead.
The less stout-hearted among us were already making plans for Game 5 tonight in Philly. Oh, ye of little faith.
The Phils scratched and clawed to get a couple of runners on base for Ryan Howard. That’s all it took. The man who is quickly putting together numbers that have not been racked up since Babe Ruth, once again delivered. I know that post-season play is not supposed to be considered in the MVP voting. But Albert Pujols is now watching the playoffs on TV, unable to even boost the Cardinals to even one measly win against the Dodgers. In the meantime, Howard has put the Phils on his broad shoulders and delivered time after time. Howard blasted a pitch off Rockies closer Huston Street on one hop off the right-field wall, scoring both Shane Victorino and Chase Utley just steps behind him.
But the Phils weren’t done. Howard’s tag team Bash Brothers parther, Jayson Werth, then knocked the big guy in with a single to right. 5-4 Phils.
Scott Eyre looked solid to start off the ninth, getting the first two outs. Then he ran into trouble. The Rockies got two runners on base, and Charlie Manuel headed for the mound. Phillies fans knew what that meant.
An entire region of Phillies red started turning Dodger blue as fans held their breath as Brad Lidge made his way to the mound. And for the second straight night, Lidge delivered, striking out Ryan Tulowitzki.
Exhale, folks.
On to L.A., and the NLCS.
A couple of things to look for. Game 1 looks manageable enough, with a start time of 8:07 in La-La Land. That will set the stage for maybe one of the great Friday Happy Hours in recent memory with Game 2 with a 4:37 start. That will be followed with something of a Philly sports double-header. The Eagles will be in Oakland for a 4 o’clock game Sunday. Then the Phils will be in Citizens Bank Park for Game 3 at 8 p.m.
Welcome to Red October. We’re just getting warmed up.
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