On a day where a lot of things had to go right; they all did. The champagne was on ice in the clubhouse as the Phillies took the field already confident in the seven spot the Marlins put on the board against the New York Mets. Jamie Moyer gave the Phillies exactly what they needed. Moyer went five and 1/3 innings allowing one run on five hits. The big three in the Phils bullpen was able to take care of the rest, allowing only one hit in the remaining two and 2/3 innings. Gordon, Romero, and Myers got the job done as the Phillies get their first playoff birth since 1993.

As the Marlins continued to do their job holding on to an seven run lead there was a certain air of confidence as Brett Myers took the mound. Striking out two of the three batters in the ninth, the fans were going absolutely insane. Myers said after the game that the largest crowd he remembers is when he pitched against Boston at Veterans Stadium. “And that has nothing on this,” said the champagne coated closer.

The division predicting prophet that is Jimmy Rollins addressed the crowd after the game calling for the fans to carry the Phils all the way to the World Series. Why not? The determination of this team and it’s fans are enough to get them there. Rollins got his 20th triple to bring him to an impressive club having over 20 doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases. Only four others have accomplished that feat. If Jimmy Rollins isn’t awarded the NL MVP, there is no justice in the world.

Rejoice Phils fans and party til’ Wednesday when the Philadelphia Fightin’ Phillies will play their first playoff game in 14 years.

 

Doesn’t the look say it all? It took 159 games but here we are. The Phillies finally have a share of the NL East lead. So Jimmy Rollins was right all along when he said we were the team to beat in the division. Just give him the title now. J Roll will win the NL MVP because it is kind of tough to have an MVP on a team that collapsed as badly as the Mets have.

I can hear that collective “oops” all the way from Queens. The Metropolitans and their fans are using a lot of four-letter words these days but “oops” isn’t high up on the list. Does anyone else find it ironic that the biggest falter in baseball was the ‘64 Phils who had a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 to play, and here the Phillies will reverse that history for themselves?

 

The 2007 Mets had a seven game lead with 17 games left. They have now lost 10 of their last 14 and their last seven at home including last night’s wasted performance by Pedro Martinez in a 3-0 loss to St. Louis.

 

I could start throwing stats out to try and support the Phils but honestly, who cares? This is the most fun this city has had since the Eagles went to the Superbowl in 2005. So go nuts Phillies fans, and for the love of Cole Hamels, let’s win out and go totally insane.

Here are the four things you need to remember for this weekend: GO PHILS! GO MARLINS! GO BREWERS! GO D’BACKS! Fans, enjoy the weekend, because for the first time in 14 years we will see playoff baseball in Philadelphia.

This city has a fever, and the only cure is more …….. Ryan Howard?! He’s ringing a bell, but it’s the giant illuminated replica of the liberty bell in right field, not the cowbell that Will Ferrell rang on the famous SNL skit. The Phillies now sit merely one game back in both the wild card and division races with only one series remaining after tonight’s matchup with the Braves. Here is why come Sunday, the town will be wearing red instead of Eagles green.

The Phils will finish the season with a three game set against the lowly Nationals who have helped us out of late sweeping the Mets. Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton, and Jamie Moyer will finish out the season. For those who are scared by the last two names; you have every right to be. Despite the inconsistency of each of these pitchers, they’re coming off harmless performances. Eaton won his last start which was against the Nats, going five innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Moyer’s last start didn’t end up so well as the Phils dropped the first game of the Braves series despite some controversy. In the first inning Moyer appeared to have struck out Mark Teixeira but home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor ruled the pitch outside of his 2 square inch strike zone allowing Teixeira to belt a three-run homer on the next pitch.

The Fightin’ Phils are 10-5 against Washington this season and the bats have shown up down the stretch as the Phillies eye their first playoff berth in 14 years. The Mets are crumbling under pressure and the Phillies are red hot. So before you get too hyped up about the Eagles/Giants divisional matchup Sunday night, keep in mind that you may be a little pre-occupied making plans for playoff baseball tickets.

We’ve been here before.

The rally towels being waved by sell out crowds.

The buzz around the city.

The feeling that this is the year we break the playoff drought.

Yes, we’ve been here before. We’ve been in this exact spot the past.

2003: 86-76 - missed the wild card by 5 games to Florida (who won the World Series)

2004: 86-76 - missed the wild card by 6 games to Houston

2005: 88-74 - missed NL east by 2 games to Atlanta, missed wild card by 1 game to Houston (who went to the World Series)

2006: 85-77 - missed the wild card by 3 games to Los Angeles

But, as Phillies fans, and Philadelphia fans in general, despite the failure to reach the playoffs year after year by mere games, we put 100% of our hopes and dreams into this years’ team. And why not? The 2007 Phillies looked great before the season even started. We had the reigning NL MVP in Ryan Howard, signed former All-Star pitcher Freddy Garcia, picked up solid starter Adam Eaton from Houston, and had emerging huge stars in Chase Utley and Cole Hamels. Jimmy Rollins (now famously) said that the Phils were “the team to beat” in the division. And oh you better believe the excitement was there in April. And oh man you better believe how fast that excitement turned to anger and disbelief with a 4-11 start including getting swept at home by the hated Braves. The importance of April is monumental in baseball, and another slow start was not what this team needed.

The struggles continued. Pat Burrell entertained the thought of dipping his average below the Mendoza line. Ryan Howard was struggling, big time. The bullpen was awful.

It’s thought of as unfair to blame losses on injuries, but look at what Charlie Manuel had to deal with:

Ryan Howard was injured 4 times, including a stint on the 15-day DL…Tom Gordon was injured for over 3 months…Chase Utley broke a bone in his hand and was out 5 weeks…Jon Lieber had season ending surgery…Freddy Garcia had season ending surgery…Brett Myers was on the DL…Ryan Madson was placed on IR…Cole Hamels was placed on the 15-day DL…players like Aaron Rowand, Kyle Kendrick, and Jayson Werth were all injured at least twice at some points.

Let’s also not forget the miserable failures of this team:

Tom Gordon - 5.15 ERA with 5 blown saves…Freddy Garcia - 1-5 record with a 5.90 ERA…Adam Eaton - a deceptive 10-9 record and a 6.33 ERA…even Jamie Moyer - 13-12 with a 5.15 ERA…Rod Barajas - hitting .230 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs…Wes Helms - hitting .249 with 5 HRs and 39 RBIs.

It would have been real easy for this team to have packed it in at the all-star break and begin thinking about next year. The pitching was awful, the bullpen was beyond abysmal, and the hitters weren’t hitting. People looked for a scapegoat, but you can’t blame Charlie Manuel for hitters not hitting and pitchers not pitching. But what happened next was typical, yes, but still exciting of this Phils team.

They started winning. Winning can really make fans and a team forget about the failures of the recent past. Ryan Howard turned it on big time and showed why he’s the reigning MVP. Although his average has significantly dipped from last year, he hit big home runs and up to date has 42 homers and 126 RBIs. Pat Burrell, who was just awful, turned it on as well, bringing his average up from .215 to .265 and leads the team in walks. Rollins hit doubles, triples, homers, and has been the consistent force on this team. It was the end of August that sparked a true belief in this team though. A series to remember at Citizens Bank Park verse the hated New York Mets, an unbelievable challenge against the team that has lead the division all year, turned out to be a thrilling 4-game sweep for the Phils. A Ryan Howard walk off home run, to a Chase Utley walk off single, the Phils played some wild games, and queitly creeped closer and closer to the front running Mets. They continued to win in September, now playing in 2 races: the NL East, and the wild card.

So, here we are. Entering the night 1 game out of the wild card and 2 games out of the division with just 5 games to go. It bares an eery resemblance to 2 years ago when Phils fans traveled in masses to RFK stadium to see the team play the Nationals. They went down this year again, as the Phils took 3 out 4. And we’re also again, right there looking up at the top. Just a game or 2 out in each of the races we’re in, we need wins in these 5 games. We need strong starting pitching, we can’t afford for our bullpen to be called into action in the 4th inning and go the playoffs. We need strong performances from our bullpen when they are needed, they’ve been bad all season, but can make everyone forget that with 5 games to remember. We need to hit, especially with runners out, when it really matters.

Nobody knows what’s going to happen with 5 games left. One thing you can say about this team is that they never gave up. But that wont cut it for the players and the fans if they miss out on the postseason again. So get out the rally towels, start praying to whatever you believe in, and maybe…just maybe, our beloved Phillies will finally make the jump to the playoffs.

On September 13 I wrote a post pleading Phils fans not to jump into the Schuylkill just yet. And boy, I couldn’t look any more smarter. Even Adam Eaton did well enough for the Phils to pull one out on the road. Since my post the Fightin’ Phils are 8-1 with a surprising MVP (most valuable persons) over that span; the bullpen. The ‘pen has given up only 11 runs in 34 innings in the past seven days before tonight’s game. Since my post which was evidently a turning point for the Phillies, the bats have been just as consistent as the bullpen. Before tonight’s game they had scored 49 runs in the past seven days. That’s good enough for 2nd in the NL.

After the Phils 4-1 victory tonight which was won by Ryan Howard in the 10th and his RBI double, the boys of summer have seven games remaining after their matinée on Sunday. The Phils will host the Braves for a three-game set starting Tuesday and will close out the regular season with a three-game weekend series with the Nationals.

Since the Phils swept the Mets they now find themselves in two races. The division is now very much within reach as the Phils are 1.5 games behind the Metropolitans. The Padres find themselves a mere half game ahead of the Phils as we come to the home stretch.

So what will it take to keep the Phillies from breaking our hearts once again, causing Philadelphia sports fans to look forward to either an 0-2 Eagles season or get an early jump on the Flyers season? Here are the keys to the Phillies making it to the post-season.

Ryan Howard is three strikeouts away from breaking an all-time regular season record. Howard has to be more consistent at the plate if the Phils want to play in October. The starting rotation needs to remain healthy. Cole Hamels has pitched once since coming off the disabled list and although it wasn’t his best stuff, a healthy Hamels is better than having to endure another start with J.D. Durbin on the mound. Durbin however seems to be doing well in the bullpen. The bullpen has played awesome lately and they will need to continue their support of the starting pitching. The ‘pen has been criticized all year long for how abysmal they have played until late.

If the Phillies can keep it together, we will get to see playoff baseball in this town for the first time in 15 years. Man, I hope I can get tickets.