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Since it appears that the Phillies will sit at home in October, effectively ending the greatest era in team history, I’ve tasked Papa CB – lifelong Phils fan, J-Roll™ apologist – with ranking the 30 most memorable games from 2007-2011. He came up with 38.

We will roll his list out over the coming days and weeks. Here’s 30-20. Part 1 here.


30) July 6, 2009   

10 Runs in the first inning

Phils 22, Reds 1 

The Phils send 13 batters to the plate in the first inning as they score 10 runs. That’s more, I think, than they scored in all of April this year. Home Runs by Shane Victorino, Greg Dobbs and Chase Utley, along with doubles from Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins kickstart the Phils. Jayson Werth slugs a Grand Slam in the eighth to add to the debacle.  

Victorino had an incredible day by going 4-for-5 with five runs scored and four RBIs. Ah, those days.

 

Screen Shot 2012-09-07 at 11.35.53 AM

Photo: AP, Matt Slocum

29) October 17, 2010    

Game 2 NLCS

Oswalt to the rescue

Phils 6, Giants 1  

After Tim Lincecum defeats Roy Halladay in Game 1, Roy Oswalt throws eight great innings, allowing only three hits, one run and striking out nine.  J-Roll™ has the game’s big hit– a bases loaded double in the seventh. 

 

28)  September 3, 2009    

“Who’s your daddy now, you freak!”

Phils 2, Giants 1

Jayson Werth hit a monster upper deck home run to left field and Ryan Howard had the key go-ahead double in the sixth inning of this pitcher’s duel between Pedro Martinez and Tim Lincecum.

Left Fielder Eugenio Velez (VOWELS!) knocked Martinez’s first pitch out of the park.  That’s all Martinez would allow, as he pitches seven innings, scattering five hits, striking out nine, and walking none. Lincecum pitches seven innings and scatters only four hits, walking one and striking out 11.

 

27) August 12, 2010   

Broxton busting (again)

Phils 10, Dodgers 9

Sorry, Aaron Heilman, but the Phillies’ new favorite patsy is Jonathan Broxton. The Dodgers held a 9-2 lead entering the bottom of the eighth. Four singles and a Ben Francisco double enable the Phils to narrow the gap to 9-6 going into the ninth.

After Danys Baez and that dangling S in his name retire the Dodgers in the ninth, Broxton enters the game with a three-run lead. He hits Placido Polanco and then walks Mike Sweeney and Jayson Werth to load the bases. Still no outs. An error by Casey Blake allows two runs to score. 9-8, Dodgers. Enter Carlos Ruiz, who doubles home Werth and Franciso with the walk-off game-winner. So, to recap, a HBP, two walks, one error, and only one hit erases a three-run Dodgers lead. They did it to Broxton, again. 

[Editor's note: classic Stream out of the Dugout Game]

 

26) August 30, 2007      

Phils sweep the Mets at a noisy Citizens Bank Park

Phils 11, Mets 10  

In 2007, the Phillies chased the Mets all season long, finally surpassing them on the last day of the season to clinch the National League East pennant.   

The Phillies entered this must-have four-game series on August 27 SIX games behind the Stinkin Mets (that’s how I refer to them, and I capitalize the S). After taking the first three games of the series, the Phillies had a chance to sweep.  

The Phils got out to a 5-0 lead in the first three innings, but by the end of the Mets’ half of the fifth, the game was tied at five. The Phils respond with four singles and a walk to go back up by three in the bottom of the fifth. The game stays at 8-5 until the eighth, when the Mets score five runs on a double, single, an error and an incredible five walks from Phillies pitchers J.C. Romero, Antonio Alfonseca, and Jose Mesa (yeah, Joe Fucking Table was on the Phillies in 2007). The Phils get one back in the bottom of the eighth when Pat Burrell homers off Billy Wagner. The score is now 10-9, Mets, going into the ninth inning. Tom Gordon sets the Mets down 1-2-3. Billy Wagner goes for a two-inning save. Jayson Werth leads off with a single and then steals two bases.  Potato Iguchi ties the game by driving in Werth with a single. After Iguchi steals second and Wagner intentionally walks J-Roll™, Chase Utley delivers the game-winning single that scores Iguchi. The home crowd goes nuts as the Phils complete their four-game sweep of the Stinkins. Capital S.

The Mets’ lead has been cut from six games to two. Unbelievably, the Phils will go sweeping again in September as they beat the Stinkins three-straight in NY.   

The Phillies beating the Mets in the last seven matchups is the critical – and obvious – reason why they were able to clinch their first division title in 14 years. I’m getting misty. 


25) September 21, 2010   

Doc Halladay gets his 20th win

Phils 5, Braves 3

Roy Halladay was getting warmed up for his first postseason when he beat the Braves for his 20th win of the season. Special– yes. Doc becomes the first Phillies pitcher to win 20 games in 28 years. Steve Carlton was the last to do so in 1982. Halladay also becomes the first Phillies right-hander to win 20 games since Robin Roberts did it 55 years ago, in 1955.

 

24) July 8, 2011      

Efficient Juan Perez

Phils 3, Braves 2

Carlos Ruiz tied this game, 2-2, in the fourth inning. It stayed 2-2 into the tenth as Juan Perez entered as the Phils third relief pitcher of the night. Perez strikes out the side on nine pitches, getting Jason Heyward, Nate McLouth, and Wilkin Ramirez. Again, on NINE pitches!!! Perez becomes only the second pitcher in MLB history to strike out the side in extra innings. The first was in August… 1923. Also, he will become the first pitcher to win an extra innings game while striking out three batters on nine pitches.     

How did he get the win? In the bottom of the tenth, Raul Ibanez hits a game winning walk-off homer down the right field line.

[Editor’s note: I totally disagree with the placement of this game. Above Game 2 of the 2008 NLCS, the Phils-Mets sweep, and Cliff Lee’s first taste of golden-hued postseason excellence? Nonsense.]

 

23) May 6, 2011  

Did my eyes see what they just saw?

Phils 0, Braves 5

One of the most pitching bizarre games you will ever see. At the end of the game, you blinked five times, rubbed your eyes raw, and asked, “Did that just happen?” This game featured more Ks than Kyle Kendrick at a Klu Klux Klan convention. [Editor’s note: more white people, too.]

Sweaty Derek Lowe takes a no-hitter (and perhaps a bottle of Vodka) into the seventh. Shane Victorino leads off with a hit, Placido Polanco doubles, and Lowe leaves the game with a SORE FOOT. The next two Braves pitchers record five-straight swinging strikeouts. 

That’s all amazing to watch, BUT somehow you feel cheated, especially because of Cliff Lee’s truly remarkable, stupefying performance.

Lee recorded three strikeouts in the third. He also struck out three batters in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings, respectively. As a matter of fact, the only out recorded by Lee from the third through seventh innings was when killjoy Chipper Jones hit a fly ball to right in the fifth. 

[It should be noted that in the third, Lee actually forgot how to pitch despite his three strikeouts. In succession he gave up a three doubles and a single to a tough Braves lineup.  Phils were down 3-0 after the third.]

Cliff Lee recorded 21 outs– 16 on strikeouts! Add this to the 10 Strikeouts that Phillies batter had. Yes, when Lowe left the game with four strikeouts, the Atlanta relievers needed to record nine outs to get the win. Seven of those nine were strikeouts! Add the two from J.C. Romero and Danys Baez, and you witnessed a mind numbing 28 strikeouts in a nine inning game. Hard to Believe, Harry.  [Hard to Believe, but not the MLB record: the Rangers played the Mariners with some guy named Randy Johnson in 1997. Result– 31 strikeouts, as Johnson rung up 18.]

 

22 May 3, 2010.     

Taser Tag

Phils 3, Cards 6

This is only the third Phillies loss that we will feature in our list. The Phils 6-3 defeat to the Cards will forever be remembered for:

 

21 and 20) October 11 and 12, 2009     

Phils win two playoff games in the ninth


October 11, 2009

Game 3 NLDS

Phils 6, Rockies 5

This see–saw game was played in deplorable 35 degree temperatures in Colorado. The Phils battled back from a 3-1 deficit on RBI singles by Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth. After a Carlos Gonzalez home runs ties it, Chooch again delivers a RBI single for the Phils to take the lead, 5-4, in the sixth. In the seventh, Troy Tulowitzki ties it with a sacrifice fly. Howard then returns the favor with a game-winning sacrifice fly that scores Jimmy Rollins. Phils lead the series, two games to one.

 

October 12, 2009

Game 4 NLDS

Phils 5, Rockies 4

Cliff Lee takes a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth. After walking one and getting two outs, Ryan Madson comes on in relief only to give up a two-out RBI single to Jason Giambi followed by a two-run double to Yorvit (Myvit) Torrealba. The Phils head to the ninth down 4-2 with the prospect of a 2-2 series tie, and a Game 5 with shaky daddy Cole Hamels on the mound, facing them. With one out, J-Roll™, for the second night in a row, singles in the ninth. With two outs, Chase Utley walks. Howard again plays the hero with a two-out, two-RBI double to right that ties the game at four. Jayson Werth then singles to center to score Howard for the go-ahead run. After Scott Eyre gives up two ninth inning singles, Brad Lidge comes in to strike out Tulowitzki for the Phils to win the series.