PHILLIES NEWS

The Phils are off today as they head to Tampa for a world series rematch with the Rays. You know what that means, time to continue our top 25 most dramatic Phillies victories. This week we'll do numbers 20 to 16. Next time it will be numbers 15 to 11. Okay so away we go.

20. Top Gun June 6, 2008 Phillies 4 - Braves 3
Along the way to a world title there exist several stops along the way where you win a game you have no business winning and you begin to think hey maybe this is our year. This was one such game. It is the first of 9 consecutive victories at Atlanta for the Phils on the season and the first of 3 straight games in which the Phils enter the 9th inning trailing only to rally to victory. On this night Tim Hudson takes the mound for the Braves and appears headed to an easy win, as he allows just one run on 5 hits and pitches into the 8th inning. The Phils bullpen however, keeps Atlanta from pulling away with 3 and 2/3rd's scoreless innings. Still the Phils trail 2-1 heading into the 9th. With 2 out and runners on 1st and 2nd Chris Coste hits what should be an game ending groundout, but Kelly Johnson drops it before he can throw to first, allowing Coste to safely reach first, while Eric Bruntlett streaks home from 2nd to tie the game before Johnson recovers to throw out Pedro Feliz at home. Johnson slaps a one out double in the bottom of the inning but he's stranded, setting the stage for some Phillies magic in the 10th inning. "The Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino, who scored the Phils first run way back in the 1st inning, triples with one out to score one run and then scores on a double by Chase Utley to put the Phils up 4-2 heading into the bottom of the inning. Brad Lidge, perfect on save opportunities thus far, comes on to get the save but his perfect season looks like it will be over. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 out Yunel Escobar slaps what he believes is a game tying single. Instead Victorino has other ideas and with a perfect throw from center, he guns down Gregor Blanco, the tying run, at the plate by a split second to preserve the 4-3 win.

19. JRollin' July 25, 2007 Phillies 7 - Nationals 5
In the midst of a miracle season the Phils were just beginning to hit their side with 4 straight wins coming into this night. 7 brilliant innings from "Hollywood" Cole Hamels and a 3 run 4th inning appear to have the Phils headed towards a 5th successive win. Then, the bullpen which had been the one bright spot other than Hamels on an otherwise shaky pitching staff unravels in the top of the 9th inning, specfically Antonio Alfonseca, and Washington rallies to take a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the inning. After two quick outs the Nats are poised to ruin another Phils playoff push. Next up Jimmy Rollins. In the middle of an MVP campaign and performing heroics not seen in this town in over 10 years, JRoll gets lucky here. He slaps what should be a game ending flyout to left, but Ryan Langerhans blows the catch and boots the ball away from himself, allowing JRoll to race all the way to 3rd, with a triple. Then as Jroll slides into 3rd, Langerhans throws off line, even though there's no chance to get him, and the ball gets away from Ryan Zimmerman. JRoll has just enough time to see the ball get away, pick himself up and scamper home with the most incredible tying run in Phils history. 4 and1/2 innings later in the bottom of the 14th Ryan Howard crushes a game winning 2 run homer and in the most unlikely of fashions the Phils have their 5th straight win. It is only the beginning of one of the most miraculous late season charges in franchise history.

18. Mitchy Poo to the rescue July 2, 1993 Phillies 6 - Padres 5
This is yet another of those weird, wild, and wacky 1993 finishes and without a doubt the most memorable, in the regular season anyway. It is the second half of a doubleheader which is rain delayed until just before midnight and surprisingly it begins at about 1:30 in the morning not longer after game 1 is finished, an hour that as his whiteness, Richie Ashburn, puts it to Harry Kalas, "would be bad for most people, but is just the shank of the evening for you and me". Coming into the game the Phils are embroiled in their only losing streak of the season and have seen their NL East lead drop under 5 games for the first time in months. So they need to win on this night to regain composure and maintain control of the division for the remainder of the season. The Phils actually fall behind 5-0 through 3 and 1/2 innings, but as usual they're not willing to go away quietly. Behind an RBI single by Jim Eisenreich in the 4th, a 3 run homer by Ricky Jordan in the 5th, and an RBI single by Darren Daulton in the 8th, they come all the way back to tie it. In the 9th "the wild thing" Mitch Williams walks a batter, and throws a wild pitch, but gets out of the inning anyway. He gets through the top of the 10th inning too and then in botttom of the 10th with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd, because no one is left in the bullpen, Williams comes to the plate for just his 16th and as luck would have it final major league at bat. At a little past 4:00 in the morning the unthinkable happens. Take it away Harry. " The 0-1 pitch to Williams, line drive base hit left field, here comes Incagavilia, Billy Beane's throw is late, Incavagilia's gonna score, this game is over, Phils win 6-5 in the bottom of half of the 10th inning on an RBI hit by Mitchy Poo".

17. A star is born July 19, 2005 Phillies 4 - Dodgers 3
This is another one of those 2005 miracle finishes which as mentioned were only enough to bring the Phils one agonizing game short of the playoffs. On this night Brad Penny and Brett Myers duel to a stalemate with each allowing 3 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings, thanks mostly to a clutch 2 out single in the 5th inning by Chase Utley which ties the game at 3. So it comes down to a battle of the bullpens which would seem to give the edge to the Phils with the likes of Ryan Madson, Ugueth Urbina, and Billy Wagner. Instead after he rolls through the 9th inning, Wagner seemingly blows it in the top of the 10th, issuing a bases loaded walk to then Dodger Jayson Werth. Then in the bottom of the 10th Pat Burrell, of all people, leads off and legs out a triple, setting the stage for young Ryan Howard to hopefully tie the game or at least get on base. At the time Howard has hit just 5 homeruns in his career and has been struggling to the fill the shoes left by Jim Thome who's virtually done for the season with various injuries. No one expects the kid to do anything special here. Probably already shocked to see Burrell round the bases, a stunned Citizens Bank crowd looks on as Howard crushes the first pitch he sees from Yhenzy Brazoban for a game winning 2 run homer. From who? to hero just like that, Howard is only at the beginning of arguably the greatest rookie season any Phillies player has ever had. In just 88 games he racks up an incredible 22 homers, 63 RBIs, and 90 hits, and runs away with rookie of the year honors.

16. Didn't I October 11, 1993 NLCS Game 5 Phillies 4 - Braves 3
It's been a great season thus far, but the Phils are still 2 wins away from the world series. Coming into this night their NLCS series with the Braves is tied at 2 games a piece and the winner will probably win the series. Thankfully, Curt Schilling is unhittable on this evening, tossing 8 scoreless innings. After Darren Daulton slugs a solo homer the Phils take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th. Then Schilling runs out of gas, allowing the first 2 runners to reach base on a walk and an error. Despite having thrown 131 pitches, Schilling pleads to stay in the game, but Jim Fregosi will have none of it and brings in the "wild thing" Mitch Williams for the save, oops. Williams is wild again on this night, allowing Atlanta to tie the game at 3 and with only one out they load the bases, putting the Atlanta Fulton county stadium crowd into a frenzy. Somehow after Mark Lemke slaps a potential game winning single just foul, Williams gets out of the jam. After that with one out and nobody on in the top of the 10th "the Dude" Lenny Dykstra steps to the plate, knowing its up to him to save the day again. A few minutes later he sends Mark Wohlers 3-2 offering over the fence to put the Phils up 4-3, and as he rounds 3rd, he screams into then 3rd base coach Larry Bowa's ear, didn't I! didn't I!. Yes Dude you did it. Minutes later lost in the Dykstra euphoria, an exhausted Larry Andersen comes in and gets his only save of the season in the bottom of the inning and just like that the Phils are one game away from their first trip to the world series in 10 years.

15-11