PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Two pitchers warmed up before the game – for Tampa Bay.
No one warmed up for the Phillies until they had taken the lead.
The intricate nine-inning, 54-out marathon of a baseball game turned into an 18-out dash to the World Series title Wednesday night.
It also turned into a World Series of second-guessing, with Charlie Manuel winning out over Joe Maddon as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in the completion of Game 5.
When the game resumed in the bottom of the sixth following a 46-hour suspension, the score was 2-2. In a quick flurry of moves, six relievers, three pinch-hitters and two pinch-runners entered the game. A pitcher sacrificed for the first time in his career, and the reigning NL MVP had a sacrifice bunt for just the fourth time in three years.
P Jimmy Rollins sacrificed him to third. Jayson Werth followed with a pop to center field that bounced off the outstretched arms of second baseman Akinori Iwamura, who was trying for what would have been an outstanding catch with his back to the plate.
Lefty J.P. Howell, who had warmed up alongside Balfour, then relieved, struck out Chase Utley and retired Ryan Howard on a popup.
As Manuel had promised, Ryan Madson relieved Hamels starting the seventh, but he gave up a one-out homer to Rocco Baldelli that sailed into the left-field seats and stunned the crowd at Citizens Bank Park.
After Jason Bartlett singled, Howell sacrificed – the first of his career. Left-hander J.C. Romero came in to face the left-handed-hitting Iwamura, whose grounder up the middle rolled off the glove of Rollins, the second baseman. Bartlett tried to score what would have been the go-ahead run, but catcher Carlos Ruiz grabbed Rollins’ throw to the third-base side of the plate and tagged the runner on the helmet.
Pat Burrell, 0-for-13 in the Series, then doubled off Howell leading off the seventh, a drive that missed being a home run by about three feet. Burrell didn’t sprint out of the batter’s box, perhaps thinking he had homered, and wound up on second.
Eric Bruntlett pinch ran, and side-arming right-hander Chad Braford came in. Like clockwork, Shane Victorino hit a grounder to the right side that advanced the runner.
Then, with the infield in, Pedro Feliz singled up the middle for a 4-3 lead.
Tampa Bay got its leadoff runner on the in the eighth, when speedy Carl Crawford singled. But Crawford didn’t run on the next pitch, and B.J. Upton grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
In the ninth, Phillies closer Brad Lidge walked catcher Dioner Navarro with one out, and speedy Fernando Perez pinch ran and stole second. Switch-hitter Ben Zobrist, batting left-handed, hit for Baldelli and lined to right.
That brought the Rays to their final out, and Maddon sent up Eric Hinske, another lefty, to bat for Bartlett. Hinske struck out on three pitches, and the celebration began.
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