Recap: Los Angeles vs. Philadelphia
Sports Network | October 13, 2008
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Shane Victorino stared into the Dodgers dugout after blasting his game-tying two-run homer in the eighth, then pinch- hitter Matt Stairs glared into the Los Angeles night to follow his towering go-ahead two-run shot moments later, as Philadelphia rallied to take a 7-5 win and move within one victory of its first World Series appearance since 1993.
Victorino, one of seven players and coaches fined for their roles in the bean war that began with Phillies starter Brett Myers throwing behind Manny Ramirez in Game 2 and reached a crescendo when Hiroki Kuroda just missed Victorino's head in a retaliation attempt in Los Angeles' 7-2 victory on Sunday, made the final statement in the fourth game of the National League Championship Series.
The Phillies center fielder, playing with a heavy heart after his grandmother's death last Friday, hit a down-and-in Cory Wade (0-1) offering just over the top of the right-field wall to tie the game at 5-5.
As he reached first base, Victorino pumped his fist and glared straight into the Dodgers dugout has he made the turn toward second.
The hit scored Ryan Howard, who led off the inning with a single off Hong-Chih Kuo.
Stairs soon followed with an even bigger blow, the type of hit general manager Pat Gillick envisioned when he shipped promising minor-league southpaw Fabio Castro to Toronto for the veteran left-handed slugger as the season turned the page to September.
Jonathan Broxton had not allowed a home run since July 2006 and had allowed just one earned run over the last month-plus, including the postseason, before falling behind Stairs 3-1. Broxton threw a 95-mph straight fastball that Stairs was waiting for, and it ended up in a two-run moon shot to right that scored Carlos Ruiz, who had singled with two outs.
The power onslaught made a winner of Ryan Madson (1-0), who gave up just one hit and one walk in 1 2/3 effective frames. Brad Lidge come on for a rare four-out save to put the Phillies up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
It wasn't without trepidation. Ramirez doubled with two outs in the eighth and Russell Martin raced to first on a wild pitch following what would have been an inning-ending strikeout. James Loney popped out, Lidge navigated through the ninth and the Phillies improved to 85-0 this year when leading after eight innings.
The Phillies now turn to ace Cole Hamels to punch their ticket to the Fall Classic. He will be opposed in Wednesday's Game 5 by Chad Billingsley. The teams traded four-game sweeps in the regular season and each continued the home-cooking trend by winning at home until Monday.
