City of Brotherly Love ecstatic as Phils celebrate title
Sports Network | October 31, 2008
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies gave the city its first major pro sports championship since 1983 on Wednesday night, and the fans finally got their big chance to revel in the accomplishment as the team paraded through town on Friday.
Trains and busses were overwhelmed, as the fans filled every nook and cranny of the route to see their favorite team celebrate its first championship since 1980. Players, executives and others associated with the team filled up numerous flatbed trucks that paraded east from Market Street, past City Hall and down Broad Street.
The event kicked off just after noon. Pat Burrell, the longest tenured Phillie, sat up front on a special horse-drawn carriage at the head of the line, and Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter hoised the Commissioner's Trophy for all the fans to see.
A year after the team was swept in the first round of the playoffs by eventual National League champion Colorado, the Phillies went on an 11-3 run through the 2008 postseason to win the second World Series title in team history.
The team dispatched the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays -- losing just one game to each team -- to capture the championship. They became the first team since the 1999 New York Yankees to win the title while going undefeated at home in the postseason. Philadelphia won all seven of its home games, including the final three wins against the upstart Rays.
Closer Brad Lidge tied Robb Nen's postseason record with seven saves, and Shane Victorino set the team record for RBI in one postseason with 13. Cole Hamels took home MVP trophies in both the NLCS and World Series, compiling a 4-0 record with a 1.80 ERA in five starts, striking out 30 batters in 35 innings.
The team won its second consecutive NL East crown, beating out the New York Mets by three games with a 92-70 record, marking the first time Philadelphia has won 90 games or more since 1993.
