Phillies Nation

Throughout the month, Phillies Nation will be counting down the Top 25 Phillies Moments of 2009.

Top Moment #21: JA Happ Shuts Out Colorado, Solidifies Spot in Rotation

Going into the Phillies game against the Rockies on August 5, there were some questions surrounding the last two spots in the Phillies rotation. Jamie Moyer, JA Happ and Pedro Martinez were all vying for those two coveted spots.

So what did JA Happ do? Only threw nine shutout innings, allowed a mere four hits and struck ten batters in his second complete game shutout of the season. Throwing 127 pitches, Happ proved to Charlie Manuel he had the arm to go the distance in big games down the stretch.

Pedro went on to strike out 11 down in Reading, and it was Happ and Martinez in the rotation and Jamie Moyer off to the bullpen thanks in part to one August night.

A game that was never in doubt, was put away with a Jayson Werth three-run bomb in the fifth that ended all scoring for the night. Not that the Phillies needed it… Happ was that good.

Throughout the month, Phillies Nation will be counting down the Top 25 Phillies Moments of 2009.

Top Moment #22: Thursday, June 11 – Raul Caps Off a Fun Phillies Nation Day

June 11, 2009 was a great day in Phillies Nation. It day started off with a private tour of Citizens Bank Park with all the behind-the-scene sights.  We spent the evening meandering through the suite level, diamond club and dugout, then paused for photos at Chase Utley’s locker and batting cage bats before ascending to the Harry Kalas broadcast booth.  After the tour we made our way to McFadden’s to meet up with a few hundred people out to support the Arc of Philadelphia. We handed out our new Bleed Philly t-shirt out to a dozen or so lucky guests who were there to watch the game, enjoy the open bar and watch the Phils battle the Mets. The Phillies Nation crew comprised of myself, Rob, Nick and Jim made out big in the silent auction and raffles – taking home an Atlantic City trip, a Bobby Flay gift basket and a piece of the court from the old St. Joe’s Fieldhouse. (You can check out all the photos here.)

The game on TV was the rubber match of another exhilarating series with the Phillies hated rival – at least at the time. The Phils had just settled into first place two weeks prior while the Mets were at the onset of another painful collapse, albeit a much more drawn out collapse than they experienced in 2007 and 2008. Jimmy Rollins himself was facing a serious slump and returned to the leadoff spot after spending two games in the six hole.

Just before the game Tim Malcolm made his television debut on SNY live from Citi Field. Post-game, he recounted the exciting ten innings that clinched a series “worthy of documentation and conversation.”

Despite a quality start by Jamie Moyer, the Phils found themselves down 3-1 after the first five frames. Chase Utley and Matt Stairs each drove in a run in the the sixth and seventh to eventually send the game to extras. With one out in the 10th, Shane Victorino singled off Bobby Parnell (who was coming off a loss in the previous night’s game after allowing an Utley homer in the 11th). Parnell walked Utley before being relieved by Ken Takahashi who immediately struck out Ryan Howard. Thousands of blissfully stupid Mets fans rose to their feet in anticipation of a win. Instead they were greeted by a Raul Ibanez bomb over the wall in right-center, his 21st homer of the season. Phillies fans in McFadden’s and around the world rejoiced by exalting RAAAAAUUUUULLL!!! at the top of their lungs. The bottom of the ninth saw Ryan Madson record his second extra-inning save in as many nights.

The win gave the Phillies a four game lead in the division as they wrapped up a 7-3 road trip and improved to a major league-best 23-9 on the road. The game also laid the groundwork for the July 4th series with the Mets where the Phillies swept their rival away for good.  It was a great day in Phillies Nation.

Throughout the month, Phillies Nation will be counting down the Top 25 Phillies Moments of 2009.

Top Moment #23: Ruiz and Ibanez Back Hamels for NLCS Game One Victory

It didn’t take long for the Phillies to get their first victory in the National League Championship Series.  The pitching was shaky, but home runs from Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez proved to be the difference in the 8-6 victory.

Young Clayton Kershaw cruised through the first four innings, but it wouldn’t last.  Carlos Ruiz smacked a three-run home run to left field, giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead.  ”Choochtober” has a .303 batting average and a .905 OPS in his playoff career.

Ryan Howard started his NLCS MVP campaign with a two-run double.  Not only did Howard’s eighteenth RBI give the Phillies a 5-1 cushion, but Howard set a Phillies record for most RBIs in a postseason.

Hamels continued to struggle and the Dodgers took advantage.  The first of Chase Utley’s throwing errors led to Manny Ramirez’s two-run home run.  The lead was cut to one.  Raul Ibanez changed that with a three-run blast, and some breathing room.  Ibanez was the first left-handed hitter to homer off George Sherrill in over a year.

Chad Durbin, J.A Happ, and Chan Ho Park picked up Hamels’ pieces.  Brad Lidge closed the doors to secure the Phillies first win in the National League Championship Series.

Throughout the month, Phillies Nation will be counting down the Top 25 Phillies Moments of 2009.

Top Moment #24: Chase Utley’s 2 HR’s down the Mets at Citi

Before we really knew the extent of the Mets woes, the Phillies locked horns with their neighbors to the northeast during a seemingly important three-game set in mid-June.  At that point, the Phillies sat just two games ahead of New York for the NL East lead.  This game would serve as a back-breaker of sorts for the Mets, who would end the month 20 days later nine-and-a-half games out of first.

For six innings, the Mets offense played small ball, giving right-hander Mike Pelfrey a 4-1 cushion to work with. Pelfrey helped his own cause in the fourth by singling in a run, the first of three to cross the plate for NY in that frame.  Names like Omir Santos and Alex Cora were doing damage with the bat, while Pelfrey held his own on the hill.

Going into the seventh inning on June 10, Pelfrey stymied the Phils, going six strong while allowing just one lone run on a Chase Utley solo jack in the fourth. In that fateful seventh, Pelfrey would get lifted after the first three Phillies reached base, all via singles. They would all touch home, locking it up a four apiece.

The bullpen’s then combined to take the game into the 11th, paving the way for a spot in right field to be adorned with a new moniker.

New York turned to Bobby Parnell in the 11th, following two shutdown innings by Francisco Rodriguez.  On the second pitch from the new reliever, Chase Utley smashed the delivery about six rows deep into the bleachers for his second shot of the game.  The homer put the Phils up 5-4 and in the process, “Utley’s Corner” was born.

Two weeks later, with the Yankees visiting Citi Field, Brett Gardner blasted a ball into the same section as the Utley home run, prompting Mets announcer Gary Cohen to say: “Gardner lifts one down the right field line, back toward Utley’s Corner, near the wall…it’s outta here!” The rest is history.

Throughout the month, Phillies Nation will be counting down the Top 25 Phillies Moments of 2009.

Top Moment #25: Raul Ibanez’s Walk-Off

On April 19, a 4-6 Phillies team faced a 9-3 San Diego Padres club.  Nobody was sure what to expect from Raul Ibanez, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract and replaced a fan favorite. Ibanez was off to a hot start; he was batting .375 with four homers and eight runs batted in through the first ten games.  But, April 19th was the day that Phillies fans fell in love with him.  

Starter Chan Ho Park allowed four runs in five innings.  Two of those runs were at fault of Ibanez, who missed a diving catch that resulted in a two-run triple for Edgar Gonzalez.  It’s safe to see he made up for it.

Trailing 4-0 after five, Chase Utley’s two run home run and Jimmy Rollins’ solo shot put the Phillies within one, but they were still trailing headed into the ninth.  Luckily for the Phillies, they didn’t have to face an unavailable Heath Bell, who led the majors in saves at the time.

It was the perfect timing for Ibanez’s fifth home run of the year.  With a man on, Ibanez swung at Edwin Moreno’s changeup:  “Hit in the air.  Deep to right field!  Fair or foul?  Phillies win it!”  

It was only April, but it was a huge win for the Phillies and a huge day for Ibanez.  It was just the beginning of loud “RAUUUL” chants heard throughout Citizens Bank Park all season long.

With a crowd screaming his first name and a shaving cream pie to the face, I’d say this was the day that Ibanez “officially” became a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

2009 was an exciting year for the Philadelphia Phillies.  They were unable to win it all, but it was a season to be proud of.  There were a lot of special moments that led to a second consecutive National League pennant, and Phillies Nation will be breaking down those top moments. 

Throughout the month, Phillies Nation will list the Top 25 Moments of 2009.  We narrowed it down to about 45.  Then, each member of Phillies Nation and other Phillies bloggers listed their top 25 moments in order.  We also got fans involved through Twitter and Facebook.  We used a “fair voting method,” called the Borda Method, which is used to count up votes for baseball’s most valuable player.  Basically, a first place vote equals 25 points, second place equals 24, third place equals 23, and so on.  But, you don’t have to worry about the math; it just helped determine the order of our list.

We’ll start at 25 and count our way up to number one.  It’ll be a lot like Tim’s Phandom 25, seen on Phillies Nation in previous years.  25 will be released tomorrow, but below are the ones that did not make the cut.

Honorable Mentions:

July 11 vs the Pittsburgh Pirates:  Ryan Howard hit a game tying home run in the ninth inning.  Paul Bako won the game with a walk-off single.  Phillies win, 8-7.

May 2 vs the New York Yankees:  For the second straight night, Brad Lidge blew a save.  However, Carlos Ruiz came up big with a RBI double in the 11th. Phillies win, 4-3.

J.A Happ’s complete game shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays and Cole Hamels’ complete game shutout against the San Francisco Giants barely missed the cut.

Make sure you check back for the “Top 25 Moments of 2009.”