Victorino Emerging As Star

I could write about Brett Myers’ hot hitting, but that would be unfair — he did it once. This guy’s been doing it all season.

Shane Victorino hit an RBI single and RBI triple in the game two victory, raising his postseason numbers to:

.304 AVG / .385 OBP / .652 SLG / 3 2B / 1 3B / 1 HR / 9 RBI / 3 BB / 0 K / 3 SB

Pretty good numbers. You could argue Victorino has won two games for the Phils in this postseason — game two of the Brewers series; game two of the Dodgers series. Lest we forget his sparkling defensive play, including his game-saving, breathtaking catch last night to rob Casey Blake of an extra-base hit.

Of course, Victorino has been doing this for some time. He hit .311 with an .852 OPS in the second half, posing as possibly the Phils most dangerous hitter before the Ryan Howard September to Remember. Oh, and Vic has the best batting average among Phillie regulars in 2008.

Regular season stuff aside, Vic has lived up to the challenge of performing in the postseason. He has succeeded beyond hope, supplying the Phils with a clutch bat and exhale-inducing glove.

Sadly, Vic suffered a loss last night, learning after the game that his grandmother died. Phils manager Charlie Manuel lost his mother, June, yesterday. Vic spoke about the importance of baseball in time of grief:

“It’s about baseball. Charlie stayed strong and kept us all strong. My dad didn’t want to tell me — I found out the news after the game. It’s definitely an emotional time. But you know what? It’s all about baseball right now. That’s what we’re focused on. You’re guaranteed of one thing in life, and that’s death. She’s in a better place.”

Class. And right now, Vic is sitting first class on the Phils voyage to the world championship.