Phillies Nation Perfect Season: Behind Wilson Valdez’s arm, Phillies win wild game

Every day until Opening Day arrives, Phillies Nation will take a daily look back at a regular season victory from that particular day in history that you can watch in full in lieu of live Phillies baseball. Think of it is as your daily Phillies watch recommendation.

May 25, 2011 – Phillies 5, Reds 4

When Roy Halladay takes the bump, the expectation is that the game will be finished in well under three hours. That was not the case in this one, however, as the Reds and Phillies went 19 innings in a game that pushed past the 6-hour mark.

The Phillies jumped to an early 3-0 lead after a first inning Ben Francisco home run and second inning RBI single from John Mayberry Jr. But the Reds clawed back into the game against Halladay, scoring one in the fifth and two more in the seventh to tie things up.

After Jay Bruce and Ryan Howard traded solo home runs in the tenth inning, it became a battle of the bullpens. The two teams combined for just four hits over the next eight innings, and starting in the 14th, Carlos Fisher and Danys Baez traded five scoreless innings.

It was Wilson Valdez, the Phillies starting second baseman, who came in to pitch in the 19th inning after the team ran out of pitchers. Facing the heart of the Reds lineup, Valdez retired Joey Votto, and after hitting Scott Rolen with a pitch, got Jay Bruce and Carlos Fisher to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, the Phillies loaded the bases on a single and two walks to bring Raul Ibanez to the plate. Ibanez hit a fly ball to deep center field, scoring Jimmy Rollins from third and giving Valdez the Phillies a 5-4 win.

Phillies Notes: In this game, Valdez became the first position player to earn a win as a pitcher since Colorado Rockies catcher Brent Mane did it in 2000. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis accomplished the feat the following season in a two inning appearance against the Boston Red Sox.

Reds Lineup

1. Drew Stubbs, center field
2. Brandon Phillips, second base
3. Joey Votto, first base
4. Scott Rolen, third base
5. Jay Bruce, right field
6. Ramon Hernandez, catcher
7. Fred Lewis, left field
8. Edgar Renteria, shortstop
9. Travis Wood, pitcher

Phillies Lineup

1. Jimmy Rollins, shortstop
2. Ben Francisco, right field
3. Placido Polanco, third base
4. Ryan Howard, first base
5. Raul Ibanez, left field
6. Carlos Ruiz, catcher
7. John Mayberry Jr., center field
8. WIlson Valdez, second base
9. Roy Halladay, pitcher

You can watch the full game by using this link. You can also watch it on your Smart TV or streaming device with the YouTube app. Just put in “CIN AT PHI – May 25, 2011” into the search bar and click on the video. 

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