The Phillies had good fortune to win a championship
by Scott Butler 4/9/09
I am thirty years old and fan of all Philly teams. Until last year I would tell everyone, "None of the teams I have ever followed have ever won anything ever." I had a real "why us" complex. Why can't we get lucky just one time? I wouldn't say we were lucky last year, but a lot of the things bounced our way, for sure. When you look back at it, we actually won the World Series, only losing a total of three games through all of the playoffs. However, when you look deeper, it was much closer than that. In fact, I would say we were very fortunate to win the World Series last year. Let me start with a disclaimer: there is a big difference between lucky and fortunate. Luck is something that is completely out of your hands, but good fortune is something you create. Let's take a look at some of the things that needed to go well in order for us to become champions.
1. A mediocre start. Normally I would not consider a mediocre start a good thing, but with the Phillies under Charlie Manuel it is a fantastic compliment. 2008 was the first year since Charlie Manuel arrived that we didn't really tank it early. We hung right around .500 for the first twenty games rather than fighting to return to .500. If he starting 2008 like most years, we would have lost to the Mets by 5 games or more. It took a truly historic collapse for the Phils to win the division in 2007 and that would not have happened two years in a row.
2. The Milwaukee Brewers series. The date is easy to remember, it was September 11. The Phillies were down by 3.5 games to the Mets for the division lead, and 4 games behind the Brewers for the wild card with exactly 4 games to go. We pretty much needed a sweep and that is exactly what we got. Like so many years before, with their backs against the wall, the Philadelphia Phillies got it done. I know we ended up winning the division, but the importance of this series was immeasurable.
3. Thank you Mets. You obviously remember the clinching game to win the division (we'll get to that in a minute). Have you imagined what would have happened if we lost that game. If we lose that game, Cole Hamels pitches on the final day. Assuming we still won the division, he would not have started game 1 of the NLDS and probably not the rest of the series, either. Of course we could have still won, but Hamels pitching the first game really made a difference. Why thank the Mets? Well, if they had not lost choked down the stretch...again, we would have played the final day and Hamels would have pitched.
4. The clinching double play. The double play that clinched the NL East is one of the best plays I can remember. If you recall, the Phillies were up by one run in the ninth with the Nationals batting with the bases loaded and one out. The odds are definitely not with you in this situation. All the Nats needed was a fly ball and the game would have been tied and Ryan Zimmerman, one of their best hitters, was at the plate. The rest is history.
5. The odds of that play happening were very low, but somehow it happened. Let's pretend we didn't get the double play but still made the playoffs. Now consider the effect on Brad Lidge. He had not blown a save all season. If he blew one now, everyone would call him a choker and remind him of his history with Albert Pujols (myself included). You know it was always in the back of his head anyway, so who knows what this might have done to his head.
6. Victorino and Stairs. There's a reason why everyone is so grateful to Matt Stairs: because we knew how big that home run was. Before they hit their home runs, we were down by two runs and likely to be tied in the series 2-2 with the Dodgers. Those home runs put us up 3 games to 1 and the Dodgers gave up in game 5. Anything could have happened with a 2-2 series tie. Plus, Hamels probably does not start game one against the Rays.
I will never, ever, say that the Phillies were lucky to win the World Series. They earned every bit of those rings they now wear. But, it takes a lot of good bounces along the way for any team to be crowned champions. I'm glad it worked out for us for once!
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