SportsDystopia

Philadelphia took a 2-1 lead in the World Series Saturday night in improbable fashion, winning a bizzare game 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th at nearly 2 AM eastern time.  The first pitch didn’t come until after 10 PM, after it rained all evening in Philly.  And the game began according to script for the Phillies, who by the end of 6 innings had taken a 4-1 lead thanks to solo home runs by Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  Utley also drove in the game’s first run, in the 1st with an RBI groundout to score Jimmy Rollins.  The Phillies weren’t conquering their woes with runners in scoring position (they’re now 2 for 33 in the three games), but for the 2nd time in the series, it didn’t seem to matter.

The 7th inning put a very different spin on things.  Jamie Moyer was still on the mound for the Phils, and looked as full of confidence and energy as a 45 year old ever has in the game of baseball.  When leadoff batter Carl Crawford dropped a beautiful drag bunt, Moyer made a move that Ryan Howard described as “ninja-esque”, lunging for the ball, scooping it with his glove, and flipping it to Howard all in a single motion.  Howard barehanded the ball before Crawford reached the base, but umpire Tom Hallion called Crawford safe.

Both the Phillies and their fans reacted uncomfortably, and Tampa Bay pushed two more runs across with groundouts (something they’ve made a habit out of this series) to pull within 4-3.  The following inning, BJ Upton scored a run by himself in the old Jackie Robinson fashion: he reached on an infield single, stole 2nd, then stole 3rd and took home when the catcher Ruiz’s throw went wild.  The game was tied 4-4, and when Philly went down ugly in the bottom of the 8th (Jason Werth walked then stole 2nd, Utley struck out, Werth was picked off 2nd, Howard struck out to end it) the entire series looked like it had shifted the Rays’ way.

But JC Romero pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 9th inning, setting up one of the strangest finishes in World Series history.

Eric Bruntlett was hit in the thigh by JP Howell to open the inning.  He advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch by Grant Balfour, but Dioner Navarro fielded the ball bouncing off the backstop and tried to gun Bruntlett down.  The ball sailed into center field, and Bruntlett advanced to 3rd.  Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs were both intentionally walked to load the bases, and Tampa Bay brought Ben Zobrist in from the outfield for a seldom seen 5-man infield.  “It looked like they were about to blitz.” Howard quipped after the game.

The tactic seemed ready to produce a home-first double play when cement-shoed catcher Carlos Ruiz strode to the plate.  He bounced a slow chopper to 3rd baseman Evan Longoria, who rushed a throw home that flew over Navarro to the backstop.  Bruntlett scored, and the game was over.

It was another bizzare loss by Tampa Bay this October.  They bounced back from their last one behind Matt Garza’s confidence in game 7 of the ALCS.  Their best chance to get back in the series comes behind Andy Sonnanstine, who’ll start game 4 Sunday night for the Rays.  Sonnanstine has been the least-hyped of the Rays’ excellent group of young pitchers, but he’s also been the most unshakably collected this year, and has had two very sharp outings against good lineups already in the playoffs.

The Phillies starter will be Joe Blanton, who looked shaky in his last outing, which came nearly 2 weeks ago against the Dodgers.  The Phillies need him to put that rest to use and not to rust if they hope to put the Rays on the ropes with Cole Hamels waiting in game 5.

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