Phillies Baseball

Phinally!!!!

The Phillies are World Champions of Major League Baseball and their parade happened on Friday afternoon and evening in Center City and South Philadelphia.

The parade began at 20th and Market Streets and ended at the sports complex; specifically Citizens Bank Park, where the team and their fans gathered for a championship rally.

The parade route was packed, absolutely packed with fans from start to finish. It is estimated, roughly, that over 3 million people took part in the parade today to honor their beloved Phillies.

What a day it was. The weather was perfect for a parade; bright sunshine with 62 degree temperatures.

Confetti flew from rooftops and from the floats along the parade route. The parade caravan was led by Grand Marshall Pat Burrell, the longest tenured Phillie whose career in Philadelphia has most likely come to an end.

Hopefully this was just the first of many parades for the Phillies in the coming years.

In other Phillies news, the team declined their team options for reliever Tom Gordon and outfielder So Taguchi for the 2009 season.

The Phillies are champions of the baseball world for the first time since 1980 and only the second time in their franchise’s history.

With their 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the continuation of game five of the World Series, the Phillies became the first major sports team in Philadelphia to win a title since the Sixers did so in 1983.

Brad Lidge picked up his seventh save of the postseason in as many opportunities and his 48th straight for the 2008 season.

Cole Hamels was named the World Series MVP after going 1-0 in two starts with a 2.77 ERA and striking out eight along the way.

In possibly his final Phillies at-bat of his career, Pat Burrell laced a double to deep center field and was replaced by pinch runner Eric Bruntlett, who eventually scored the winning run.

The Phillies will have a parade down Broad Street on Friday afternoon beginning at Noon for their victory.

The Phillies and Rays are set to resume a suspended game 5 of the 2008 World Series around 8:37pm tonight and it will be a battle of the bullpens for the remainder of the game.

The Phillies will bat to start the game in the bottom of the sixth and will send up a pinch hitter for Cole Hamels. That means that the Phillies will go to the bullpen in the top of the seventh inning.

The Rays are already into their bullpen with Grant Balfour, who relieved starter Scott Kazmir earlier in game five, and Maddon could make another move when one of the lefty pinch hitters comes off the bench to hit for Hamels to begin the suspended game.

Following Madson will more than likely be J.C. Romero or Scott Eyre if need be and then Brad Lidge if the Phillies have a lead in the ninth.

If not, the team will rely on winning the game in their final at-bat of regulation or will see this game go to extra innings.

For the first time in the 104 editions of the World Series a game has been suspended due to inclement weather.

With the Phillies leading the series 3-1 and the game 2-1 in the top of the sixth, the Rays tied it at 2 and the game was sent into a delay in the bottom of the inning.

It was supposed to be resumed on Tuesday night but the forecast was worse Tuesday night than Monday night.

Now the game is tentatively scheduled to be resumed at 8:37pm on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies are nine outs away from their second title and their first since 1980 presuming they score a run and keep the Rays at bay.

The bullpen will take over in the seventh for the Phils as Cole Hamels is due up first in the bottom of the sixth and will be lifted in favor of a pinch hitter.

Fans with tickets to Game 5 can use them to re-enter the stadium for the conclusion of the game, no matter when it takes place.

The Phillies left the bases loaded twice in their first five innings at the plate on Monday night.

If the Phillies score in the sixth and hold onto the lead Hamels will get his fifth win of the postseason in five starts. That would make him the first starter in history to accomplish the feat.

It would also mean that the Phillies are World Champions.

This is incredible!!!

The Phillies are one win, one win, away from becoming World Champions.

With their 10-2 rout of the Rays at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night the Phillies need one win to become the 2008 World Series Champions.

Cole Hamels will take the mound against Scott Kazmir in a rematch of game one of the series.

Hamels is 4-0 and is looking to become the first starting pitcher in postseason history to finish the playoffs with a 5-0 record.

His ERA stands at a measly 1.55.

The Phillies offense hit some bombs last night. Ryan Howard went deep twice while Jayson Werth and Joe Blanton, yes Joe Blanton, each went deep once.

It was Blanton’s first career homerun and it gave the Phillies a commanding 6-2 lead.

Blanton struck out 7 over 6-plus innings of work.

Game 5 begins at 8:30pm and Citizens Bank Park will be louder than ever.