‘08 Phightin’s win battle of PA over ‘71 Bucs

9/2 - Three Rivers Stadium
GAME 1 - '71 Pirates 3, '08 Phillies 2 (12 inn)
Both Dock Ellis and Old Man River Jamie Moyer pitched their hearts out and allowed just 2 runs.  Neither man would factor into the decision.  Moyer would go 7 innings and Ellis would make it 8 2/3.  Phillie's pen paid the price during this marathon contest that went 12 innings.  Durbin, Romero, Madson, Happ and Condrey would all see duty on the hill.  Pittsburgh was up 2-0 courtesy of a 2 run homer by Richie Hebner in the 4th.  The Phighin's never say die and when Matt Stairs hit a solo pinch hit shot to lead off the 8th the Pirate lead was cut to 1.  Ellis began to run out of steam in the 9th and with 2 outs Geoff Jenkins hit a pinch hit double to give Philly a glimmer of hope.  So Taguchi came on to pinch hit for Durbin and lined a single to center to score Jenkins to tie the game at 2 all.  It would stay that way until the 12th when with 2 outs J.A. Happ walked Pirate catcher Manny Sanguillen.  Banjo hitting shortstop Gene Alley doubled to left center to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. With reliever Dave Giusti scheduled to bat, September call up Richie Zisk was seen around the bat rack looking for lumber.  Zisk came to the plate and Condrey was brought in to face him.  Zisk seemed a bit over matched and was lucky to cue the ball toward second.  Chase Utley had to charge the ball and come up throwing all in one motion.  With Zisk's cue shot having more English on it than Buckingham Palace Utley couldn't find the handle and wound up airmailing it into the dugout as Sanguillen strolled home for the game winner.

9/3-9/4- Citizens Bank Ballpark
GAME 2 - Phillies 10, Pirates 4
The Pirates jumped all over Joe Blanton with 3 runs in the first and then scored a solo run in the 4th.  The visitors expected an easy victory, but the Phightin's never quit.  Philly scored a solo run in the 6th and 2 in the 7th to cut the lead to 1, then the floodgates opened up in the 8th when they scored 7 unanswered runs off of reliever Jim Nelson.  Interestingly all of the action occurred after Chooch Ruiz and Greg Dobbs grounded out weakly to 1st.  J-Roll singled, Victorino got on by and error charged to Jackie Hernandez at short.  Utley walked to load the bases and Ryan Howard did the same to force in the tying run.  Jayson Werth crushed a bases clearing double off the wall in right center to give the Phills a 3 run lead.  Consecutive hits by Pat "the bat" Burrell, Pedro Feliz and Chooch added more icing to the cake as the Phills turned this would be nail biter into a laugher.

GAME 3 - Phillies 5, Pirates 4 (16 innings)
What a way to cap off a great series that could easily branded "The battle of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania".  Pittsburgh carried a 3-1 lead into the 6th when rookie starter Bruce Kison faltered.  Philly scored 3 runs and just like that had a 1 run lead.  Pat Burrell had a 2 run homer and Jimmy Rollins singled home Coste who walked following Pat the bat's bomb.  Al Oliver hit a 2 out solo shot off of Romero to tie the game in the 8th.  The game  would go into extra innings and the it would really get interesting.  Baseball purists will echo the sentiment that baseball can be exciting even when the scoring isn't rampant.  The 7 extra innings that would follow would back up that claim.  In the top of the 11th Roberto Clemente tripled with 1 out, but Willie Stargell struck out thanks to Brad Lidge being brought in from the pen to reliever Seanez.  Hebner was given an intentional pass and pinch hitter Rennie Stennett hit a shot that Werth had to catch up against the wall to end the threat.  In the 13th Al Oliver led off with a double and moved to third when Clemente grounded out.  Stargell was given an intentional pass and with everyone on the edge of their seat Hebner hit into a tailor made 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.  With Kyle Kendrick on the mound Hebner walked to lead off the top of the 16th.  The next batter, Jose Pagan took one for the team on a pitch that many of the Philly Phaithful Phealt he could have easily have gotten out of the way from.  Sanguillen then hit a slow grounder to Utley, who's only play was to first.  That put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out and pitcher Mudcat Grant batting.  With Pittsburgh's empty, Grant was forced to hit for himself and Kendrick was able to easily fool whim with a changeup for a called strike 3 to get out # 2.  That brought up Jackie Hernandez, who flew out easily to right field to end the threat.  With one out in the bottom of the 16th Jimmy Rollins lofted a ball just in front of Clemente in right for a single.  Grant began to worry about the fleet footed Rollins and threw over to first an number of times.  Sanguillen called for a pitch out, but nothing was going.  On the next pitch Rollins took off and easily beat Sanguillen's throw, which overshot Hernandez who was covering and went into centerfield.  J-Roll did not miss a beat and hopped up and turned for third, which he got to easily.   Victorino was given an intentional pass to create a double play scenario.  With the count 1-1 Grant jammed Chase Utley, but the slugging second sacker was able to fight it off and bloop one into left center to score Rollins and end this extraordinary 16 inning marathon.  Philly used a record 12 pitchers en route to victory.  Pittsburgh only used 8 pitchers.