‘08 Phightin’s take 2 of 3 from ‘69 Amazin’s

9/17-9/18 - Shea Stadium
GAME 1 - Mets 5, Phillies 2
Cole Hamels allowed the Amazin's 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd, which was too much for the highly touted Phightin offense to overcome considering how well Gary Gentry (2-3, 6.20) was pitching.  Buddy Harrelson led off the inning with a triple and scored on a suicide squeeze executed to perfection by Gentry.  It worked so well, Gentry wound up on 1st and scored on the next play when Tommy Agee slugged a 2 run shot over the 410 mark in dead center.  After Ed Charles popped out and Cleon Jones struck out 1969 World Series MVP, Donn Clendenon hit a solo shot just inside the orange foul poll to give New York a 4-1 lead.  Philly kept on Phightin and began to chip away at Gentry's lead slowly but surely.  A Ryan Howard tape measure shot that hit the big scoreboard in right center just above the Manufacturer's Hanover sign made it 4-2.  A sac fly by Coste in the 7th made it 4-3 as Ron Taylor was called on to save the game for Gentry.  New York scratched out an insurance run in the 8th when Clendenon singled and stole second then scored on a line drive to right center by Jerry Grote.  Taylor had an easy time of it in the 9th for his second save of the season.

GAME 2 - Phillies 6, Mets 2
Jerry Koosman (2-5, 1.93) continued to be the hard luck hurler of the year.  Game after game Kooz winds up being the victim of low run support or bad fielding and sometimes the combination of both.  His opposing number, Jamie Moyer(3-1, 2.78) continues to defy father time by going 6 innings and allowing only 1 earned run.  Ryan Madson pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief and Brad Lidge threw a spotless 9th in a non save situation.  The score was actually tied at 2 heading into the top of the 7th when Ed Charles blew a routine grounder to third and allowed Taguchi to get to second. J-Roll showed why he was the 2007 NL MVP by going yard and putting the Phightin's up by 2.  An error by Clendenon combined with a 2 run single by the "Flying Hawaiian", Shane Victorino put the Phils up by 4 to seal victory.

9/19- Citizens Bank Ballpark
GAME 3 - Phillies 6, Mets 5
Talk about your pitching mismatches.  Tom Seaver vs Joe Blanton.  Figure if the Mets can get 2, maybe 3 runs they are a lock.  The Mets do just that.  In fact the do even better.  Heading into the 7th Seaver has a 5-0 shutout going.  Money in the bank, right ?  Not when you're playing in "the bank"...Citizen's Bank Ballpark that is.  All looked good in Metland until that fateful bottom of the 7th where the Phightins, showed why they are one of the most mentally strong teams in this great game's history.  Most teams down 5-0 to the great Seaver would just pack it in or maybe go through the motions.  The Phightins just roll up their sleeves and get it done.  12 batters would come to the plate that inning.  An inning that just might have been the worst that Seaver ever had in his career.  Shame on his manager for hanging him out to dry like that.  Kudos to Matt Stairs, who came to the plate with runners on 1st and second and launched a majestic shot over the out of town scoreboard in right center for a 3 run pinch hit shot that made it 5-3.  A RBI double by Ryan Howard would follow 4 batters later and a 2 run single by Coste would put the Phigtins' ahead for good 6-5.  Lidge would walk 2 in the 9th, but Agee would get caught stealing second and Cleon Jones would strike out looking to end Philadelphia's improbable comeback win.