YOU KNOW WHY I LOVE THE PHILLIES? Because they hurt so good. Just when you think you've seen it all -- as Harry and Whitey used to say in disbelief at least once a week years ago -- something happens that no one has ever seen before. For instance, I've never seen an individual Phillies batter get hit by a pitched ball three times in a single game. And I saw that yesterday in the top of the seventh inning when Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis plunked Chase Utley in the back -- Utley's third hit batsman notation on the scorecard --with the New York Mets leading 2-0 in their last home opener at Shea Stadium. Until today the Phiilies had never beaten the Mets during a home opener in Queens.
What happened next is, well, pillow talk between Phillies fans and the devil they sold their souls to win this game against all the odds. With the bases loaded and one-out, Ryan Howard bounced a soft grounder to first for an inning-ending double play -- EXCEPT! -- Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado threw the ball into Chase Utley's back (his FOURTH hostile ball bruise of the game) as Utley headed to second. The ball skittered into right field and instead of being out of the inning with a two run lead, the Mets were now tied 2-2 with the Fightin's who end up winning 5-2, breaking the Shea Opening Day curse while arriving at .500 for the first time this young season.
Four-four seems a pleasant plateau after a first week that promised so much less. On opening day at the Bank, the Phillies rallied late to tie the game against the Nats only to see Flash Gordon pitch like Ming the Merciless Mets Fan. When your closer gives up five runs in the ninth inning, Phillies fans tend to become ill tempered and impatient, if not actual al Queda terrorist operatives. In game two of the Nationals series, Cole Hamels one run surrendered was enough to decide the outcome. On the following afternoon during a Businessperson Special the Phils fell behind 6-1 to the Potomac pests, and the home crowd was in danger of beginning a spontaneous chant of "Give us Barrabbas!"
And then. . .and then. . .baseball happened. It was 7-7 going into the bottom of the 10th. And when Jayson Werth walked with the bases loaded on four pitches for the Phillies first win of the season, there was something in the air that you could identify as hard core Philly addytood. Just look at the body language of those fans (photo above) ACTUALLY DARING the National's ill-fated reliever to throw a freakin' strike, for crying out loud. Oh, yeah, baby. It's going to be a long and bumpy season. And the homeboys and homegirls are amped to the max.
And this is only April.
Leave a comment