6 hours and 19 innings later...I’m sure the producers at ESPN were thrilled to have the Phillies/Reds as their Wednesday Night Baseball game of the week. Having what minimal experience in the sports TV industry I have (shoutouts to UMTV and WFOR) I’m sure everyone behind the scenes scrambled calculating when their regularly scheduled programming would get to air and how much time they’d have to cut out of Baseball Tonight. And who else heard Garciaparra and O'Brien jab about how they only get paid for nine innings?
While the WNB crew may have called two games worth of baseball, the fans in attendance got their money's worth. Those that actually stayed extra innings witnessed the longest Phillies game ever at Citizens Bank Park. Tied at 3 after 9 innings, solo homeruns from Jay Bruce and Ryan Howard tied it up 4-4 in the 10th. The score would stay that way for another 8.5 innings until the Phils fought their way to a 5-4 win in the 19th.
Both teams left it out there. 16 pitchers and a total of 41 players saw action. And in a game where Roy Halladay started out on the mound, it was Second Baseman Wilson Valdez who earned the W for Philadelphia. But neither team would have had to resort to using position players as pitchers if they could score when it mattered most. Multiple times both teams left runner's in scoring position and the numbers are outright embarrassing. The Phillies were 1-13 with RISP and the Reds were not much better, going 3-15.
In bottom of the 19th with one out, Raul Ibanez hit a sac fly to center that scored Jimmy Rollins and ended the marathon at CBP. For that, he gets a game ball. And seeing as how the grounds crew went went through 250+ baseballs tonight alone, I figure I can borrow a few to give out some more game balls. One for each of the five runs scored by Philly...
1) Ibanez--Reasons mentioned above.
2) Rollins--Not only did he get the only hit of the 19th inning and score the game winning run...J-Roll made play after play defensively to keep the Reds at bay. Rollins hustled around the infield during extra innings, making nice catches and sliding throws to first base. He provided a spark to the team and kept me from falling asleep.
3) Carlos Ruiz--Chooch (still don't get that nickname) caught the entire game for the Phillies. Let me repeat...the ENTIRE game. As in all 19 innings. That alone warrants some love in my book. (He also picked up the Phillies third run).
4) Valdez--Valdez seemingly did it all. He pitched, he played second base, and he was the only Phillie with 3 hits. In his first time pitching in the majors, he looked a little shaky at first. He had one ball sail past Ruiz's mitt and another pitch fly dangerously close to the warning track. But he kept cool and with the defense behind him, gave up zero hits and walks. The last time a position player earned a win as a pitcher? In 2000 courtesy of Colorado Rockies catcher Brent Mayne.
5) Philadelphia Fans--You guys get your fair share of hate. But kudos for sticking around well past midnight on a weeknight. Your team needs that support, especially after a rough loss in the 9th the night before.
And for the Reds...I'm too tired to come up with four. But if there is one person to give a game ball to at this point, it has to be Jay Bruce. Bruce is responsible for 3 of Cincinnati's 4 runs tonight, including his solo shot in the 10th that could have potentially won the game for the second straight night.
Bruce has been a huge thorn in the Phillies side this series...His 3-RBI double broke a tie and wound up clinching Tuesday night's 6-3 win for the Reds. And he scored a 3-run HR in Monday night's 10-3 loss. So if you do the math, JB has 9 of the 10 Reds RBIs.
The victory keeps the Phillies (30-19) a game up on the Marlins in the NL East. It also ties them up with the Indians and Cardinals for most wins with 30 a piece. Cincinnati's loss meanwhile puts them at just over .500 at 26-24. Game 4 --the final match of this series-- is set for 1:05PM, a mere 12 hours after the conclusion of Game 3.
