The Game Winning RBI Hours After Wilson Valdez Became A Winning Pitcher

As luck would have it, the game scheduled after a 19-inning marathon was a 1:00 day game. Also as luck would have it, hours after utility infielder Wilson Valdez picked up a win as a pitcher, Cliff Lee would pitch 8-innings...........and bat in the game-winning RBIs.

Phillies went on to win 10-4.

The first 16 hours of May 26, 2011 are 16 hours that the Phillies and Phillies fans won't forget any time soon.

Wilson Valdez Channels Babe Ruth, Danys Baez Has The Night Of His Career As Phillies Win 19-Inning Marathon

I hope you were able to stay up and watch the Phillies and the Reds play an instant classic that had Danys Baez do something he had not done in nine years and then some and Wilson Valdez do something that has not been done since Babe Ruth. Danys Baez pitched five scoreless innings. Seriously. Wilson Valdez became the first person to start the game in the field and pick up the win as a pitcher since Babe Ruth on October 1, 1921. The Phillies beat the Reds 5-4 in 19 innings. The game lasted 6 hours and 11 minutes. Wilson Valdez started the game at second base. He ended as pitcher. Carlos Ruiz started the game as catcher. He ended the game as 3rd baseman. Much less remarkably, Placido Polanco started the game at 3rd base and finished the game at 2nd.

I am sure there will be some trivia tomorrow, but for now, here are a bunch of videos. Warning: T-Mac and and Wheels are present in most of the following videos.

Jay Bruce makes it 4-3 Reds in the 10th

Ryan Howard makes it 4-4 in the 10th

Danys Baez pitches five innings of scoreless relief

Wilson Valdez pitches a scoreless inning of relief

Ibanez 19th inning walk-off sac fly. (T-Mac and Wheels)

Ibanez 19th inning walk-off sac fly (T-hom)

Valdez takes a pie in the face; Sarge takes the same pie on the mic.

Roy Oswalt Makes Funny Faces

http://www.twitvid.com/ABEUL

Due to my college obligations, I won't have any recap up tonight. Enjoy this video for the laugh and I will try to have something up by tomorrow night. Apologies for the lack of work on this blog in the past week, but between watching and live blogging the playoffs and hanging out with my family this past weekend, there really has been much time for me to write a quality piece.

2010 MLB Playoffs Day 3 Live Blog

Game 2: Reds @ Phillies 6:07 (TBS - Brian Anderson and Joe Simpson, SR: David Aldridge)

Game 2: Braves @ Giants 9:37 (TBS - Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, SR: Tom Verducci)

I'll be at Citizens Bank Part cheering on the Fightin Phils (pssssst, look for me on TBS), but that should not stop you from commenting on the LIVE BLOG OVER HERE

Larsen And Halladay

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE HISTORIC FINAL OUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN

2010 MLB Playoffs Day 1 Live Blog

Game 1: Rangers @ Rays 1:37 (TBS - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Marc Fein)

Game 1: Reds @ Phillies 5:07 (TBS - Brian Anderson and Joe Simpson, SR: David Aldridge)

Game 1: Yankees @ Twins 8:37 (TBS - Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling, John Smoltz, SR: Craig Sager)

Radio Announcer Scott Franzke Calls The Phillies Remarkable Comeback

Mike Leake hit an RBI single in the Top of the 9th inning to expand the Reds lead to 7-1 over the Phillies. At that stage, the Cincinnati Reds had a win probability of 99.7%. The Cincinnati Reds did not win the game last night. The Philadelphia Phillies had a 6-run 9th inning and a walkoff 2-run shot by Ryan Howard in the bottom of the 10th after Ryan Madson (finally back with the Phils after kicking a metal chair in San Francisco in April!). Of those 6 runs in the 9th, 5 of those were scored via homerun. Greg Dobbs (or some imposter wearing a Greg Dobbs jersey, the latter being the most likely possibility) hit a 3-run homerun to draw the game to 7-5 (Phillies got a small ball run earlier in the inning to make it 7-2). After a walk and a Brian Schneider fly out, Cody Ransom stepped to the plate with 2 down in the bottom of the 9th. The next thing anyone knew, the game was tied. Cody Ransom launched a 2-run bomb. From there on out, Howard's walkoff winner was academic. Given the fact that MLB are nasty with taking down videos, watch this while it lasts. Here is Phillies radio announcer Scott Franzke calling the 3 home runs last night.

Some Things Never Change

On a day with Cliff Lee to the Mets trade rumors and Chase Utley and Placido Polanco got sent to the DL and Greg Dobbs and Brian Bocock were called up, all is well that ends well.

Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez each hit a 3 run HR for the Phillies in the early going of tonight's game at Cincinnati only to see that lead slowly chipped away at. By the 9th inning, it was 6-3 Phillies with Brad Lidge on the mound trying to get the save. One 3-run HR later, the game was tied and Brad Lidge had blown yet another save. With a little bit of help on a ground ball the very next pitch, the Phillies got out of the inning tied.

And it is at that point, the magic began happening. Enter Arthur Rhodes, a Cincinnati Reds pitcher who had not allowed a run in over 30 innings. Howard gets on base. Werth gets on base. Ibanez doubles Howard home. Francisco singles home Werth. Valdez squeezes home Ibanez. 9-6 Phillies. J.C. Romero pitched the 10th and got the save that Brad Lidge blew. But the night was not a complete loss for Lidge, he is the winning pitcher in this game! (hey, folks, this is why wins and losses for a pitcher are the single most pointless stat in sports).

Anyway, moving on to the Phillies biggest rival, the New York Mets. The team that started out so happy at the thought they might be trading for Cliff Lee had a valiant comeback to tie the game against the Marlins at 6 in the top of the 9th. Unfortunately for the Mets, the bottom of the 9th happened and Hanley Ramirez hit a walkoff.

The day may have started somber, but when it comes to on the field happenings, some things never change.

22-1!!!

Absolutely unbelieveable. The Philadelphia Phillies completely slaughtered the Reds tonight 22-1! The Phillies led the game 10-0......after the 1st inning!

No typo exists in the above paragraph.

For reasons I am not sure of, MLB.com, does not allow embedding of their videos, so for the highlights of the 10-run first inning, click here.

Jayson Werth ended the night in the 8th inning with a grand slam to make it 22-1, and while it was certainly a bit New England Patriot-like at that point to shove it down their throats, I don't think he was intentionally trying to hit a home run in that situation and after the huge slump the Phillies were in in the month of June, every bit of positive momentum they can gather is seen as a good one. If you see a hittable pitch, you certainly want to swing. Besides, shortstop Paul Janish was pitching and with a position player (and thus inexperienced pitcher) on the mound, if you just take and don't swing, it might be more painful and a longer night than just by swinging and secretly hoping it's a deep fly out. Here's the grand slam if you want to see it.

And now for some fun stats about this game.

The 10-run 1st inning for the Phillies ties a franchise record for most runs in a 1st inning. The Phils record for most runs in any inning is 13.

The 22 runs the Phillies scored is the 5th most in franchise history and is the most since they put up a 26-spot against the Mets in 1985.

Every Phillies starter got at least 1 hit.

I'm not even going to try to list all of the career highs that were either tied and set for the individual players.

This 21-run loss is the single worst loss in Cincinnati Reds history. And keep in mind, this is 11-year old Tampa Bay expansion team we're talking about here, this is the oldest team in the majors we are talking about here! 140-years old to be precise.

Update:It seems I have missed a couple others. So let this list o' fun continue!

22-1 is the largest margin of victory in Phillies baseball history.

22-1 is also the largest margin of victory by an NL team since 1975.

Phillies score 22 in rout (MLB.com)