My Fellow Phans.
There is so much that can be talked about concerning the last few days and this recent series in New York. If you haven't already heard, the Phillies beat the Yankees 2 out of 3 in their latest series. It is the first series win for the Phillies since sweeping the Brewers on the road in Mid May! Mid May! That's a good 3 weeks ago. Could they be turning this around? I sincerely hope so. They have won 3 of their last 4 games.
After Halladay lost the opening game of the series to the Yanks, in fact he was rocked by the Bronx Bombers. After that loss, I became skeptical of this series. As a Phillies fan, I have seen Moyer absolutely pulverized by Boston in his last start and I was wondering what would become of him in his 2nd start against a good hitting American League opponent. As a Phillies fan, I had seen Kendrick have a rough start against the Florida Marlins, a team with nowhere near the offense capabilities as the Yankees so I was a bit worried about how they would perform.
As a baseball analyst and unbias fan of the game of baseball, I predicted another rough series for the Phillies. People tell me I am no optimistic enough or positive enough sometimes when it comes to the Phillies. In my defense, when I watch a game I am watching indeed as a diehard Phillies fan that you all that I am, but I am also watching as a fan of the game of baseball itself; a "student of the game" if you will, and this causes me to analyze the game from an outside perspective. There is a major difference between being a fan of a team and a fan of the game itself. Usually most of my negative commentary comes from my baseball fan side noting things that could improve overall about the Phillies game. I can be just as critical of other teams if you ask my opinion about them. Don't get me wrong, the Phillies are the greatest team known to man and I will live, breath and die with them, but baseball is also the greatest sport known to man and I am a fan and analyst of that game as well.
As a student of the game, there is always room for learning new things and experiencing amazing moments. These last two games caused me to do both:
As I said I had serious doubts about Kendrick and Moyer's starts in this series. I was at my sister's graduation Wednesday night, but little did I know that I was missing history on the mound. Moyer became the oldest player to EVER beat the Yankees. He pitched 8 innings and gave up just a few hits along with strikeouts. The man as old as time itself shut down the best hitting offense in the league, I never saw it coming. Moyer proved me wrong in a BIG way and I will never doubt his abilities again. That I can promise you.
Last night, I got to see Kendrick pitch his gem against the Yankees. I cannot say enough about what him or Moyer did. Kendrick only had one rough inning, which was the 6th, and it was ended by amazing play by Polanco at third reaching over the tarp to get a foul ball.
Everyone thought that was the play of game and yes it was until Jose Contreras made a behind the back stab of a ground ball hit by Curtis Granderson. That my friends was top play material and one of the best plays I've seen in baseball this season. AMAZING PLAY indeed!
These two plays just solidified the evening and made the outcome all the much more enjoyable. It was nice to see our guys play the steady defense that we all know they are capable of. As for the offense, Victorino has a couple of hits as did Carlos Ruiz. Everyone in the lineup had a least one hit outside of Chase Utley who looked baffled by Andy Pettite all night. Utley's new Pedro Cerrano like ritual didn't seem to work last night, but it is an interesting idea. Chase, we all know you're going to break out of this slump and once you do, we will be rolling once again.
So I will finish this post off by saying that I salute Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick. I had serious doubts about you two pitching and you both proved me wrong with flying colors. I admit i was wrong. Yes, for once I was wrong. Make a note ladies and gents, this doesn't happen often haha. Anyways, I salute you two pitchers for pitching your gems and proving me wrong. You taught me a valuable lesson and I will never doubt again. You guys stepped up to win the biggest series of the year. I mean is there anything better than beating the Yankees?
Until we meet again Phillies Fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies!
No comments:
Post a Comment