“P” is for Pain
In my head, it played out differently. Lidge struck out Damon to close the top of the ninth inning 1-2-3. Matt Stairs came up and hit a walk off to tie the series at two games apiece. Then, tomorrow, Cliff Lee dominated the lineup one more time, hurling a complete game shutout. And with the momentum on our side, going back to New York, we won game six easily. But that’s not the way it was meant to be, I suppose. Instead, Damon fought off a couple of foul balls in a great at bat, and walked. He stole second, and then third, on a bouncing pick off throw, and a really heads up play (helped by a mental lapse from the Phils). Then, with a man suddenly on third, Lidge stopped throwing that slider because of the wild pitch threat. And the rest is history.
Now, who knows? Maybe, even if Lidge had gotten out of the ninth unscathed, the Phillies would have gone quietly in the bottom and the Yankees may have pulled it off in extras. But there will always be those “what if’s” with this one. This team and these fans will never forget this game. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Pedro Feliz’s home run in the bottom of the eighth was supposed to be the moment the tides turned in this series. But the magic wasn’t quite there for us tonight, like it has been in the past, and like it’s been for the Yankees the past few days.
To win the World Series, everything has to break right. The calls have to go your way. Guys have to step up. And then it takes some luck. And right now, none of that is really happening for the Phillies. But, as a friend of mine and fellow phan said tonight, “Gotta start somewhere, and hopefully that’s with Lee tomorrow.”
Remember, ya gotta be-lee-ve.
