PHILADELPHIA – The Yankees’ fan lamented, though not in a way that demonstrated he was distraught, “All we wanted was to have A-Rod up to win the game.”
In the same car on the same Orange line train, the Phillies’ fan announced repeatedly as he walked back and forth, as if to reassure himself that the Phillies had won Game 5 of the World Series, “We’re still alive, baby.” And emphasizing the reason they were still alive, “Chase is the man; he’s the best.”
In a remarkable display of peaceful co-existence, New York and Philadelphia rode the same train in the same car without incident Monday night. The reason was probably easy to figure out.
With a three games to two lead and the Series heading back to Yankee Stadium for Game 6 Wednesday night, Yankees’ fans felt comfortable and confident. Knowing that there would be a Game 6, Phillies’ fans were relieved and grateful that their team was still in it.
Phillies’ fans, though, should be extremely disappointed in their defending champions. Once upon a time, Philadelphia had an institution known as the Fabulous Philadelphians. That was the city’s symphony orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra. Now the city has the Phraudulent Philadelphians. Yep, they would be the Phillies.
Not long before the World Series started, I said the Phillies were perhaps the most resilient team in the majors. Statistically it was the Yankees because during the season they won 51 games in which they trailed at any point in the game while the Phillies only led the National League with 43.
But I thought the Phillies would be at least as frisky as the Yankees in overcoming deficits. The team I thought that about hasn’t shown up in the Series. With possibly two games left, it may be premature to say it won’t make a belated appearance, but time’s awasting.
The Phillies did come back in Game 4, overcoming a 4-2 deficit with bases-empty home runs by Utley and Pedro Feliz in the seventh and eighth innings, but the Yankees scored three runs in the ninth against Brad Lidge for a 7-4 victory.
As a team, the Phillies have hit .214 (18 for 84) when they have been behind the Yankees or tied. That kind of average won’t generate many runs.
Not surprisingly, Utley has been the Phillies’ best hitter when they have been behind or tied. He has slugged three of his five Series home runs in those circumstances and has had one other hit in 12 at-bats for a .333 average.
Ryan Howard has had only two hits in nine at-bats, neither a home run. Who could have imagined that Howard would make a greater impact with his legs than with his bat? In Game 4 Howard led off the fourth inning with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Feliz.
Howard, however, has otherwise been invisible in the Phillies’ offense. Of the seven outs Howard has made when the Phillies have been behind or tied, he has struck out five times. Of all 19 times at bat in the Series, Howard has struck out 12 times. He is hitting .158 (3 for 19) and has knocked in only one run.
This type of performance could not have been expected of Howard, who batted .355 and drove in 14 runs in the division and league series. His has been more like the performance of Alex Rodriguez in his post-season appearances with the Yankees before this year.
Rodriguez, however, has had a terrific post-season, hitting .360 with 6 home runs and 18 runs batted in. Many of the runs he has driven in have been critical runs.
Rodriguez was hitless in the first two games of the World Series, striking out six times in eight at-bats. His first hit was a two-run home run that cut the Yankees’ deficit to 3-2 in Game 3 and started them on their way to an 8-5 victory. In the ninth inning of Game 4, he doubled home a run and scored one in a three-run flurry that boosted the Yankees to a 7-4 victory.
In Game 5, Rodriguez doubled home the first run in the first inning and doubled home two runs in the eighth in a rally that fell short of overtaking the Phillies.
Utley is the only member of the Phillies who has done for them what Rodriguez has done for the Yankees. His five home runs in five games match the number of home runs the Yankees have hit. But those home runs still left the Phillies a game short of the Yankees.
On the Jay Leno show last week Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies’ shortstop, who has become known for his rash declarations, said the Phillies would beat the Yankees, maybe in five games. If the Phillies should win, they will need more than five games and they will need their hitters to wake up or show up.
For the most part, the Phillies have looked more like impostors than impressive hitters. If they should lose the World Series, they should change their name to the Philadelphia Phrauds or the Philadelphia Phonies. Their fans should file a class action suit, accusing the Phillies of masquerading as a defending World Series champion.
All will be forgiven, though, if the Phillies should find their swings and win the last two games. They have time but not reality on their side.
One newspaper and an advertiser would be thrilled if the Phillies were to win. The Monday edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer prematurely ran an advertisement on the back page of the first section:
CONGRATULATIONS
PHILLIES!
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS
It was an ad for Macy’s, which was selling T-shirts and other merchandise with “World Series Champions” on it.
The Inquirer issued an apology for its mistake, which is more than The New York Times did in 1992 after an editor mistakenly ran the wrong story on a World Series game between the Blue Jays and the Braves, which the Blue Jays won with two runs in the ninth.
The erroneous version, which had the Braves winning in the story and the headline, had been filed early for deadline purposes, but the editor used it on top of the new story that correctly had the Blue Jays winning. Canadian television shows had a great time with the newspaper, holding it up for the cameras to show viewers all across the country.
