This Sunday marks the Philadelphia Phillies 2008 championship anniversary. It’s been 15 years since the team won its most recent World Series. In that 2008 World Series, the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games. The teams split the first two games of the series in St. Petersburg. Then, the Phillies proceeded to win three in a row at home to win it all. The clinching Game 5 that started on October 27 became the first World Series game to be suspended. Persistent rain in Philadelphia led to Game 5 being the longest game in World Series history in terms of real time between the first and last pitch of the game. The game was completed on October 29. At the time of the suspension, the top of the sixth inning had been completed.
Phillies 2008 Championship Anniversary: Postseason Highlights
NLDS
In the NLDS, the Phillies faced off against the Milwaukee Brewers because of an unusual rule. The Phillies were the two seed in the NL, and the Brewers were the four seed. However, the top-seeded Chicago Cubs were not eligible to play the Brewers. This is because at the time, teams from the same division could not play each other in the LDS round. The Phillies won the series in four games. They were led by stellar performances from Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino. For the series, Rollins had a .375/.412/.688 line with one home run and one RBI. Meanwhile, Victorino had a .357/.471/.786 line with one home run and five RBI. Also, Pat Burrell hit two home runs and had a 1.107 OPS in the four games.
On the mound, Cole Hamels dominated in Game 1 of the series with eight shutout innings. During that outing, Hamels held the Brewers to two hits and recorded nine strikeouts. The clinching Game 4 saw Joe Blanton allow one run in six innings, recording seven strikeouts in the process. The Phillies bullpen shined in the series as well. Brad Lidge recorded two saves. Lidge and Ryan Madson combined to allow two runs, with each allowing one in seven innings. After that point, Lidge did not allow a run for the remainder of the postseason. This bullpen strength would be a common theme throughout the 2008 Phillies postseason run.
NLCS
In the 2008 NLCS, the Phillies met the Los Angeles Dodgers. This series saw the Phillies win in five games, with Hamels being named NLCS MVP. The dominance of Hamels continued with two wins in the series. In those games, he recorded 13 strikeouts along with a 1.93 ERA. Three of the games ended with Lidge recording a save. The duo of Lidge and Madson, along with another key reliever, J.C. Romero, combined to hold the Dodgers scoreless across 11 appearances. Madson earned the win in the notable Game 4 of the series. That game saw Matt Stairs hit a pinch-hit home run to give the Phillies the lead in the top of the eighth inning. This is one of the most memorable moments from the run.
Chase Utley and Ryan Howard led the Phillies at the plate in the series. Utley had a .353/.522/.647 line with one home run and three RBI. He also had a 1.169 OPS and drew six walks. Meanwhile, Howard had a .300/.391/.350 line, with no home runs and two RBI. Additionally, Burrell put up an impressive .333/.368/.500 line with one home run and three RBI. Rollins got the two stolen bases the Phillies had in the series. Victorino led the team with six RBI. He also hit the home run that set up the Stairs home run in Game 4. The Dodgers pitching staff had a 4.40 ERA during the series against the powerful Phillies offense.
World Series
The 2008 World Series between the Phillies and the Rays saw Hamels win MVP with two dominant starts. Starting both Game 1 and the clinching Game 5, Hamels recorded a 2.77 ERA with eight strikeouts in the series. Just like in the rest of the postseason, Lidge dominated when called upon to close out games. Overall, Lidge recorded seven saves during the 2008 postseason, with two coming in the World Series. Lidge struck out Eric Hinske to end Game 5 and seal the Phillies’ championship. Romero had a 2-0 record during the series, allowing two hits and no runs. The win in Game 5 went to Romero thanks to a spectacular play by Utley that saved a run. Utley faked a throw to first base to then throw a runner out at home to end the half-inning.
At the plate, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz both rose to the occasion for the Phillies. Werth had a .444/.583/.778 line with one home run and three RBI. He also had three stolen bases. Ruiz, who had a walk-off hit to win Game 3, recorded a .375/.500/.688 line with one home run and three RBI. Also, in Game 4, Joe Blanton hit the most recent home run by a pitcher in a World Series game. With the universal DH, this feat will probably never happen again. Howard had a 1.137 OPS in the series with three home runs and six RBI. In Game 5, after the lengthy rain delay, Geoff Jenkins had a key pinch-hit double. In the following inning, Pedro Feliz recorded what would be the series-winning hit.
10/26/2008: Joe Blanton launched a Game 4 dinger for the #Phillies. This made him the 15th pitcher in #MLB history to go deep during the #WorldSeries.#RingTheBell (via MLB) @PhilliesBell @BaseballBros pic.twitter.com/U3rEcjyqud
— MLB Daily Dingers (@MLBDailyDingers) October 26, 2023
The Phillies’ Second World Series Championship
During the regular season, the Phillies won the NL East with a 92-70 record. The 2008 championship gave the Phillies their second World Series title in franchise history. The other came in 1980 after they topped the Kansas City Royals in the World Series in six games. Both times the Phillies have clinched the World Series, they have done so at home in Philadelphia. Since the 2008 World Series championship, the Phillies have made two World Series appearances (2009, 2022), losing both in six games. As a result of this, the Phillies’ quest for their third championship continues. The 2008 team holds a special place in Phillies history, and Sunday marks another occasion to celebrate it.
Photo Credit: © Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
