One year ago today the Phillies won an epic Game 4 against the Dodgers
Perhaps one of the most underrated moments of the Phillies championship run between 2007-12 was Game 4 of the 2009 NLCS, which occurred eight years ago today.
This game had a little bit of everything, including a walk-off two-run double by Jimmy Rollins against Phillies fan favorite Jonathan Broxton.
Here’s a recap of what happened that cold October night in South Philadelphia.
It was a true pitching duel at Citizens Bank Park: Joe Blanton versus former Phillie Randy Wolf. While the Wolf Pack may not have been out in full force the fans certainly were. A total of 46,157 faithful fans packed Citizens Bank Park that night to watch an instant classic.
Wolf and the Dodgers bullpen shut the Phillies down for eight innings, allowing only three hits, two being for extra-bases.
All five of the Phillies hits came from their top-four hitters that evening: Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard. The Big Piece started the scoring with a two-run home run off his former teammate Wolf in the first inning out to the right field deck.
Los Angeles responded in the top of the fourth with RBI singles from James Loney and Russell Martin to tie the game against Blanton, who went six innings.
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp responded with a solo home run of his own against Blanton in the fifth, and a Pedro Feliz error would lead to Manny Ramirez scoring an unearned run in the sixth.
Philadelphia responded immediately with Victorino lacing a triple to left field and Utley driving him in with a single.
Both bullpens dazzled as neither starter made it past the sixth inning that evening. Ronald Belisario, Hung-Chih Kuo, and George Sherrill each recorded a hold in two-and-a-third no-hit innings. Chan-Ho Park, Ryan Madson, and Scott Eyre allowed no runs off two hits in their two-and-a-third innings of shutout baseball before handing it off to Brad Lidge in the eighth with one out.
In true Lidge fashion the Dodgers last two batters of the game, and only two Lidge faced that night, Kemp and Andre Ethier, struck out.
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That brings us to the bottom of the ninth, Phillies down 4-3 and Broxton on the mound.
Left fielder Raul Ibanez grounded out on the second pitch of the at-bat and Matt Stairs, pinch hitting for Pedro Feliz, would walk. Utility man Eric Bruntlett took over for Stairs on the base pads and was able to move to second when catcher Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch.
After the pinch hitter, Greg Dobbs, lined out to third, Rollins would come up to the plate for one of the greatest moments in Phillies history.
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Rollins’ double gave the Phillies a three games to one lead in the series despite Ibanez, Feliz, Ruiz, Dobbs, Blanton, Jayson Werth, and Ben Francisco going 0-17 that fateful night.
Two nights later the bullpen would pick up a struggling Cole Hamels, who gave up three home runs, en route to a second-consecutive National League pennant.