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Phillies unsung heroes from the 2008 World Championship

By Kerry Kauffman |
PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 01: Pedro Feliz #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning against the New York Yankees in Game Four of the 2009 MLB World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 1, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 01: Pedro Feliz #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning against the New York Yankees in Game Four of the 2009 MLB World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 1, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
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Which members of the 2008 Phillies team were the unsung heros?

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Phillies second World Series championship in franchise history, the obvious names of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino and Brad Lidge stand out.

Matt Stairs will forever be remembered for his pinch hit home run against the Dodgers in the NLCS that still hasn’t landed.  We can also add in Jayson Werth, Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer for good measure as players who contributed on a consistent basis.

However, there were some players who go a bit unnoticed that contributed in a big way to this club. All the players had a hand in the title, so those not mentioned are not forgotten, but here are the unsung heroes from the 2008 championship team.

PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 18: Pedro Feliz #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies connects for a triple in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the NLCS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 18, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 18: Pedro Feliz #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies connects for a triple in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the NLCS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 18, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /

Pedro Feliz

Having spent his first eight seasons with the Giants, Feliz took over at third base for the Phillies in 2008.  While his offensive numbers were mediocre (14 HR, 57 RBI, .249 average), Feliz was one of the top defensive third basemen in the league.

He committed only eight errors in the regular season, posting a .974 fielding percentage, well above the league average of .956 for third basemen.

Feliz hit .333 in the World Series and delivered the game-winning run in Game 5 on a clean single up the middle.

Feliz spent one more season in Philadelphia and went on to play a combined 137 games for the Cardinals and Astros in 2010 before playing Independent ball for the Camden Riversharks.

ATLANTA – APRIL 22: Greg Dobbs #19 of the Philiadelphia Phillies reacts after scoring the first run against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on April 22, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA – APRIL 22: Greg Dobbs #19 of the Philiadelphia Phillies reacts after scoring the first run against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on April 22, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Greg Dobbs 

After three seasons in Seattle, Dobbs came to the Phillies in 2007 and became one of the top utility men and pinch hitters in the Major Leagues. He followed a 10 HR, 55 RBI, .780 OPS season in 2007 with a .301 average and .840 OPS in 124 games in 2008.

While hitting was his forte, Dobbs filled in sufficiently at first base, third base, left field and right field.  He was excellent in the postseason, batting .500 in 14 at-bats.

His offensive production fell off the map in his last two seasons in Philadelphia before moving on to the Marlins and Nationals before retiring in 2014.

PHILADELPHIA – JUNE 25: Starting pitcher Joe Blanton #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on June 25, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – JUNE 25: Starting pitcher Joe Blanton #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on June 25, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

Joe Blanton

The Phillies were struggling at the back-end of the rotation, as Adam Eaton was 4-8 with a ridiculously high 5.80 ERA. Blanton came to the rescue in a trade with Oakland in mid-July for three players.

Although his ERA was not stellar at 4.20, it was a significant improvement over Eaton. Blanton was 4-0 in 13 regular season starts and 2-0 in the postseason.

No one will forget the World Series home run in the left field seats against the Rays.

Blanton had varying degrees of success with the Phillies until 2012 and bounced around the majors, last pitching for the Nationals last season.

PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 26: Scott Eyre
PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 26: Scott Eyre /

Phillies bullpen not named Brad Lidge

Everyone that followed the 2008 Phillies knows the remarkable season Brad Lidge had. However, he doesn’t get the opportunity for that historic season without the work of the rest of the bullpen.

Chad Durbin and J.C. Romero appeared in a combined 153 games, posting an ERA of 2.82. Romero added two wins against the Rays in the World Series, including the series clincher after the multi-day rain delay.

Ryan Madson pitched to a solid 3.05 ERA over 82 2/3 innings over 76 appearances. Scott Eyre had a 1.88 ERA in 19 games after being picked up in a trade. Clay Condrey and Rudy Seanez, while not big name, flashy strikeout pitchers, were consistent in a combined 98 games.

Next. Ranking Every Player for the 2008 World Series. dark

The 2008 Phillies were likely not the best Phillies team in that era on paper, but they were the only one that came through with a championship. For that, they will never be forgotten among Phillies fans.

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