A 91-minute rain delay the night before meant a quick turnaround for Game 4. First pitch was scheduled just 18 hours after the Philadelphia Phillies' Game 3 walk-off win. In pursuit of their first World Series title since 1980, the Phils aimed to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, while the Tampa Bay Rays hoped to even the series at two games apiece.
Midseason trade acquisition Joe Blanton took the mound for the National League champions. The Athletics' Opening Day starter had a subpar 4.96 ERA and led MLB with 12 losses before being dealt to Philadelphia. With the Phillies, Blanton went 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA across 70 2/3 innings. The right-hander strengthened the starting rotation, but his most memorable contribution to the 2008 World Series run wasn't on the mound.
Having begun his career in the American League, where the designated hitter kept pitchers out of the lineup, Blanton had limited experience at the plate. He recorded just 13 plate appearances in parts of five seasons with Oakland. Blanton singled in his first at-bat with the Phillies but went hitless until Game 4.
He struck out in his first at-bat and left the bases loaded in the third. After the Rays cut into the Phillies' lead in the top of the fifth, Blanton stepped in the box for a third time in the bottom half of the inning. He turned on Edwin Jackson's 2-1 pitch, and the rest is history.
#PitchersWhoRake | #Celebrate08 pic.twitter.com/3RbIGO9eG8
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 26, 2018
Blanton's solo home run gave the Phillies a 6-2 lead. It was the first and only extra-base hit of his 13-year professional career. He finished the game having allowed two runs in six innings. The Phillies tacked on four more runs in the eighth to secure a convincing 10-2 win and a 3-1 series lead.
Joe Blanton's historic World Series home run may be the last of its kind
Blanton became just the 15th pitcher to go deep in the Fall Classic and the first since Ken Holtzman in 1974. 18 years later, his Game 4 blast remains the last home run hit by a pitcher in the World Series.
Although the American League introduced the DH in 1973, pitchers were required to bat in the World Series until 1976. From 1976 to 1985, the DH was used in alternating years. In 1986, MLB adopted a rule that determined DH usage based on the home team's league.
As the quality of MLB pitching improved, pitchers' performance at the plate continued to decline. In 2019, pitchers struck out 43.5 percent of the time, up from 33.1 percent a decade earlier. The shortened 2020 season featured the universal DH, which MLB made permanent in 2022 under a new collective bargaining agreement, officially bringing the era of pitchers hitting to an end.
Shohei Ohtani, the only active two-way player, has hit three home runs in the World Series, none of which came in his two starts. With the Dodgers eliminated, he will have to wait until next season for another chance to dethrone Blanton. Until then, Blanton occupies a unique place in World Series history.
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