Phillies on brink of World Series title

PHILADELPHIA—Ryan Howard knows this place will go nuts with one more win.
“It will be absolute bedlam,” he said. “It will be one of the craziest places on Earth. It’s kind of scary to imagine.”

Then again, who would’ve guessed Phillies’ pitcher Joe Blanton would shut his eyes, take a huge swing, and sock a ball into the seats?
Blanton became the first pitcher in 34 years to homer in the World Series, and Howard drove in five runs with two homers, as Philadelphia bombed the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 last night to move within one win of its first title since 1980.
The team of 10,000 losses could give title-starved Philadelphia its first champion in any of the four big sports since the NBA’s 76ers in 1983.
“A championship is the only way to fully reverse that thought of how the Phillies are portrayed,” said Jimmy Rollins, who sparked the Phillies with three hits and three runs. “If we get that game, I believe we will be happy, the city will be happy, there will be a big parade,”
Jayson Werth also homered as the Phillies took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and thrilled their frustrated, long-suffering fans.
“I didn’t really buy into the whole thing about the city and the drought and all that kind of stuff,” Howard said.
Cole Hamels will try to close out the Phillies’ second World Series title tonight against Scott Kazmir in a rematch of Game 1 starters. Hamels (4-0) is trying to become the first pitcher to win five post-season starts in one year.
Of the 42 teams to take 3-1 World Series leads, 36 have gone on to win the crown. After splitting the first two games in Florida, the Phillies improved to 6-0 at Citizens Bank Park this post-season. That includes a wacky, rain-delayed 5-4 win in Game 3 that ended at 1:47 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.
“Cole looks for these moments. I call him ‘Hollywood’ because when the lights are on, that’s when he’s at his best,” Rollins said. “And [Monday] night, the lights will definitely be on.”
Rollins made a great escape from a rundown in the first inning—perhaps with the help of an umpire’s blown call—that energized the Phillies and rattled the Rays.
A day after hitting his first homer of the series, Howard connected twice. The major-league leader in homers and RBIs hit a three-run drive off Andy Sonnanstine that made it 5-1 in the fourth and sent screams through a whooped-up crowd of 45,903.
Howard added a long, two-run shot against Trever Miller in the eighth.
Blanton, with a Greg Luzinski body type that’s a throwback to an era of pudgy pitchers, gave up four hits, including solo homers to Carl Crawford and pinch-hitter Eric Hinske, struck out seven, and walked two in six-plus innings.
Just 2-for-33 (.061) with one RBI in his career to that point, Blanton homered in the fifth off Edwin Jackson. It was just the 15th home run by a pitcher in the World Series—and the first since Oakland’s Ken Holtzman in 1974.
No NL pitcher had homered since the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson in 1968.
“I just close my eyes and swing hard in case I make contact,” said Blanton, who thought he hadn’t homered since high school. “Better to be lucky than good, I guess.”
Even when Jason Bartlett’s grounder up the middle caromed off him in the fifth, the ball went straight to third, where Pedro Feliz threw to first for the out.
Rays’ manager Joe Maddon came out in mid-game to complain to plate umpire Tom Hallion about a spot on Blanton’s cap.
“It was rather dark,” Maddon said. “I was concerned about that early on.”
Blanton pleaded not guilty.
“They rub the balls up with whatever they rub them up with, and you rub it up and get it on your hand,” he said. “It’s nothing sticky. Anybody can go touch it. It’s just basically just dirt from the ball.”