Cole's Performance Looked Familiar

October 21, 1993.

That was the date of the last game the Phillies won in the post season. Was. Until yesterday afternoon. Cole Hamels took the mound yesterday and pitched the best game of his career in a situation that some people were already calling must-win.

And the Phillies did win, for the first time in the playoffs in 15 years. Yesterday's victory brought back some memories of that last playoff win for the Phils and hopefully exorcised some ghosts this franchise has been carrying around for the last decade and a half.

Didn't the games seem oddly similar? Cole Hamels needed this game to get the Phillies 2008 playoff run starting properly. The Phillies needed a big game from their ace and he gave them eight innings of two hit, one walk, NINE strikeout baseball. And he only threw 101 pitches. He easily could have pitched the ninth but was taken out because, yes, there are more games to win this post season.

For Schilling, that was his last chance to keep the Phillies World Series hopes alive. Down 3-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays, Schilling got the ball with the season on the line in game five and pitched the greatest game of his career. Yes I know about Arizona. Yes, I've heard of the Bloody Sock game. October 21,1993 was the greatest pitching performance I have ever seen. My father and I were lucky enough to be sitting down the first-base line to watch Schilling throw 147 pitches of five-hit, six-strikeout baseball to keep the Phils in the World Series for one more game.

Many things have changed in 15 years. A new stadium. A whole new crop of youngsters who don't even remember 1993. But for all of us, yesterday was a history lesson.

Mitch Williams was there. Larry Andersen was on the radio call. Heck, even umpire Dana DeMuth, who was at second base that day at The Vet, was behind the plate yesterday. (Yes, it was DeMuth who called balls and strikes in game six in Toronto.)

Last year was great. The Phils got to the playoffs. But there's something different about winning a playoff game. Fifteen years of holding our collective breath and in one gem of an outing by Cole Hamels, we can all exhale.

I'll never forget that day watching Curt Schilling with my dad. My daughter is just 16 months old and I already tell her about that game. I'm getting chills thinking about that performance right now.

I know it's just one game. And unfortunately I wasn't there. But watching yesterday, that's the feeling I got with Cole on the mound. Let's hope its the start of something we can tell our kids about in 15 years.

PLAYOFF LINKS:

Phils-Brewers
• Phil Sheridan agrees that Cole's performance was the stuff of legends.
• More glowing praise for Cole from our friends at Beerleaguer.
• Enough about Cole. Zolecki poses the question, can Brad Lidge pitch today if they need him?
• Jayson Stark expands upon that. Lidge did throw 35 pitches, and the Phils always make it interesting.
• Frank Fitzpatrick asks if Myers is ready for game two against the Mighty CC.
• Enrico wanted me to link this photo.

• On the Brewers side, Dale Sveum says that one little hiccup started it all.
• This Brewers writer is playing the "no respect" card. Then says they have to earn it today.
• Spelunking through Brew Crew Ball's comments, I found this exchange:

- Late inning heroics! Come on guys.. give me wood. by SgtClueLs
- i've already splooged and gone limp. by keephopealive
- if Prince ties it up here, I'll be back for more. by keephopealive
- Take it deep, real deep. by battlekow

These guys need to get out more. Or drink less.

Red Sox-Angels
• Jon Lester led the Sox over the Angels last night. He's very good.
• Bob Ryan says Lester is the new ace of the Sox.
• Angels site says the Sox are right where the Halos want them. Turns out, they always lose game one.
• Oh, and the Angels can't hit in September...or October.

Cubs-Dodgers
• Cubs fans, and writers, are already starting to panic.
• But this was just the Cubs being the Cubs. (Play on Manny, I assume).
• Bill Plaschke was surprised by the Dodgers offense yesterday.
• Derek Lowe was huge yesterday, says TJ Simers.

RANDOM LINKS:

• There is football this week, too. Iggles Blog talks to Omar Gaither.
• Sports Bog has a link to the craziest Redskins fan ever. A must click.
• Al Davis is nuts, but who knew Mike Shanahan was funny?
• Searchers may have found the wreckage of Steve Fossett.
• I talked to Tony Reali, aka Stat Boy, yesterday. Good show.
• Last, there's a debate tonight, "easily the most-anticipated vice presidential faceoff ever," says the AP. More than the Dan Quayle-Lloyd Bentsen debates of 1988?

Comments

[johndewar]

Enrico wanted me to link this photo

Didn't know John Popper was a Phils fan.

More than the Dan Quayle-Lloyd Bentsen debates of 1988?

FAR more so. I was in high school and we talked about it, but that didn't get close to the buzz that the Biden-Palin debate is getting.

[johndewar]

And BTW: the 1988 VP debate would probably have faded into obscurity except for Bentson publicly de-pants-ing Quayle during that debate with the "You're no Jack Kennedy" line.

That 1988 debate became famous because of what went on during the debate, not the buildup leading to the debate.

[Carl]

In a comment thread at the Good Phight yesterday, there was speculation that Lidge may be tipping his pitches--nobody was chasing the slider. But I haven't seen anything about this anywhere else. Have I missed it?

[Loqiel]

Lidge was tipping his pitches before he came here. I remember seeing someone who hit against him called him up after he got traded and told him.

[will]

seems to be the case with men on second. in the middle of the at-bat to fielder, Ruiz jogged to the mound and they changed the signs. its not difficult to figure out what was happening--ball players use suttle tips from second base to alert the batter which pitch is coming. I feel that Ruiz never changed the signs afterall, eventhough the brewers thought thats what the mound visit was for. Fielder was swinging slider, and swung at a fastball 18 inches outside--braun tipped him the wrong pitch. any thoughts?

[ill]

well if he is tipping his pitches and still hasn't blown a save, then he must be doing something right. Last night was a cardiac ending, but at least we won. I also have faith in Myers tonight. This is his kinda game.

[GreggyD]

I'm definitely ready for Game 2, but Sabathia makes me pretty nervous. A 1-1 series is so much more different than 2-0. The offense was nowhere near spectacular yesterday and they need to pick it up or they stand no chance. I don't think there's any chance that Brett Myers gives us anything close to 2 hits in 8 shutout innings. I'm hoping that Sabathia is due for a bad start after going off of short rest multiple times and the Phillies capitalize on every baserunner that gets on.

In other news, I'm interested to watch the debate tonight. After hearing some of Sarah Palin's comments in the past that made her sound oh so stupid, I'm sure there will be some humorous things said tonight as well.

[Loqiel]

Just got tix for Game 5. I really hope I don't have to use them because the Phils have gone to the NLCS though.

[will]

on my way to the game, fuck a CC

[Joe in Haddonfield]

I don't know if Lidge is tipping his slider. But no one is swinging at it. He needs to start it up in the zone more to make it attractive. Make it look like a potential strike.

The slider has been bouncing just before the plate, so if he elevates slightly, it will be too low to hit, but good enough to wave at. I think he's afraid to hang one and starts them too low.

[jms]

• Enrico wanted me to link this photo.

I thoroughly enjoyed that, actually. Sadly that picture doesn't depict how close he was to rolling out on to the field.

[jms]

Lidgey question:

I noticed yesterday that literally all of his sliders hit at 84MPH. I'm too lazy sick to look up the stats, but is this different than his usual speed? I wonder if that would have something to do with it.

[agam22]

Maybe Joe Biden will insult more minorities and ethnic groups.

[theKrisheim]

anyone else think of Will Clark last night when Loney hit that grand slam?

same sort of anticipation for this cubs squad as the one that faced the giants right up until that point will clark hit the ball out of the stadium.

[Mike H.]

I also have to mention that Schill in Game 5 did it against THAT lineup. There are two guaranteed HOFers on there (Henderson and Molitor) and FOUR others (Devon White, Joe Carter, Robby Alomar, and Tony Fernandez) who had close to or over 2000 hits in their career.

And Schill OWNED them that night.

The Redskins video linked above is hilarious. Cooley Time, indeed...

[Paul]

Well if it is Lidge tipping his pitches, he needs to realize that he is doing so. However, if Ryan Braun was stealing signs, and yes I know all the teams do it, they need to fucking bean him.

[Paul]

Look likes this guy won't be providing the Muts with any bullpen help next year, he's most likely going to be in some "pound me in the ass" Dominican jail.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/10/01/mets.burgos.accident.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
Also, he should call up Ugueth on legal advice.

[MikeY]

I got an e-mail today from the Phils about buying game 5 tickets too...sadly I'll be at the Flyers-Phantoms game that night, so I won't be attending the potential series deciding game.

Normally, I would give up my pre-season Flyers ticket to go to a Phillies playoff game, but I'm sitting in the 3rd row behind the Flyers bench.

...hopefully it doesn't go to a game 5 and I can go the the Flyers game and devote my attention to that.

[Rosey]

Dan, still remember that day back in '93. I caught a flight (which was delayed!) from college in Pittsburgh that afternoon to come back for Game 5.

Schil pitched a gem that night, and the view from left-center field was a sight to behold. I can still remember the Blue Jays being caught in a run-down in the 8th (or 7th) between 3rd and home plate. The place went nuts when the Phils caught them in that situation.

[MPR529]

when i was 14 my sister and I sent in 500 postcards (before the simplicity of the Internet) each to the lottery for phillies playoff tickets in 1993. We scored 2 tix for 2 different games in each the NLCS and the WS. My sister and I saw the 2-0 shutout from center field. It's still probably the best live sporting event I've ever attended (maybe tied with the 2001 Wild Card game vs the Bucs on new year's eve where I and some others tipped over a port-a-poty with a bucs fans in it.)

[Debt Relief]

I was able to get 4 tickets to the game yesterday at "face value" just by waiting right before the game started and walking up to the box office. Sweet!

[kevin]

i dont know if lidge was tipping his pitches, at this level of play you would like to think he does not have that in his mechanics. on the other hand wildthing had a great point on post-game that he just wasnt locating his fastball so there was no need to even swing at a slider (in the dirt or in for a strike) so once a hitter saw the spin they just laid off.