It ain't over 'til it's over
The Tampa Bay Rays are in a fix -- no doubt about that -- but the Phillies still have to win one more game, and that last win can be the toughest one to nail down. That's why there will be more pressure on the Phillies tonight than on the Rays, who have evolved into such a longshot they no longer have anything to lose.
Though rebounding from a 3-1 series deficit in the Fall Classic is a tall, tall order, it is not unprecedented. Just ask any Orioles fan who can remember the 1979 World Series, when the O's thought they had the Pittsburgh Pirates all wrapped up and ended up having to watch Willie Stargell and Co. rocking to Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" after Game 7.
The Phillies have to feel good right now, but they really don't want to go back to Tropicana Field, where the Rays have done some amazing things this year. If Tampa Bay can sneak out of Philly with a win tonight, things could get interesting again in a hurry.
Of course, that would require a couple of things to happen. Rays starter Scott Kazmir has to deliver another strong postseason performance and the middle of the Rays lineup -- particularly Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria -- have to wake up. Simple as that.
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Comments
Yes Pete....it is over.
The Phillies owned them last night, and have shown they are the better team - thus far. Can you say 'wow' about Blanton? Way to go Ray's...allow a pitcher to go deep on you in the World Series. I believe the pitcher may have PTSD after that one. Look for Philly to close it out with thier MVP tonight. The Ray's should have not let the Phillies' bats wake up if they wanted the trophy. The Phillies offense is superior to the Ray's....and now they all of sudden can hit. Not good for your Rays Pete. I like to see a Gillick team make it like this. If only he still worked for the O's.....who knows?....
Dreaming....sorry.
O' by the way...it is over.
Posted by: Jami | October 27, 2008 10:47 AM
Pittsburgh did it in 1971 against the Os as well.
Posted by: Rusty | October 27, 2008 12:39 PM
Pete--No thanks, I'll pass on the Kool Aid. The pressure isn't on the Phillies nearly as much as the Rays It's not the home team's back that is against the wall. It's not the home team that looked overmatched last night. It's not the home team that must face a starter who has already beaten them.
For Tampa Bay's lineup to wake up, it's will need to do so against Game One winner Cole Hamels--no easy task. If he's on his game, then Kazmir must match him pitch for pitch; he'll need to have a start like the one he had in Game 5 of the ALCS. But there's much more pressure on Kazmir than Hamels: Philadelphia's hurler knows his team still has two chances even if they lose tonight (and they've already won one at the Trop), while for the Ray's ace there is no margin of error.
And exactly the same holds true for the teams, in general. I think ultimately the reason I like Phillies to win the Series (likely closing it out tonight) is that while it's true the Rays have shown resilience in winning the tough AL East, this is the first time they've been in a postseason and it looks like they've run out of gas, while the Phillies have been together longer and have finished first or second in the NL East over the past four seasons under Charlie Manuel. Also, because their bats have come alive, especially the notoriously streaky Ryan Howard (if I'm the Rays, he doesn't see many good pitches tonight).
Scott Kazmir Fun Facts: According to Kazmir's Wikipedia page, "In High School, he had four consecutive no-hitters. While going for his fifth [straight] he gave up a hit with two out in the seventh inning. After this, he finished the game, and subsequently pitched two more consecutive no-hitters." Kazmir broke Josh Becket's Teas high school record for strikeouts in a season (175).
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Pete's reply: Not looking good right now. I have to admit. Good info on Kazmir.
Posted by: Ken Francis | October 27, 2008 12:50 PM
Actually, Rusty, in 1971 the O's won the first two, lost the next three, won game six in extra innings, then lost 2-1 in game seven.
Posted by: Jeff | October 27, 2008 4:26 PM
Watching the 5th game of the WS - it being played in absurd conditions - this isn't one game out of 162 where the impact is small - its 1 of 7 and its on a muddy track.
Although, I am a baseball fan, even I am not that interested this late in the year. Home Depot has the Christmas stuff out with music, The NFL is almost halfway thru its season.
Can we stop this madness and play the world series the first week in October?
For most cities the games are not important in September and the revenue loss would be tolerable (I would think) - You might even interest the players in reducing salaries a bit if they had more free time since they are rich.
Posted by: Larry-ORF | October 27, 2008 10:43 PM