Ten years ago this month, the Phillies won their second World Series title in franchise history. Over the next few weeks, Jim Salisbury will look back at team's run through the NLCS and World Series.
As the final out settled into Carlos Ruiz's mitt and the Phillies clinched the NLCS with a 5-1 win over the Dodgers in Game 5, I looked down at the dugout from the press box. Players streamed out to congratulate each other on the field. Manager Charlie Manuel stayed behind and accepted handshakes and hugs from his staff.
October 2008 was the high point of Manuel's career, but it came amidst personal grief. Five days before the Phillies won the NLCS in Dodger Stadium, Manuel's mother, June, died at the age of 87 back in the family's hometown of Buena Vista, Virginia.
Manuel spoke to his mother daily before her passing and she wanted him to stay with his team. He celebrated the Phillies' punching their ticket to the World Series and the next day flew to Virginia for his mother's funeral.
Phillies players adored Manuel because he never complicated things, never got in the way and always had their back. There was a sense of "Let's win this for Chuck," throughout that postseason and it shined brightly in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium.
Mr. Bright Lights himself, James Calvin Rollins, fought back from an 0-2 count and led off the contest with a full-count home run against Chad Billingsley. Later in the game, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell had big hits.
Cole Hamels continued his coming out party with seven innings of one-run ball, giving him a total of 22 innings of three-run ball to that point of the postseason. He was named NLCS series MVP.
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Hamels labored through a 26-pitch seventh inning in Game 5 and his warning light was flashing when Manuel went to the mound to speak with his pitcher with two outs, two men on base and dangerous Jeff Kent coming up in a four-run game. One swing could have made it a much different ballgame. Manuel looked into Hamels' eyes and the 24-year-old lefty convinced the skipper he was OK. With the count 2-2, Hamels reached back for everything he had on his 104th pitch of the night. Kent took a called third strike in what turned out to be the final at-bat of his great career.
The spectacular bullpen duo of Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge finished it off and at age 64, Charlie Manuel was headed to the World Series as manager of Philadelphia Phillies.
After the game, Manuel said he knew his mom was watching from above and he recalled his last conversation with her.
"Charles Jr.," she told him, "you're going to win these games and go to the World Series."
Moms are always right.
