Wednesday, October 15, 2008

He may word this differently in the future...

LOS ANGELES - Matt Stairs had been waiting for a moment like this.
Funny, but Phillies fans have been waiting for a moment like this, too. It's just that their wait has been a little longer.
Stairs crushed a majestic two-run, pinch-hit home run to right field in the top of the eighth inning last night at Dodger Stadium to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, 7-5. The Phillies lead the best-of-seven series, three games to one, and need just one more victory to play in their first World Series since 1993.
"You've been here for a month and you want to get that one big hit where you really feel like you're part of the team," Stairs said.
"Not that I don't feel like I'm part of the team, but when you get that nice celebration coming in the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys, there's no better feeling than to have that done."
A game-tying two-run home run from Shane Victorino and the two-run moon shot from Stairs in the eighth - along with a big four-out save from Brad Lidge - have the Phillies on the brink.
One more win, folks.
One more.
"We believe we can do it," Lidge said. "All our focus is on winning Game 5. We have Cole on the mound. It's a great opportunity to wrap this up. Winning tonight gives us a huge advantage, especially the way we did it."
Beat the Dodgers tomorrow night in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium - and aren't you just thrilled that manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee stuck with their plan and didn't have Cole Hamels pitch on short rest last night? - and the Phillies can start relaxing and thinking about the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays.

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