World Series Game 5 Live Blog -- Take II

So here we go as the Phillies will take their second stab at closing out Game 5 of the 2008 World Series and capturing their first world title in 28 years, and the first championship in any of the four major sports in the last 25. Action will resume in this restart of the suspended Game 5 from Monday night in the bottom of the 6th inning, nobody out, nobody on, with the pitcher's spot due up first, sure to be a pinch hitter, followed by the top of the order for the Phillies. The score begins at 2-2 in what essentially amounts to a nearly sudden death do-or-die matchup between the Phillies and the Rays.

World Series Game 5 -- Live Blog (Take II)

8:37pm ET - So apparently Ryan Madson will be "starting" as the Phillies' pitcher when the 7th inning begins at the top of the next inning. I like that decision. I would pitch Madson in the 7th and 8th, and Lidge in the 9th assuming we can amass a lead before that time. Interestingly, Madson, being a creature of habit, decided to go out and sit in the bullpen and warm up, and he asked Phillies coach Charlie Manuel to just ring him in the 'pen for his 7th inning appearance. Just like always. I like it.

8:44pm ET - Leadoff pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins just smoked Grant Balfour's 6th pitch to the center field wall for a leadoff double. The fans are going nuts. Leadoff hitter and last year's MVP Jimmy Rollins followed up with the best suicide bunt you could do, easily moving Jenkins to third base and getting him in position to score on any fly ball from Jayson Werth coming up next.

8:47pm ET - Jayson Werth did it!! He popped a short fly to shallow center, too shallow for the center fielder and just a shade too deep for the 2nd baseman, who tried in vain to make the even-hard-in-football over the shoulder catch but could not hold on. Werth is safe on first and Jenkins is in to score. 3-2 Phils and still one out in the bottom of the 6th. Utley coming up.

8:55pm ET - After Jenkins scored the go-ahead run, Rays pitcher Grant Balfour is out, smashing his hat in the visiting dugout, and JP Howell is the new pitcher in to face Chase Utley with one on and one out. Utley struck out on three pitches, not even really coming close on strike three. This brings up slugger Ryan Howard. On the first pitch, Werth was picked off trying to steal second, but he somehow still managed to slide in there safely. Howard pops out to left on the next pitch, ending the inning and leaving the Phillies with a 3-2 lead through six innings. Three innings of Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge to go until the unthinkable....

9:00pm ET - The Rays once again come up to bat for the first time, already down a run having given up yet another "first" inning run to the Phillies, which makes 4 1/2 out of 5 1/2 games of this series where the Phils have scored in the opening frame. Moreover, Cole Hamels now is set to be the winner of this game after all if the Phillies do not give up this lead, since Hamels is the pitcher of record for the 6th inning of this game from Monday night, which would make him the first pitcher in baseball history to go 5-0 as a starter in a single postseason. Madson easily strikes out Dioner Navarro on 4 pitches to start the 7th. But then Rays right fielder Rocco Baldelli promptly parks the first pitch from Madson over the left field wall, and we're tied up at 3.

9:04pm ET - Bartlett roped a single to left field also on the first pitch from Madson, and pitcher JP Howell laid down a nice sacrifice bunt to move the runner into scoring position and make the 2nd out of the inning. Ryan Madson is out, JC Romero coming in to face Rays leadoff hitter Akinori Iwamura.

9:07pm ET - Chase Utley just made an incredible play in the field, one that would be regarded as one of the greatest plays of all time if it was Derek Jeter out there instead of Utley. Iwamura grounded a ball softly dead up the middle of the infield, and Chase extended himself fully to even reach the ball and stop it from leaving the infield. Utley did not have a play at first given where the ball was placed, but he faked like he was throwing to first while still actually holding on to the ball. The fake worked perfectly, with Bartlett seeing Utley move towards first and immediately rounding third and heading home. Utley threw off-balance to home plate and nailed Bartlett by about 8 feet, with a nice tag clearly being laid by catched Carlos Ruiz to end the top of the 7th with the teams tied 3-3.

9:16pm ET - Pat Burrell, 0-for-13 so far in the World Series, leads off the bottom of the 7th by crushing a ball to dead center off the tippy top of the wall, cruising easily into second with a standup double. Burrell completely smashed this ball, a hit that would likely be a home run most nights in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park if not for the wind still whipping all around the field on the night. Burrell's first hit of the series is also his last, as he is pulled for a pinch runner since he is after all the slowest mofo on the field. Rays pitcher JP Howell is out and Chad Bradford is in to face the Flyin' Hawaiin Shane Victorino. Once again, it's a man on second and nobody out for the Phillies, as the Rays simply cannot stop the offensive onslaught from the best lineup in baseball.

9:20pm ET - Victorino came up to bunt the runner over to third base, but twice he looked horrible like almost everyone in the entire postseason on every team has looked when trying to lay down bunts in key spots. Nonetheless, Victornio hits the next pitch bounding down the first base line, pulling the ball and easily moving the runner to third, getting his job done and bringing up third baseman Pedro Feliz in a huge spot for the team with a runner on third and one out. Feliz comes through with his second huge hit in this World Series, putting the second pitch from Bradford right up the middle and bringing pinch runner Eric Bruntlett in for the 4-3 lead!!

9:24pm ET - Carlos Ruiz looked bad on two pitches before smoking another liner right up the middle that Iwamura made an amazing play even getting to, letting alone flipping to second for the force on the fielders' choice. JC Romero then hits in his spot in the lineup, also grounding to second to end the inning, but preserving the Phils' ability to pitch Romero to the meat of the Rays' lineup in the top of the 8th with Madson already gone from the game. The plan of course will be for Romero to do the job on the "big" Rays hitters in the 8th, and then bring in Mr. Perfect Brad Lidge for the 9th to close the shit out for the hometown fans. Phillies 4, Rays 3 through 7 innings in Philadelphia!!

9:30pm ET - JC Romero pitches Carl Crawford to a full count before giving up a line drive single, but speedster BJ Upton quickly grounds into a huge double play to bring up Carlos Pena with nobody on and two outs. Huge, huge play for the Phillies.

9:33pm ET - Romero falls behind Carlos Pena 3-0 before finally putting one over the plate, and then Pena flies out on the fifth pitch lazily to left, where Bruntlett waits to make the final out of the top of the 8th inning. Phillies coming up to bat, up 4-3, with Mr. Perfect set to pitch to the 5-6-7 batters -- including rookie slugger Evan Longoria -- for the win in the 9th. Three defensive outs away from bringing the championship back to the city of Philadelphia!!

9:45pm ET - 23-year-old Rays fireballer David Price is out to pitch the bottom of the 8th in what I think his only his second appearance in this entire series. Rollins flies out deep to left to start off the inning, followed by Jayson Werth being called out on a horribly low pitch way outside of the strike zone that Tim ShitCarver and Joe Fuck must have just forgotten to make a peep about. Chase Utley took three balls before watching strike one, swinging through strike two and then walking on the 6th pitch of the at-bat, bringing up Ryan Howard with two outs and a runner on first base. Howard's first pitch is called a strike despite being about a full foot above the strike zone, and Utley gets a huge jump and steals second with the count 3-1 before Howard swings through srike two to take it to 3-2. Howard then swings through another one to end the 8th. Phillies are leading 4-3. Three more outs from Mr. Lidge and the world championship is ours!

9:50pm ET - Mr. Perfect Time. This is so much better than in the last Phillies' World Series appearance in 1993 when this was time for Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams. Longoria is first. First pitch: strike. Second pitch: foul. Then a couple of balls and another foul to make it 2-2. Then he pops it up to Utley for the first out. Two more to go!!

9:52pm ET - Dioner Navarro is the next batter. Strike 1 and strike 2. Lidge is on, once again. But then Navarro shatters his bat in a liner to right field, puting him on first base and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. It's never easy with Philly is it.

9:54pm ET - Baldelli, who homered in his last at-bat, is scheduled to be the next batter with the tying run on first, but Rays coach Joe Maddon decides to pinch hit for him with Ben Zobrist instead. First pitch: strike. Second pitch is high and outside. Third pitch is another ball while pinch runner Perez steals second. Now the Rays have a runner in scoring position with one out and ahead in the count 2-1.

9:55pm ET - Zobrist lines out to right field. One out away from the World Series!!! It's coming down to the wire in Philly. Eric Hinske coming in to pinch hit with two down in the 9th inning. Holy shit!!

9:57pm ET - 0-2 on Hinske!!!

9:58pm ET - Phillies win!! Phillies win!! Phillies win!! Phillies win!! Phillies win!! Phillies win!! Phillies win!!