Phillies Offer Their Opening Statement
Utley, Burrell Go Deep; L.A. Goes Down: Phillies 3, Dodgers 2

By Marc Carig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 10, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 9 -- Chase Utley often works alone, needing only a tee and a prescribed list of drills to prepare himself to hit. It's a routine that has worked so well before -- just look at what he did in the regular season -- so why mess around when it counts?

So, as the star second baseman struggled this postseason, Manager Charlie Manuel and the rest of the Phillies' coaching staff knew better than to meddle. Even when the pressure mounted -- and no town does scrutiny better than Philly -- the Phillies remained hands-off.

The approach paid off Thursday night in Philadelphia's 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of the National League Championship Series, when Utley crushed a two-run homer that changed everything.

Utley, who entered the game 2 for 15 in the playoffs, didn't win the game with his home run off Dodgers starter Derek Lowe. That honor went to teammate Pat Burrell, who, two batters after Utley's blast, roped a liner into the left field seats for the go-ahead run. And later, closer Brad Lidge remained perfect this season, working the ninth inning to nail down the save.

None of it, however, would have been possible had Utley not sent his drive over the out-of-town scoreboard and reenergized a raucous crowd that successfully imparted its will on the game.

"Every team is going to approach you differently, so you try to get a good pitch to hit," said Utley, offering a simple explanation for his game-changing homer.

As the night began, the crowd of 45,839 waved white towels handed out at the gates, following the lead of the Phillie Phanatic, who circled the playing field in a speeding ATV. The decibel levels jumped when Gary Matthews Sr. -- who powered the Philadelphia to an NLCS victory over the Dodgers 25 years ago -- threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Soon, the familiar "Beat L.A." chant rang throughout the park.

But Lowe quieted the crowd.

Until the sixth inning, the only solid hit the Phillies managed came when Lowe, covering first base, got tangled up with Shane Victorino in an awkward moment more appropriate for "Dancing With the Stars." Indeed, Lowe had been cruising along, quashing the Phillies' intimidating lineup with cold efficiency, and he had just delivered another body blow by stifling a two-out rally by the Phillies in the fifth.

The Dodgers provided him with a 2-0 cushion behind Manny Ramírez's RBI double in the first and a Blake DeWitt sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Still, the Phillies caught a break on that first-inning play when Ramírez just missed on a two-run homer to center, when his drive found a strange corner of the outfield known here as the "The Angle."

The quirky nook features a 19-foot fence stationed 409 feet away from home plate. Ramírez's ball struck at 16 feet.

"Luck was on our side," said Victorino, the Phillies center fielder, who couldn't recall seeing another ball hitting that precise spot.

Lowe entered the sixth inning with a shutout intact. He exited after changing the complexion of the game.

Shortstop Rafael Furcal, who has enjoyed a productive postseason despite missing most of the year with a back injury, opened the door to the game-changing inning. When Victorino hit a sharp grounder to short, Furcal's throw sailed beyond the reach of first baseman James Loney.

That brought up Utley, who waiting patiently as Lowe and catcher Russell Martin conferred twice. But in one pitch, Utley spoiled the battery's plans, crushing a middle-of-the-plate mistake into the right field stands.

"The whole outlook of the game changed really fast," Lidge said. "You went from, you could hear crickets to you couldn't hear anything."

After his team staked him to his only lead, Phillies starter Cole Hamels picked up strength, logging another brilliant postseason performance by allowing just the two runs in seven innings.

Hamels ended his night with a flourish, retiring the Dodgers in order.

"The way the team's been playing, I've had the confidence in them," Hamels said. "And knowing that even if I do put them down early, we'll come back because of the fight that we have."