Two Different Paths Lead to a NLCS Rematch

Dodgers, Phillies Return to NLCS

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14 -- Jim Thome, on Wednesday, described the essence of his new job by extending his left index finger, a knobby visual aid. One finger stood for everything. For his singular role as a pinch-hitter, and for the last goal of his career. One at-bat at a time, perhaps, Thome can help the Los Angeles Dodgers win a World Series.

"Yes," Thome said, thinking of a ring. "This is as big as it gets."

For most players competing in the National League Championship Series, which begins Thursday at Dodger Stadium, this is a rematch. Last season, the Dodgers played the Phillies. The Phillies won in five. They won the World Series, too. The Dodgers watched. But that's only where the differences began, because the best two teams in the National League mapped their returns to the same point with near-opposite routes. The outcome of this series, as a result, may depend on those who weren't a part of the previous one. The Dodgers, tweaking their roster as 2009 rolled along, added a left-handed reliever, a role-playing middle infielder, a castaway starting pitcher, and a future Hall of Famer who was told mostly to sit on the bench and wait for his one at-bat. The Phillies, meantime, reformed their team not with a series of little moves, but with perhaps the biggest trade deadline acquisition of the year. On July 29, they traded for AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. Their move, too, can be summarized by an index finger: They acquired a No. 1 starter.

The best-of-seven series between these organizations will double as a referendum on their moves of July and August. Lee, who carried Philadelphia down the stretch and through the Round 1 playoff win against Colorado, will start Game 3. Mid-season free agent signee Pedro Martínez could also get a start. For the Dodgers, Thome will get a few at-bats. Ronnie Belliard will start here and there at second base. Vicente Padilla, released in August by Texas, will start Game 2 for the Dodgers. All-star reliever George Sherrill, acquired from Baltimore, will handle key situations against Philadelphia's lefty-heavy lineup.

Asked about the difference between this year's roster and last year's, Los Angeles Manager Joe Torre began with one word, "Experience." He added: "The addition of some experienced people here."

By early summer, Philadelphia and Los Angeles had this much in common: Both knew they were bound for the postseason, so it was only a matter of arriving in the best shape possible. The Dodgers, improving from 84 wins in 2008 to 95 in 2009, had possession of first place for 176 days this year. By June 3, they were already 9 1/2 games up. The Phillies, improving from 92 wins to 93, had possession of first place for 141 days. Entering August, they were ahead by six games.

In the days before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, General Managers Ned Colletti and Ruben Amaro were eyeing the same pitcher. Both engaged in trade talks for Toronto ace Roy Halladay. Both found the asking price too high, and that's when the paths diverged. The Phillies landed the next-best pitcher on the market, perhaps at the expense of their bullpen and their bench depth. (Though they also landed outfielder Ben Francisco in the deal with Cleveland.) The Dodgers ignored fans' howls to acquire a No. 1 pitcher -- they still don't have one -- and instead found the complementary pieces of a winning roster.

"First and foremost, we didn't add by subtracting," said Los Angeles catcher Brad Ausmus, a 17-year veteran. "We didn't give up any key players -- anybody from the nucleus of the team, which teams may have to do to get a Halladay or somebody like that. These moves were great because the guys came right in and fit right in. George Sherrill, he hasn't complained at all about not being a closer. Ronnie Belliard, same way, though he's sort of emerged as a starter now. It's just added to our chemistry."

For Thome, the Aug. 31 trade that sent him from the White Sox to the Dodgers was especially jolting. At the time of the deal, he was Chicago's everyday designated hitter; he had 23 homers. Never before had he dealt with a limited role. But this much he knew: Winning teams need pinch hitters to rise off the bench. Perhaps the most critical at-bat of last year's NLCS was a pinch-hit home run by Philadelphia's Matt Stairs. When Thome arrived in Los Angeles and tried to embrace his new role, he thought of Stairs.

"We're kind of similar," Thome said. "He's a guy that's looking to do one thing, and so am I. It's kind of the same approach. And for me, any good pinch hitter that you can watch you take advantage and watch them. This is neat for me, because in my career I'll be able to look at this and go, okay, I played every day, I've done some nice things. But also I was on the other end of one of the toughest things in baseball -- to be a pinch hitter. So, it's been pretty cool."