October 28th, 2008.
That is a day that will forever live in the minds of Phillies fans forever.
That is the day that they won the 2008 World Series, following a perfect season in which they won the National League East on the strength of Brad Lidge's 41 saves on 41 opportunities.
So much went into them winning the World Series, these things are usually forgotten. This is what we will be looking at today.
It all started with the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, who, after a slower start to the season, they had recently acquired C.C. Sabathia at the Trade Deadline from the Cleveland Indians. Since the acquisition of Sabathia, the Brewers had a completely different season and they were riding high going into the series against the Phils.
Fast forward to the 2nd Inning of Game 2.
The bases were loaded for Shane Victorino, or, as he is more affectionately known, "The Flyin' Hawaiian" came up and belted a Grand Slam on Sabathia.
What made it so remarkable was the fact that Victorino was not known for his bat, which made the fact that he took one of the most dominant pitchers on the scene at the time deep.
One announcer even said, "The Phillies have slayed the Dragon!"
After making quick work of the Brewers, the Phils went on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
Much like their previous opponent, the Dodgers had their season turned around by the midseason acquisition of Manny Ramirez. They acquired the troubled outfielder from Boston, and he provided an extra pop to a lineup that already included the bats of Matt Kemp and James Loney.
Fast forward to the top of the eighth inning of Game 4, the Phillies had the lead in the series 2-1. The Dodgers had the momentum in Los Angeles and had tied the game at 5-5. In the eighth inning, Matt Stairs, a rarely-used first baseman for the Phillies, came in clutch and pinch--hitting a two-run home run off of Jonathan Broxton, a pitcher who had the reputation of stumping his competition with pitches that came at batters at around 100 mph.
As soon as Stairs hit his home run, the entire Dodgers Stadium fell silent and the Phils went on to win the series the next night.
Going into the World Series, the Phillies were facing the young upstart Tampa Bay Rays, a team that was managed by Hazleton, PA, native Joe Maddon.
The team's crowning achievement, in my opinion, was the 10-2 blowout in Game 4 that featured a Home Run from Phils pitcher Joe Blanton.
The entire postseason was capped off with Brad Lidge striking out Eric Hinske to win the World Series.
As someone who grew up in Suburban Philadelphia, everyone and their mother can remember where they were when the Phils won.
I was with my Mom, who was writing a story for the local newspaper in the local sporting goods store. After Lidge struck out Hinske, within 15 minutes we were like sardines as passionate fans soaked in beer came into the store to get the championship gear.
For the next week, nothing got done in school, people were using the championship as reasons to get out of school for days at a time.
This was the most electrifying time to be alive in the Philadelphia area, and I am glad I was able to live in it.
