In the Batter's Box

By Matt Godfrey

In my eight years of rowing, I learned that being mentally stronger than your opponent is often as important as being physically stronger.

There was more than one occasion when we were able to beat better boats simply by being mentally tougher.

In the time since I finished rowing, I've come to realize that applies to basically everything in life, not just rowing.

With Monday's win over the New York Yankees, the Phillies are showing that mental toughness applies to the game of baseball as well.

They have shown that for the last three seasons.

The scenario facing the Phils on Monday was pretty daunting, and if you're reading this, then you probably know all about it: Down three games to one. Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, who'd dismantled the Phils earlier in the series, on the mound. Hindered by an offense that, aside from Chase Utley, was almost non-existent.

Add to that the most ominous truth - the Phils were carrying the weight of a three-game losing streak into Monday's game - and things looked bleak.

One more win for the Yankees and a repeat Phillies parade down Broad Street wouldn't be part of the plan.

But something amazing happened on Monday night. Utley and company went out and battered the Yankees' $82.5 million man for six runs over just two innings, causing Burnett's exit and forcing the Yankees to deal with a pretty shaky bullpen the rest of the way.

The Phillies, with the grip of elimination around their throats, did exactly what had to be done to stay alive in this series, and they did it with plenty of mental toughness. This team has shown that it won't quit.

After the win, former Phillie and current baseball analyst John Kruk succinctly broke down how they achieved it. In Burnett's first start of the series, Kruk noted, the Phillies let him get ahead in the count by not swinging at the first pitch, which Burnett was throwing consistently for strikes.

He then relied on his other pitches to put Phils batters in a hole and finish them off.

On Monday night, the Phillies changed their approach to Burnett - setting a more aggressive tone early as the Phils' first three batters jumped on his first pitch. Jimmy Rollins fouled off his pitch from Burnett; Shane Victorino tried to bunt his but the ball slammed into his hand.

Still, the two were on base with no outs.

Utley followed, also swinging at Burnett's first pitch, and he rocketed the ball over the rightfield wall to turn a 1-0 Yankees lead into a 3-1 Phillies lead. The dismantling of A. J. Burnett was underway.

In these situations, it's easy for teams to say the right things. Cliches abound . . . you hear them all the time. We gave it everything we had. We left it all on the field. We dug down deep and gave it our all.

The Phillies didn't need words to describe what they accomplished on Monday; you simply had to look at the scoreboard to know.

And this is nothing new to anyone who has paid attention to these guys over the past few years. Ninth-inning deficits were more a challenge than a problem for them.

During those rowing days, another motto we lived by on the river was to never let a boat hang in during the race; you're only giving those rowers the confidence to beat you.

The Yankees squandered a perfect opportunity, especially late in Monday's game, to finish off the Phillies for their 27th World Series title.

Instead of taking care of business, the Yankees saw their gaudy 3-1 series lead turn into a much tighter 3-2 lead, with the Phillies building momentum.

Now they live to face another elimination game in New York. With the impressive stats and feats that these Phillies have posted over the past two seasons, another cliche comes to mind.

"It ain't over till it's over."

Matt Godfrey can be reached at 215-354-3113 or mgodfrey@phillynews.com