The Phillies won the National League East.
This does not compute.
Only the Marlins, Pirates and Reds had higher ERAs among NL teams. Each lost at least 90 games.
And that's the way it's supposed to be.
At least, that's what we've been taught.
So what in the name of Alex Madrid is going on here?
Why has this team been able to defy the accepted laws of baseball gravity to meet the Colorado Rockies today in Game 1 of their National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park?
"That's a good question," said assistant general manager, scouting and player development Mike Arbuckle, with a laugh. "Because there are certain baseball absolutes. 'Win with pitching' is one of them and what we've been able to do this year goes against that.
"To be honest, we were sort of cringing all year. Those of us sitting upstairs were well aware that pitching was a concern, to be polite about it. We were as aware as anybody."
So let's attempt an explanation of how the Phillies have pulled this off.
1The overall numbers may be a little misleading.
That four-seven-three obviously includes all 28 pitchers who appeared in games this year. That skews the stats to an extent since some of those guys, like Freddy Garcia (5.90) and Matt Smith (11.25), disappeared early. Some, like J.D. Durbin (6.06) and Jose Mesa (5.54), were little-used down the stretch.
And some just pitched better than the cold numbers would suggest. Antonio Alfonseca, for example, had a 5.44 ERA . . . but he had eight crucial saves at midseason when Tom Gordon and Brett Myers were hurt. Clay Condrey's was 5.04 . . . but much of that was accumulated in blowouts; when the game was close, he actually pitched well. Subtract four of those and his ERA was 1.62.
"In some cases, even though their overall numbers might not have been what we wanted, we had pitchers who showed the ability to make a pitch in a certain situation."
It's also worth mentioning that if Cole Hamels hadn't missed time with a tender elbow and if Kyle Kendrick and J.C. Romero had been with them all season, the numbers might have been better as well.
2When the season was on the line, manager Charlie Manuel changed the way he used the bullpen. He went to the whip with his top three relievers and Romero, Gordon and Myers responded.
Hamels, Kendrick, Kyle Lohse and Jamie Moyer also came through in crunch time. "The starters stepped up against Atlanta and Washington [the last week] and we really saw what they can do," Myers said.
Noted pitching coach Rich Dubee: "The back end of the bullpen was so consistent down the stretch. It's unfortunate that Freddy Garcia started with a rotator-cuff problem and Jon Lieber got hurt.
"You say 4.73 and of course I'd love it to be 3. But we pitched well when we had to, pitched pretty well down the stretch."
3In the end, the team with the most runs wins.
"We just scored more than the other teams, that's all," joked general manager Pat Gillick.
It's true that the Phillies led the National League in runs scored, and that obviously played a role. But it goes beyond that.
"There's no real depth to the pitching around baseball," Gillick observed. "If you think you have three pretty good starters, you're in good shape. But not many teams do.
"So, consequently, clubs that can hit the three, four and five guys and the middle relief have a good chance to win. Even though our hitters are aggressive, they're also pretty patient at the plate. So a lot of times we can get into the other team's bullpen."
Added Myers: "Our offense carried us the whole year."
Which leads to . . .
4The Phillies led the majors with 48 come-from-behind wins. So even in games when the pitching has given up runs, the lineup was often able to keep pace and stay within striking distance.
5They were able to make it with 89 wins. Sometimes that's good enough, sometimes it isn't. Even Manuel pointed out several times late in the season that if the Phillies' pitching was stronger, they'd have a chance to be one of the best teams in baseball.
Add it all up and the Phillies find themselves in the postseason for just the second time since 1983.
Maybe they didn't get there in the classic, paint-by-numbers baseball way. But they made it. And in the end, that's the bottom line. *
