Phil Sheridan: Hamels: The stuff of legends
The Phillies won their first postseason game in 15 years today because Cole Hamels had his good stuff.
It was the stuff of legend, the stuff of Carlton and Schilling, the stuff that makes October baseball so special.
His teammates needed every bit of Hamels' brilliance. Game 1 of this year's National League Division Series was frightfully similar to Game 1 of last year's NLDS. The Phillies' usually potent lineup had just four hits against Milwaukee, same as it did against Colorado here last year. The Phillies scored just 3 runs, one more than they scored against the Rockies in Game 1.
The difference was Hamels, the youngest man on the Phillies roster. The 24-year-old lefthander, who took the loss in that Game 1 last year, smothered the Brewers' offense with eight innings of scoreless, nearly flawless work.
Hamels' fastball was accurate and his curveball was beguiling. But it was his changeup, that combination of pitch and optical illusion, that had the Brewers walking back to the dugout shaking their heads in bewilderment.
"He was tremendous," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
He had to be.
It was Willie Stargell who famously described Steve Carlton's best pitch, his slider, as "trying to eat soup with a fork." Hamels' changeup made the Brewers look as if they were using chopsticks.
"That's vintage Cole," said veteran lefthanded pitcher Jamie Moyer. "The way he threw, the way he acted, the way he carried himself on the mound - you just see him maturing before you and becoming more of a pitcher. He's creating his own path."
If Moyers sounds a big like a spirit guide there, it is not by coincidence. The oldest of the Phillies has played a big part in Hamels' maturation process. The two are often seen huddling in the dugout during Hamels' starts, discussing the vagaries of the changeup or the specifics of the upcoming hitters.
It's hard not to think of Obi-Wan and Luke, discussing the ways of the Force.
Moyer, 45, is still pitching effectively at this level because he works harder and smarter than almost anyone else. Combine that influence with Hamels' incredible skill set and, well, you get what a sellout crowd saw at Citizens Bank Park.
"I tried to be as relaxed as I possibly could," Hamels said. "Yet I still wanted to go out there and win just because I knew what it would do for our team. And I think that's something where, from the very first pitch in the first inning, I gave that confidence [to] our players. . . . When we scored [3 runs in the third inning], I think they did have the confidence I wasn't going to allow any more runs."
Hamels retired the first 14 batters before Corey Hart's single in the fifth. Hamels responded by striking out Rickie Weeks to end the inning. He struck out nine overall and allowed just one other hit, a single.
"Cole just took the bull by the horns tonight and went out there and was just in complete command," said closer Brad Lidge. "He set the tone with his demeanor and with his ability. Just watching him was a lot of fun tonight. He was in complete control."
It was the first Phillies' postseason victory since Game 5 of the 1993 World Series, which Curt Schilling won with a brilliant 2-0, complete-game performance.
Hamels' domination of a powerful Milwaukee lineup covered up what would otherwise be some worrisome signs from his teammates.
On a day the Phillies had Mitch Williams throw out the ceremonial first pitch (you may recall he threw out the unceremonial last pitch in 1993), Lidge's ninth inning felt like an homage to the "Wild Thing." Following his tightrope walk in the clinching game Saturday, that made for something to watch closely.
The offense didn't exactly inspire confidence, either. The hitters who said they learned from last year's sweep by the Rockies produced just three unearned runs. The lineup that hit .172 in three games against Colorado hit .148 against Yovani Gallardo and four relievers.
"We might have been trying a little bit too hard," Manuel said in a troubling echo of his mantra from 2007.
With the apparently superhuman CC Sabathia taking the mound for the Brewers today, the Phillies are doubly fortunate that Hamels produced an epic performance.
"Today was a big win," Moyer said. "It's a big win for Cole, but it's a real big win for this club. This is a huge stepping stone for us. Last year, unfortunately, we were three-and-out. We didn't get a taste of what it's like to win in the playoffs."
Hamels gave his teammates a taste of victory yesterday. Fortunately for them, he made it as easy as eating soup with a spoon.
Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844 or psheridan@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/philsheridan.
