THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Every spring the Phillies assemble in Florida to begin an eight-month journey they hope brings them here.
Now they are one victory away from being World Series champions.
Can you believe it?
The Phillies rocked the Tampa Bay Rays tonight in Game 4 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park, 10-2, to take a commanding lead of three games to one in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Monday night at the Bank and the Phillies have Cole Hamels, who is 4-0 in the postseason, on the mound.
If they win Monday, a 25-year championship drought in the city will mercifully end.
If they win Monday, there will be a parade on Broad Street.
Can you believe it?
The fans at the Bank tonight were treated to the offensive slugfest they had been praying for as the Phils blasted four home runs.
Not that tense baseball isn't fun, but it's nice to breathe easy every once in a while, too.
The Phillies had a 2-1 lead in the fourth when everything broke loose. Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run to left field to make it 5-1. Howard, who had been homerless in 51 at-bats before he hit a solo homer in the sixth inning in Game 3 on Saturday, had homered twice in his last five at-bats.
The fans loved it, and little did they know he wasn't done yet.
Joe Blanton hit a solo home run to left field in the fifth to make it 6-2. He became just the 14th pitcher in World Series history to hit a home run, and the first since Oakland's Ken Holtzman in the 1974 World Series. Blanton is just the second Phillies to homer in the postseason; Steve Carlton hit a three-run homer in Game 4 of the 1978 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But Blanton did much more than hit. He allowed four hits and two runs in six-plus innings to pick up the win. He is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in three starts this postseason, exceeding expectations after he went 4-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 13 starts for the Phillies during the regular season.
Jayson Werth added a two-run homer to left-center field in the eighth inning. He pointed his index finger into the air as he rounded the bases. It was 8-2, and the Rays were cooked.
The fun continued in the inning when Howard hit a two-run homer to left. He became just the second player in Phillies World Series history to have a multi-homer game. Lenny Dykstra hit two homers in Game 4 of the 1993 World Series. Howard's five RBIs also matched a franchise best in the World Series. Milt Thompson had five in Game 4 of the '93 World Series.
With a 10-2 lead in the eighth, the Phils coasted home.
One more, folks.
One more.
Contact staff writer Todd Zolecki at 215-854-4874 or tzolecki@phillynews.com.
Read his blog http://go.philly.com/phillieszone.
