Amaro did not know that Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Brad Lidge would lead the Phils to defeat Colorado, 5-4, clinching a strange and intense National League division series in four games and earning the right to play the Los Angeles Dodgers for a World Series berth. His team had led all evening on the strength of a Cliff Lee gem, but Ryan Madson blew the save in the eighth.

When that happened, Amaro began to think about the next game. Had he been in the dugout in the top of the ninth, he might have felt differently.

When the players jogged in to begin their final at-bats, they expected victory. "I came off the field, and I thought we were going to win this game," said Jayson Werth. "Everyone was calm. . . . We knew what we had to do and we did it."

"We have belief," said Rollins. "And belief goes further than momentum."

After Greg Dobbs struck out, Rollins singled. When the Phillies' offense rolls, the shortstop is often the leader, and he fulfilled that role at a crucial time. "I like it," he said. "You have to. On this team, everybody has to play a part, and that's my role. Sometimes, I'm real good at it. Other times, I'm not. The last couple nights, I have been able to get a spark going."

Shane Victorino reached base on a fielder's choice that erased Rollins, and Chase Utley walked. That brought up Howard, whom manager Charlie Manuel calls "The Big Piece."

If Rollins' role is to ignite, Howard's is to provide power when it is needed most. He tied the game with a double to deep right. "You have to want to be in that moment, yeah," said a grinning Howard, a cigar hanging from his mouth. "With the game on the line, I like to be in that moment."

Werth singled to drive in the go-ahead run, but the Rockies nearly came back in the bottom of the inning. Scott Eyre, who sprained his ankle Sunday, got the first two outs of the ninth but allowed two baserunners.

With Troy Tulowitzki due up, manager Charlie Manuel called for Lidge. The closer's tortured season is well-known to everyone in baseball, but his manager never ceased believing in Lidge's ability.

A Colorado native, Lidge trotted in to pitch in front of more than 20 friends and relatives, and about 50,000 hopeful Rockies fans. He struck out Tulowitzki on five pitches, the last one a failed check swing. The closer pumped his fists, screamed, and embraced catcher Carlos Ruiz.

"This one is pretty special," Lidge said, when asked to compare this postseason triumph to others. "Not that last year's division series wasn't . . . but to do it two nights in a row, being in front of the home crowd, that was pretty special."

While his teammates screamed and sprayed beer on one another - and Brett Myers stalked the room with ice buckets, delivering frigid showers - Ruiz spoke quietly about Lidge.

"I really feel it's the Brad Lidge from last year," he said, twisting his face to imitate Lidge's fierce mound stare. "He was so confident on the mound. Now we're pitching. We tried to force it before, but now it's like . . ." After searching for the perfect word, the catcher just snapped his fingers and smiled.

The game moved Amaro, who was sitting next to his brother David. Though they had nearly lost hope during the eighth, the Amaros watched the ninth-inning comeback with wild enthusiasm.

When Lidge sealed the series, Ruben and David Amaro embraced. "It felt like we were hugging for five minutes," Ruben said. "My brother and I are very close. This was special."

Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.