Historic Victory

ATLANTA - The Phillies crossed the regular-season finish line against desperate Atlanta Wednesday night at Turner Field. Yet throughout the most highly anticipated season in their 129-year history, their prevailing feeling has been this would be the night when things were just getting started.

The trek toward their stated goal of winning the World Series begins Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the National League division series at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies helped lift the Cardinals into the postseason with a 4-3 win over Atlanta in 13 innings, ruining the Braves' hopes of a one-game playoff for the wild card after St. Louis routed Houston, 8-0.

The Phillies may have done themselves no favor. The Cardinals were one of two NL teams to take the season series from the Phils, winning six of nine games. The Game 1 pitching matchup will likely be Roy Halladay against Jaime Garcia.

Since opening day, there has been an all-or-nothing atmosphere surrounding a team with the most dominant starting rotation in the game, and the Phillies will not consider the year a success unless they hoist another World Series championship flag.

In playing the role of killjoy against the Braves, the Phillies accomplished two milestones. They set a club record with 102 wins, breaking the 101 wins of the 1976 and '77 teams.

And Charlie Manuel broke Gene Mauch's career record to become the winningest manager in club history with 646 victories.

Hunter Pence drove home Brian Schneider by flaring a single to short right field with two out in the 13th inning.

The Phillies made it an angst-filled game for the Braves, who held a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth with hard-throwing closer Craig Kimbrel going for his 47th save. But Kimbrel unraveled. He walked three batters before Chase Utley sent the game into extra innings with a sacrifice fly that scored pinch-runner Pete Orr, and a long night ensued.

After 161 games, the Phillies began the game uncertain of their first-round opponent. The uncertainty could have extended into late Thursday night if the Braves and Cardinals finished in a tie for the wild-card spot, a scenario that would have left Arizona in the mix.

The various compilations were spinning through Manuel's head as he reflected on one of the most successful regular seasons in the 129-year history of the Phillies prior to the game.

"It's been exciting. It's been a good trip, but we haven't finished the journey," he said. "We have a little ways to go yet. But a lot of good things happened. I'll remember our starting pitching, and also I'll remember how [Antonio] Bastardo and [Michael] Stutes stepped up and became big pieces in our bullpen after [Ryan] Madson and [Jose] Contreras got hurt. And you can't forget [Vance] Worley, too."

While the Phillies were fine-tuning their pitchers for the postseason, the Braves played with their eyes cast toward the scoreboard high above left field, checking for updates on the Cardinals-Astros game, which began an hour later. The pressure on them to win increased when St. Louis put up five runs in the first inning and their task was made clear when the final score was posted as their game against the stubborn Phillies lurched into extra innings.

Fighting for a spot on the 25-man playoff roster, righthander Joe Blanton pitched the first two innings and gave up a run, but he showed an effective fastball and struck out four Braves. He threw 29 pitches, the most since he returned Sept. 12 after spending most of the season on the disabled list with elbow inflammation. In all, he's pitched seven innings in five appearances and given up two runs and seven hits.

Cole Hamels, expected to be the Game 3 starter in the NLDS, got in a three-inning workout and gave up a two-run homer to Dan Uggla that gave the Braves a 3-1 lead in the third.

The Phillies used nine pitchers. Justin De Fratus, a late-season call-up from triple-A Lehigh Valley, picked up his first win in the big leagues.