All I can say after that game is "Whew".

Good thing the crucial outs needed were in the eighth.

It's the Phillies' 104th win of 2011, regular season plus postseason. That's a team record.

Q: Why not double-switch and bring in Ibanez with Madson, batting Madson in Francisco's slot, so that Madson wouldn't have had to bat in the 9th?

Phew.

Err, Mayberry's slot.

Thanks for the free baserunner, Tony!

Why not double-switch and bring in Ibanez with Madson, batting Madson in Francisco's slot, so that Madson wouldn't have had to bat in the 9th?

Maybe Manuel doesn't like Ibanez's defense.

The IBB to face a pinch-hitter was the killer. TLR got out-managed.

1, Agreed.

I don't know about you guys, but that was really, really, really top notch playoff baseball.

Also, St. Louis kept on hitting dinks right out of the range of or just precisely positioned between Philly outfielders, and yet when the Phillies hit similar balls, there was always a St. Louis player making a gorgeous play.

Good thing Francisco hit that HR.

I asked this in the chatter, but maybe someone with mad p-i skilz can get the answer:

Has a team ever won a postseason game before tonight in which all their scoring came on a pinch-hit home run?

#9, well said. I can't think of a game where I squirmed so much when my team never trailed.

Has a team ever won a postseason game before tonight in which all their scoring came on a pinch-hit home run?

No.

I believe Hinke's home run last year was the only other game where all of the team's runs scored on a pinch-hit home run.

Err, Mayberry's slot.

Mayberry led off the ninth, so that wouldn't have worked. I'm not an expert on the Phillies' roster, but I'm not seeing a really good double-switch option for Manuel there.

#8 I thought the key decision was LaRussa's choice not to pinch hit for Garcia. Such a high leverage situation and a pitcher that you couldn't reasonably expect a whole lot more from.

It annoyed me that the commentators didn't even discuss pinch-hitting there.

It annoyed me that the commentators didn't even discuss pinch-hitting there.

I don't see any reason to pinch hit for jaime there. He was only at about 70 pitches, wasn't missing spots, hadn't lost velocity, and it's not like Ben Francisco is some kind of lefty masher. He's a defensive replacement who plays in a pitcher's park, who's had a reverse platoon split in 2 of the last 3 years (and marginal the year before that), and he's hitting in a pitcher's park that favors lefties. I chalk that HR mostly up to Ol Abner.

But the walking of Ruiz was really frustrating, in that it was a bad move, both strategically AND tactically, and between that and yadi uncharacteristically just plain not catching a pitch, allowing a guy to go to second, seemed to shake Jaime up.

Thought the key decision was LaRussa's choice not to pinch hit for Garcia. Such a high leverage situation and a pitcher that you couldn't reasonably expect a whole lot more from.

I thought so too at the time. Whether he has thrown 70 pitches or 90 pitches is irrelevant. Each game is so crucial, you can't throw away a scoring opportunity at that point.

And walking Ruiz was too stupid for words.

#16 I think you're missing the point. I wouldn't advocate pinch-hitting because Garcia was obviously done -- I don't claim to have foreseen the following inning (though that kind of failure isn't uncommon -- Garcia is not an elite pitcher). But any time the score is tied with two runners on and you've got 6 innings from the starter it's going to be a net gain of runs by pinch-hitting.

Even when the pitcher has been very effective and efficient.

The exception would be a good hitting pitcher, but Garcia doesn't qualify.

EDIT: In case it's not clear, I'm not advcating hitting for Garcia to get him out of the game, but to increase the chance of scoring (and potentially scoring multiple runs)

I thought TLR should have pinch-hit, too. The difference in projection between Garcia his third time through the order and the Cardinals bullpen arms their first time should be pretty minor, and the difference between having a hitter up with runners on and two out, and having an automatic out up with two outs and runners on is pretty significant.

The Cardinals should have gone to Holliday.

I really enjoyed this game this morning, I was not used to a game being that quick though!

And walking Ruiz was too stupid for words.

This

And walking Ruiz was too stupid for words.
This

It was pitching around Posada that was the beginning of Detroit losing the other night as well.

Back during Rocktober, in the LCS against the Diamondbacks, Clint Hurdle pinch-hit for his starting pitcher, Franklin Morales, in a similar situation: two outs, two on, with the Rockies down 1-0. But that was in the bottom of the fourth. I loved that move. Seth Smith hit a two-run double, and the Rockies won easily.

Q: Why not double-switch and bring in Ibanez with Madson, batting Madson in Francisco's slot, so that Madson wouldn't have had to bat in the 9th?

strategery is not exactly charlie's best asset as a manager.

The IBB to face a pinch-hitter was the killer. TLR got out-managed.

i wouldn't say that. i wouldn't argue that TLR out-managed himself, but i don't think charlie did anything to gain a great edge in that area.

He's a defensive replacement

If you have seen BenFran play the OF very often, you would not have typed that. He's pretty much an offensive-oriented 4th OF at this point who had a bad offensive year and has been relegated to the 2nd RH PH off the bench when Mayberry doesn't start.

i wouldn't say that. i wouldn't argue that TLR out-managed himself, but i don't think charlie did anything to gain a great edge in that area.

First, do no harm. He got out-managed.

First, do no harm.

brad lidge.

also, there's this, from phillies beatwriter todd zolecki:

Francisco hit because Cardinals manager Tony La Russa intentionally walked Carlos Ruiz to face him. Since 2000, there have been five lead-changing postseason home runs following an intentional walk.

La Russa has been victim of three of them:

* San Francisco’s Benito Santiago in Game 4 of the 2002 NLCS. He intentionally walked Barry Bonds.
* Houston’s Jeff Kent in Game 5 of the 2004 NLCS. He intentionally walked Lance Berkman.
* Francisco in Game 2 of the 2011 NLDS. He intentionally walked Ruiz.

* San Francisco’s Benito Santiago in Game 4 of the 2002 NLCS. He intentionally walked Barry Bonds.

This one, at least, was probably a good idea.