Amidst a season where a pitcher with the same performance as he had in 2010 wouldn't even help, Roy Halladay returned to the field at Citizens Bank Park. It was a bobblehead night for Doc in honor of his career in Philadelphia, and the two-time Cy Young winner threw out the first pitch. Beloved for his perfect game, postseason no-hitter, and undeniable dedication to the game, Halladay has become even more popular in retirement. His Twitter is loaded with hilariously nonsensical blurbs that are always popular with the fans, and his legend continues to grow. The crowd was packed to see Roy throw one last pitch to battery mate Carlos Ruiz, but would the excitement translate to the game? A.J. Burnett sought to make his former teammate's special night more memorable, while Bartolo Colon aimed to play the spoiler role.
The Game: Both pitches came out initially throwing very well, and Burnett and Colon seemed destined to put together a pitcher's duel. However, a costly fourth inning would doom Burnett moving forward. Travis d'Arnaud and Kirk Nieuwenhuis each singled to lead things off in that frame. Next up was Juan Lagares, whose double into right field scored d'Arnaud and moved Nieuwenhuis to third. Wilmer Flores singled to the same part of the field to score the second run. Burnett did manage to get his nemesis Colon out, but could not do the same with Curtis Granderson. Another single scored run number three, and after a visit to the mound, yet another base knock scored a run, the one off of Ryan Howard's glove. After all was said and done, four runs in the inning gave New York the 4-0 lead.
The Mets would get one more run the very next inning, when Travis d'Arnaud hit his eighth home run of the campaign. It took until inning number seven, but the Phillies did finally make it on the scoreboard. It began with Marlon Byrd's 22nd home run of the year to move the game's score to 5-1. Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Philadelphia was in the same scenario they were last night, with a chance to come back from a four run deficit.
Chase Utley would lead off the ninth with a double. After Ryan Howard walked, Terry Collins brought in closer Jenry Mejia to try and shut the door. The first batter he faced, Marlon Byrd, laced a single into right field. It wasn't deep enough to score a run, but did load the bases with nobody out. Grady Sizemore then stood in, and sent a ball deep into right field. Just missing a home run, Sizemore's ball bound 3/4 of the way up the wall for a double. Utley and Howard each scored, and the Phils sat down just two runs. Carlos Ruiz blooped out to Granderson in right field for the first out. Cody Asche then grounded out to first for out number two, but Byrd scored from third for the Phillies fourth run. With Grady Sizemore now at third and two away, it was pinch-hitter Reid Brignac's chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, two straight borderline pitches set Brignac down on strikes, and Mejia secured the save.
Impact: While they nearly had a second straight comeback victory, the Phillies fell to New York 5-4, and continue their slide down the National League East. Ben Revere continued to hit the ball well, collected another pair of hits in the ballgame. Chase Ultey and Marlon Byrd combined for five hits and an RBI. With their ace going tomorrow night, it is vital that the offense strings together some runs earlier in the game.
Up Next: Another celebration of "funner" times in Philadelphia, as Charlie Manuel will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame prior to the game. Following the celebration, Cole Hamels will indeed get the start. He'll be opposed by Dillon Gee in the 7:05 game.
Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com
