Game 161 - Tuesday Night, September 27th in Atlanta
One Sentence Summary: The Phillies won easily over the reeling Braves, tying a franchise record with their 101st win of the season.
What It Means: 1976, 1977, 2011. For the third time in franchise history, the Phillies have won 101 games. I'm hopeful the Phillies get a little further into the postseason than the 1976 and 1977 teams did.
What Went Right: Roy Oswalt (9-10) looked sharp, pitching six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out four.
The bats also looked ready for the play-offs, as Jimmy Rollins enjoyed another three-hit night and Hunter Pence drove in three runs. Rollins (16), Pence (22 - and his 10th with the Phillies) and Chase Utley (11) all homered in the winning cause.
The win was the 645th of manager Charlie Manuel's Phillies tenure, tying him with Gene Mauch on the Phillies all-time list.
Featured Card: Rollins is hitting .579 (11 for 19) in his last four games and he could conceivably appear in his last regular season game with the Phillies tonight. Utley and Rollins have been turning double plays together since 2003 (since 2005 on a regular basis), so this could truly mark the end of an era. Rollins is a free agent following the season, and reports today indicate he's seeking a five-year deal. As much as I want Rollins back in the fold in 2012, 2013 and perhaps even 2014, I can't see him playing at his current level beyond that.
Here's hoping the two sides can work out something reasonable for at least the next two to three years. (I'd hate to see him playing for the Giants.)
I find it interesting that the press is reporting that Mauch and Manuel are now tied at 645 wins. When I check baseball-reference.com, they show Mauch has having 646, meaning that Manuel still needs to win one more to tie him.
ReplyDeleteHmm. The Sox could use a shortstop.
ReplyDelete