PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #112
2005 Philadelphia Phillies (88-74) vs 1971 Atlanta Braves (82-80)
Coming into their own and building up to being a champion, Charlie Manuel knew the 2005 Phillies were just a few pieces away and their 88 win second place finish was justification. Stars in the infield anchored the team as Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins became stars at their positions. Utley drove in 105 runs and Rollins scored 115 times while the second baseman lead the team in WAR and managed 28 home runs. Rollins stole 41 bases with 11 triples and a .290 average while his glove saved plenty of hits. Ryan Howard was a beast in the middle of the order but was hurt this season and only played in 88 games slugging .567 but 34 year old Jim Thome spelled him for a good part of the year hitting only .207. Kenny Lofton was ageless in center at 38 years old hitting .335 in 110 games while contact driven Bobby Abreu drove in 102 runs with a .402 OBP to continue his impressive Phillies career. David Bell struggled at third base with only 10 home runs and a .248 average in addition to his spotty glove work. Mike Lieberthal was a good overall catcher who brought some pop to the pate for the position. Finally Pat Burrell put together an impressive 2005 with team leading 32 home runs and 117 RBI and he slugged .504 despite striking out 160 times. Jason Michaels and Placido Polanco were part of a good core of bench players that could provide a boost in this series. Billy Wagner saved 38 games and was still in his prime as a closer with an 1.51 ERA and 10.1 K per 9. The Phillies rotation was a bit thin and bumpy as 35 year old Jon Lieber logged 218 innings with a 4.40 ERA and 33 home runs allowed. Brett Myers went 13-8 with a decent 3.72 ERA striking out 208 batters at a decent clip and at times he was the most dependable arm. Cory Lidle and Vincente Padilla gave less then what was hoped for as the rotation begins to get thin the deeper you cut. Lidle at 33, had a 1.35 WHIP while Padilla was hit hard for a 5.24 FIP and some ugly outings. Randy Wolf was a good 5th man option starting in 13 games with am average 101 ERA+. Aaron Fultz was a decent setup man from the left side while Ryan Madson and Ugueth Urbina were hot and cold depending on the day and the matchup. Robert Tejada at 23 year sold made 13 starts with an 124 ERA+. The success for the Phillies in this series may well depend on their pitching as the talent in the lineup should create runs and smash some extra base hits. These Phillies remain good but not yet great.
The 1971 Braves were hanging on to respectability as their aging superstar was still finding a way to produce at the age of 37. Hank Aaron was well on his way to eclipsing Babe Ruth as he hit 47 home runs and drove in 117 runs while hitting .327 in what was truly a magnificent season. The Hammer struck out only 57 times and had a 196 OPS+ to really show that for him age really was just a number. Catcher Earl Williams had a huge season of his own hitting 33 home runs from the position with an .815 OPS, numbers that were unheard of for catchers. The club proved its commitment to 24 year old third baseman Darrell Evans despite him only playing in 89 games and hitting .242; Zoillo Versalles spelled him as a more dependable option. Felix Millan and Marty Perez were similar players up the middle with little pop but hardnosed and good on defense combining for only 6 home runs and 35 doubles between them. Ralph Garr was a star of his own in the outfield, he hit .343 with 30 steals and was literally everywhere on the field. Garr was also an accomplished bunter and scored 101 runs. Centerfielder Sonny Jackson was a major lightweight at the plate but did his job in centerfield for the most part. The rightfielder Mike Lum hit from the left side and hit 13 longballs but overall slugged only .390. Orlando Cepeda played in over 70 games and would see some time at first when Aaron went to the outfield, the big slugger hit 14 home runs and slugged a healthy .492. Andks brother Tommie and Dusty Baker added more depth but were no where near to playing everyday. Phil Niekro was the ace on the mound throwing 268 innings and winning 15 games on the guile of the knuckler. He had a 3.28 FIP striking out 173 but fo the most part inducing very weak contact. Ron Reed made 32 starts and had a pretty good run at it with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP he kept his team in the games he was called upon. Three pitchers from there made 20 starts or more with Tom Kelly having the best results with a 2.96 ERA and 5 complete games we may see him have a significant role in this matchup. Pat Jarvis and lefty George Stone were just about average but Jarvis lost 14 games and seemed to pitch to alot of hard contact; the two of them combined for an impressive 5 shutouts. Jim Nash made 19 starts but was hit harder then the rest with an ERA close to five and a WHIP of 1.65. Keep in mind Fulton County Stadium wasn't called the Launching Pad for nothing. Cecil Upshaw played the role of closer with 17 saves ahtough he did let a few get away with his 3.51 ERA, The rest of the pen also struggled with Bob Priddy getting the most work and Steve Barber the main weapon from the left side. The Braves did have a 3.75 ERA, but much of that was due to Niekro and his quality work. The Phillies are a good lineup and Atlanta will need to match them and hope they get great performances from a number of average players. Aaron should be the star of this series and a key to the success of the Braves in the series.
Game 1 At Citizens Bank Park
Partly cloudy 52
1971 Braves....................2
2005 Phillies...................10
WP: B. Myers (1-0) LP: P. Niekro (0-1)
HR: E. Williams (1), P. Polanco (1), B. Abreu (1), M. Lieberthal (1)
POG: Brett Myers
2005 Phillies lead series 1-0
With a tense game tied in the 8th, Mike Lieberthal came up with two outs and the bases loaded against Phil Niekro. The Philly catcher sized him up and slammed a grand slam deep over the left field wall to break the game open and send the Phillies on their way to a game one win. Bobby Abreu and Placido Polanco also had homers in the run away win for the home side who made a close game into a laugher.
Game 2 At Citizens Bank Park
Clear 56
1971 Braves......................4
2005 Phillies.....................10
WP: J. Lieber (1-0) LP: P. Jarvis (0-1)
HR: C. Utley 2 (2), M. Lieberthal (2)
POG: Chase Utley
2005 Phillies lead series 2-0
Chase Utley hit a two run home run in the first inning and would later add a three run bomb as once again the Phillies scored 10 runs to pull away and win game two. Mike Lieberthal also hit a two run home run, his second in as many days, as the Braves pitching has been ambushed. Hanry Aaron was walked three times and Jon Lieber pitched seven confident inning to get the win.
Game 3 At Fulton County Stadium
Partly cloudy 63
2005 Phillies.......................7
1971 Braves......................10
WP: T. Kelley (1-0) LP: C. Lidle (0-1) S: R. Reed (1)
HR: P. Burrell (1), M. Lieberthal (3)
POG: Darrell Evans
2005 Phillies lead series 2-1
Darrell Evans had a three run home run in the first inning to get the Atlanta crowd in the mood as the braves opened a 10-2 lead behind Tom Kelley. Kelley was not at his best allowing 10 hits but Evans ended with 5 RBI and the Braves were good enough even as the Phillies made a late rally to get within three in the ninth. Ron Reed was called on to close the door and the win gets the Braves back into the series with a shout.
Game 4 At Fulton County Stadium
Partly cloudy 65
2005 Phillies......................6
1971 Braves......................9
WP: J. Nash (1-0) LP: V. Padilla (0-1)
HR: E. Williams 2 (3), D. Baker (2), H. Aaron (2), P. Burrell (2), R. Howard (1)
POG: Earl Williams
Series tied at 2
The 1971 Braves had 20 hits and hit four home runs including two Earl Williams to tie the series at two. Hank Aaron went 4-4 with a home run of his own and in this high scoring game it was Jim Nash who comes out with the win after working into the 8th inning. Now this tight series becomes a best of three moving to a crucial game five.
Game 5 At Fulton County Stadium
Partly cloudy 57
2005 Phillies........................10
1971 Braves..........................4
WP: B. Myers (2-0) LP: P. Niekro (0-2)
HR: P. Burrell (3), B. Abreu (2), C. Utley (3), O. Cepeda (1)
POG: Chase Utley
2005 Phillies lead series 3-2
A ton of runs have already been scored in the three games in Atlanta and in game five the Phillies put up 10 more to take a crucial edge in the best of seven series. Chase Utley went 2-3 scoring three runs and Pat Burrell hit his 3rd home run of the series with a man on in the first. Henry Aaron is hitting .529 in the series but it hasnt been enough as the Braves ended with only 8 hits in this one against winner Brett Myers and his pen. Back to Citizens Bank Park for the close of the series.
Game 6 At Citizens Bank Park
Clear 46
1971 Braves.....................7
2005 Phillies.....................8
WP: B. Wagner (1-0) LP: C. Upshaw (0-1)
HR: K. Lofton (1), J. Thome (1)
POG: Kenny Lofton
What a game in Philadelphia, a game that Phillies fans will not soon forget. The home Phils had ending this series in their sight with a 5-1 lead behind Jon Leiber heading into the 8th inning. The visiting Braves came alive in a big way scoring 5 runs in the 8th with Mike Lum delivering the big blow with a 2 run double. The visitors added an insurance run in the 9th and were up 2 heading into the bottom of the ninth. This is where baseball becomes great. Facing Cecil Upshaw, Shane Victorino singled to left and Chase Utley drew a walk to bring up pinch hitter Jim Thome. On a 2-2 count, Thome connected for a line drive 367 foot home run that ended the game and the series in a fashion truly deemed for a Hall of Famer.
2005 Philadelphia Phillies Win Series 4 Games To 2
Series MVP:
Pat Burrell
(.476, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .520 OBP, 1.42 OPS)