Stairs pushes Phillies to cusp of Series berth
Jeremy Sandler, National Post Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
REUTERS/Mike BlakePhiladelphia Phillies' Matt Stairs hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning in Game 4 of Major League Baseball's NLCS playoff series in Los Angeles on Monday
LOS ANGELES -- Matt Stairs is not about to let putting his team on the brink of its first World Series since 1993 change him from being anything but a working class everyman type of ballplayer.
"Jimmy, Jimmy, I'll move over here," he said, vainly trying to keep his Phillies teammate and clubhouse neighbour Jimmy Rollins from being evicted from his locker by the massive clutch of reporters waiting to hear from Philadelphia's Game 4 hero.
The 40-year-old St. John, N.B. native earned his audience with a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning that gave his team a come-from-behind 7-5 win in Game Four and a 3-1 stranglehold in the best-of-seven series.
"As a little kid you think about getting in that situation," said Stairs, who claimed to have discussed with his wife the very topic of hitting a game-winning home run. "I got a pitch to hit and I was very fortunate to barrel it and get it out of the ballpark."
What Stairs called the biggest hit of his career never would have been possible if the Toronto Blue Jays did not decide at the end of August that he would not help their playoff aspirations this year or in the future.
"God knows I'm not getting any younger," said Stairs who joined the Phillies in a trade after being placed on waivers. "They gave me an opportunity to come here and that's something that I've enjoyed and I'm very happy that it happened."
Thanks to Stairs and a Dodgers bullpen that gave up five runs in four inning, the Phillies will head into Game 5 on Wednesday looking to wrap up the National League Championship Series behind ace Cole Hamels.
Stairs' home run provided a fitting end for a game that saw the two best regular season bullpens in the National League take turns trying to hand the game away.
Not until Phillies closer Brad Lidge entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth did either relief corps manage to hold a lead.
"I don't care if we're down 10 runs," said Lidge. "We believe we're going to catch up and go ahead."
The right-hander, who went 41 for 41 in save opportunities in the regular season, once again found rough going while converting his fifth consecutive save opportunity off the playoffs.
Manny Ramirez lined an opposite field double off Lidge and Montrealer Russell Martin reached first after striking out to give the Dodgers runners on the corners.
But Lidge retired James Loney on a fly ball to left to end the inning before retiring the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth.
Before Stairs took Broxton's 3-1 pitch over the wall in left, Philadelphia's Shane Victorino tied the game 5-5 with his own two-run home run off Dodgers reliever Cory Wade.
Philadelphia's four-run eighth erased the 5-3 lead L.A. built in the bottom of the sixth on Casey Blake's solo home run off Chad Durbin and Ryan Howard's throwing error.
Howard scored on a Chan Ho Park wild pitch to tie the game 3-3 in the top of the inning.
The Phillies had two runners on with two out when Andre Ethier's sliding catch of pinch hitter So Taguchi's dying quail held the Phillies to a lone run.
Ethier's catch loomed even larger when Blake's home run put L.A. up 4-3. Howard then threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt by Rafael Furcal to let another run score and give the home side a 5-3 lead.
Furcal running right through third base coach Larry Bowa's stop sign helped power the Dodgers to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
The Dodgers hitter led off the inning with a walk and took second on Ethier's single before Ramirez rewarded a raucous Dodger Stadium crowd with a single to left.
Furcal ignoring Bowa tied the game 2-2 and let Ramirez extend to eight his record for consecutive LCS games with at least one RBI.
Ethier and Ramirez each advanced a base on Pat Burrell's throw home, with Ethier scoring on a Martin ground out to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Derek Lowe started on three days rest for Los Angeles and gave up five hits and two runs before getting pulled after just five innings and 74 pitches.
Each of Philadelphia's first three batters stroked hits off Lowe, with Chase Utley's RBI double putting the visitors ahead 1-0 with runners on second and third and no outs.
A Howard ground out gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead that L.A. trimmed to 2-1 on Loney's RBI double off Phillies starter Joe Blanton in the bottom of the first.
Blanton ended up giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings before being pulled from the game.