Phillies Win Second Straight NL Pennant And Advance To World Series

NFL News - October 22nd, 2009 - Written by Scott

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their second straight NL crown on Wednesday night as they powered themselves past the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 in Game 5 of the NLCS. Their win over the Dodgers gives them the first team to win back-to-back NL pennants since the Atlanta Braves accomplished this feat 13 years ago. The Phillies were backed by four homeruns, two by Jayson Werth, and strong relief pitching to give them a shot at two consecutive World Series titles. Philadelphia skipper Charlie Manuel could not be more proud of his ball club, but realizes that there is still work to be done and they can not always rely on their offensive power.

"A lot of times we win games just because of our power and the fact that we can hit the ball out of the ballpark," Manuel said. "We need to be a little bit more consistent, and I'd say we can be a better hitting team. But right now for the National League, I think we're outstanding."

The Dodgers would get their only lead of the game in the first inning on a solo home run by Andre Ethier. The Phillies quickly responded in their bottom half of the inning on Werth's three-run shot that put Philadelphia ahead 3-1. James Loney would continue the offensive fireworks in the second on his solo home run to bring the Dodgers within 1 run. As in the first inning, the Phillies would answer with another home run from Pedro Feliz to put Philadelphia back up by 2 runs. After a scoreless third inning, the Phillies would add to their lead with two more runs in the fourth to put them ahead 6-2.

Orlando Hudson would add a solo shot for Los Angeles in the fifth, but Shane Victorino and Werth would follow up with homeruns in the 6th and 7th inning to put the Phillies ahead 9-3.

Dodgers' outfielder Manny Ramirez was only 1-3 for the night and Los Angeles fell to the Phillies for the second consecutive year in the NLCS.

"They were better than us," Ramirez said. "You saw what they were capable of doing."

Five relievers for the Phillies pitched well in relief of starter Cole Hamels, who pitched 4 1/3 innings. Hamels allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and Chad Durbin picked up the win by retiring all four batters he faced. Vincente Padilla got the loss for the Dodgers after giving up 6 runs on just 4 hits in 3 innings.

Philadelphia will now wait to see who they will play in the World Series as the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels wrap up the ALCS. The Yankees have a 3-1 lead over the Angels and need just one win to close the series.

Now would be a great time for all you Philly fans to cheer on your team as they make their way to the World Series. Watch the World Series and make it that much more entertaining with MLB Betting. Now is a great time for you to get in on all the baseball action by placing wagers on your favorite MLB teams.

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