As the year comes to a close it’s time to look back at some of the top moments from the Philadelphia Phillies 2010 season. While the team came short of their ultimate goal of winning a World Series championship, there were still several great memories from the past year. It’s time to look back on the top moments of 2010 leading up to the number one memory which will be unveiled on New Years Eve.
#21 Time for the Reserves to Step Up – June 29th
It was a disappointing afternoon for the Philadelphia Phillies as they placed star 2nd baseman Chase Utley on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his thumb and 3rd basemen Placido Polanco on the 15 day DL with an elbow injury. After losing two All Star caliber players for what was expected to be significant time, the Phillies had to look to bounce back quickly in a Tuesday night matchup at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
A lot of teams would have trouble bouncing back from such misfortune. But the Philadelphia Phillies of the past several seasons have thrived on adversity and often play some of their best baseball when their backs are up against the wall.
With Utley, Polanco, and catcher Carlos Ruiz all out of the lineup, the Phillies needed players like Brian Schneider, Wilson Valdez, and Greg Dobbs to elevate their play.
Brian Schneider's 3-run homer was an early statement from the Phils
Schneider made an early statement. After Joe Blanton allowed a first inning run, the Phillies backup catcher stepped into the box with two on and one out in the top of the 2nd. He blasted a first pitch fastball from rookie Mike Leake to deep right field to give the Phillies an early 3-1 lead.
Two innings later, Wilson Valdez came to the plate with runners on 1st and 2nd and one out. Valdez earned a spot on the Phillies roster after being a minor-league invitee to Spring Training. When shortstop Jimmy Rollins went down with an injury early in the season, Valdez made the most of his opportunity and he excelled once again after Utley went on the disabled list. The backup utility player ripped the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field to break the game open and give the Phillies a 6-1 lead.
“Just take it one by one,” said Valdez who finished with a career high 4 RBIs. “It’s kind of tough right now, but we’ve just got to play the right way. I’ll take it but at the same time, it’s bad because we lost two good players. We lost Chase and we lose Polanco. But the game goes on. We have to move forward and win more games.”
The Phillies looked well on their way to a big victory. Holding onto a 6-3 lead with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, closer Brad Lidge was one out away from ending the game. However after walking Brandon Phillips and allowing a base hit to Orlando Cabrera, 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto stepped to the plate representing the tying run. Votto crushed the third pitch his saw to deep CF and just like that, the game was tied 6-6.
It was gut-check time for the Phillies. Cincinnati had all of the momentum. Most teams would have folded. But the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t like most teams.
Raul Ibanez's double off Arthur Rhodes clinched it for the Phillies
All-Star lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes entered the game in the top of the 10th to face Phillies lefties Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. Rhodes had been brilliant throughout 2010. He had a 33 consecutive appearance streak without allowing a run which matched a Major League record. The lefty had only allowed one run on the entire season coming back on April 10th.
“It’s tough man,” said Ryan Howard. “I heard Arthur had a streak going on. He’s kind of tough. We had just given up the home run. They tied it up. All the momentum was pretty much on their side.”
Howard began the 10th by doubling to left-center field. After Jayson Werth was walked, Raul Ibanez stepped to the plate with the leading run in scoring position. Ibanez struggled throughout the 2010 season but was able to double to right-center field and regain the lead for Philadelphia. The Phillies were able to tack on two more runs and JC Romero picked up the save in the bottom of the 10th for a 9-6 victory.
“That was an amazing game for us to win,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. “That would have been a tough game for us to lose. It was a good win, a tremendous win.”
“They bailed me out, and I think that’s a sign of really good things,” added closer Brad Lidge. “We’ve been so resilient to injuries. We need to play as good as we can right now, and we’re completely capable of doing it. It looks like a bad situation, but we’ve played with a lot of injuries and keep winning. Hopefully nothing will change this time.”
“That’s our team,” said Joe Blanton after allowing 3 runs over 7 and 2/3 innings of work. “That was great to see. That’s the Phillies – battle back against a tough pitcher and good things happen.”
The Phillies battled back and picked up a huge victory. With Utley set to miss almost two months, reserves such as Wilson Valdez became instrumental players for the 2010 club. But on this night the Phillies showed their resiliency and proved once again that no matter what challenge is thrown in their direction, they will continue to fight.
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