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. Here is a look back on the top 25 moments of 2010 Philadelphia Phillies season.
#7 All Hell Breaks Loose – August 24th
There are certain moments throughout the marathon that is a Major League Baseball season that you simply will never forget. It could be a memorable come-from-behind victory against a heated rival. A brilliant pitching performance that sends shock waves throughout the clubhouse and the fan base. An unbelievable play that leaves you at a loss for words thinking that you will never forget where you were when the moment occurred.
Or it can be like Tuesday, August 24th, 2010. The night in which all hell broke loose at Citizen’s Bank Park.
It represents the only loss on this list for the Phillies as we look back on a memorable 2010 season. The home town team would end up falling to the Houston Astros by a final score of 4-2 in 16 innings. But the memories from this game do not come from the ending result. Rather, they emerge from the chaos that ensued throughout the evening.
Ryan Howard erupts after being ejected by 3rd base umpire Scott Barry
“I’m not sure what I just saw,” said Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth. “I think I may go take a nap and think about it, maybe come back, refreshed and act like none of that happened. We’ll find out. I haven’t been playing the game as long as some people, but that’s the first time I’ve seen anything like that.”
Long after Cole Hamels and Astros righty Bud Norris battled in a pitcher’s duel, the night took several wacky and wild turns. The Phillies resurgent lefty allowed just two runs on five hits over seven innings of work while striking out eight batters. Raul Ibanez’s RBI double in the bottom of the 6th snapped a 25-inning scoreless streak with Hamels on the mound and for the 12th time in 26 starts, the Phillies offense would account for 2 runs or less for the 26-year old lefty.
Hamels seemed destined for another unwarranted loss before Jimmy Rollins took on a familiar role with the game on the line. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Phillies shortstop turned on a pitch from righty Wilton Lopez and sent it over the fence in right field to tie the game 2-2.
The Phillies and Astros would battle deep into extra innings with both teams exhausting the majority of the bench and bullpen options. With the Phillies out of position players, the most memorable moment of this evening would occur in the bottom of the 14th inning.
Triple-A Fill-In Umpire Scott Barry reacts to Ryan Howard's protests
Ryan Howard stepped to the plate with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs looking to win it for the Phillies. It had been a rough night at the plate for Howard as he was 0 for 6 with four strikeouts up until that point.
The Phillies slugger stepped to the plate against Houston reliever Mark Malancon and quickly fell behind 0-2. The second strike was called a swing by Triple-A fill-in umpire Scott Barry. Howard disagreed with the call, stepped out of the batter’s box and stared down the third base line. Barry immediately reacted by putting his hands on his hips and glared right back at the Phillies cleanup hitter.
Three pitches later, Barry would call Howard out on strikes on another controversial check swing call. The 1st baseman flipped his bat and was immediately ejected from game.
Howard erupted.
He sprinted down the 3rd base line to give a piece of his mind to Barry. It was as angry as you will ever see the Phillies 1st baseman on a baseball field and was just the second ejection of his career. Howard had to be restrained by several coaches and players including Placido Polanco and Sam Perlozzo.
“Anytime you act in a really mad manner, sometimes the umpire will throw you out of the game,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. “I’ve never seen him upset like that. I didn’t think it was a swing.”
Roy Oswalt became the Phillies first pitcher to play the field in 39 years
After the dust settled and Howard and Ross Gload had been ejected from the game, Manuel was left with very few options on his lineup card. The Phillies were down to just Rule 5 reliever David Herndon in the bullpen and had no position players remaining. As the top of the 15th inning got underway, left fielder Raul Ibanez moved to first base for the 136th appearance of his career, and first since the 2005 season.
With Ibanez now occupying 1st base, that left the Phillies with one option to play left field.
Roy Oswalt.
The recently acquired ace made his first appearance against his former team not on the mound, but in the field. It was the first time in 39 years that a Phillies pitcher was forced to play a position in the field. Sure enough, the first ball was hit right to Oswalt who easily made the catch as the crowd at Citizen’s Bank Park erupted. Later in the inning, Raul Ibanez made a diving stop at 1st base and all of the momentum seemed to be in the Phillies favor.
“There’s a saying in baseball, the ball will find you when you’re out of position,” said Ibanez. “The ball found (Oswalt) and he caught it. That was definitely strange.”
But on this particular night it was not meant to be.
Houston would score two runs off of David Herndon in the top of the 16th as the rookie worked into his third inning on the mound. The Phillies attempted to rally in the bottom half of the inning and brought the winning run to the plate.
There was just one problem. The winning run was the cleanup spot and it was no longer occupied by Ryan Howard. Rather, it was up to Roy Oswalt.
As the remaining fans at the ballpark chanted, “Let’s Go Oswalt!”, the Phillies pitcher weakly grounded out to 3rd base to end the bizarre night.
The loss kept the Phillies 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and dropped them into a tie with the San Francisco Giants for the Wild Card lead. The series against the Astros represented the low point of the 2010 campaign as Philadelphia was swept in a four game series at home. Although the end result was negative it is important to look back at game number 125 and ask one very important question.
What in the world happened on the night when all hell broke loose at the old ballpark?
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