The Phillies final regular season game on Sunday did not determine home-field advantage. The Phillies had already locked up their spot in the postseason. Therefore, some might say that it was a meaningless game. However, I did not see it that way. Even though the Phillies’ only “regular” in the game was Jayson Werth, the Phillies played very hard, and they won 7-6 over the Florida Marlins in the bottom of the 10th inning in a wacky game. The Phillies had lost three in a row after they had clinched the NL East on Wednesday, so it was important for them to get a win on the last day of the season. Even Charlie Manuel said after the game, “Sure, it’s always good to get a win.”
Besides the overall team effort in the game, there were some things that happened individually that made this game important too. Jayson Werth stole two bases in the fourth inning, which were his 19th and 20th stolen bases of the season. By doing that, Werth joined Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley as the only three players in Phillies history to have at lest 20 HR and 20 SB all in the same season. Another important aspect of the game was Miguel Cairo, who went 2-for-4 in the game, including a homerun and a triple, which helped him to make the final roster spot for the NLDS over Phillies utility man Eric Bruntlett. Cairo has played great since he came up from Triple A Lehigh Valley, and he has a good deal of postseason experience. It was also Cairo’s first homerun in the majors since July 28th, 2005, so he got that monkey off his back. Cairo could be a valuable bat off the bench in the postseason. Therefore, this game was not a meaningless game, and hopefully it can propel the Phillies into postseason success once again this year.
Topics: 10th Inning, Charlie Manuel, Chase Utley, Eric Bruntlett, Florida Marlins, Home Field Advantage, Homerun, Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins, Lehigh Valley, Meaningless Game, Miguel Cairo, NL East, NLDS, Phillies, Season Game, Stolen Bases, Team Effort, Utility Man, Wacky Game
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good analysis