Thanks to three-run homers by both Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz, the Philadelphia Phillies have taken a 1-0 lead in the NLCS. The Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to be rallying toward a win but they fell short and lost by a final count of 8-6.
After James Loney hit a solo shot in the second inning, the Phillies responded by putting up five runs in the fifth. Three of the runs came on the Ruiz homer, while Ryan Howard added a two-run double. The Dodgers were able to close the gap to 5-4 but then Ibanez authored his three-run blast in …read more

Cole Hamels hasn’t been too impressive this season. After leading the Philadelphia Phillies to the 2009 World Series championship, the lefty hasn’t looked like a champion this season. However, on Tuesday Hamels snapped out of his funk and led the Phillies to a 1-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Pitching all nine innings, Hamels gave up only two hits and one walk while striking out nine batters. It was his best start of the season and evened his record at 8-8 in addition to lowering his ERA to 4.26. Considering that he was 0-3 in August with a 4.91 ERA, …read more

The pitching ace for the Philadelphia Phillies will be back with the reigning World Series champions. The Phillies and Cole Hamels have reportedly agreed on a deal that will pay him at least $20.5 million over the next three years. By agreeing to the deal, both sides will avoid arbitration.
Although the hitters stars get most of the credit for Philadelphia’s title last season, Hamels was as important as any bat. He was the ace of the staff and played very well — both in the regular season and the playoffs. His regular season stats saw him rack up a 14-10 …read more

Philadelphia hadn’t seen a champion since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers. The wait can now end as the Philadelphia Phillies captured the 2008 World Series by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
This wacky Game 5 had actually started on Monday night. But after bad weather suspended the game until Tuesday and then suspended it again until Wednesday, the two teams were finally able to get back on the field.
With the score tied at 2-2 as the game started, the Phillies struck first in the 6th. Geoff Jenkins doubled and then scored on a Jayson Werth …read more

The Phillies did it!
What does it feel like to be a World Series champion? Ask the Philadelphia Phillies, who on Wednesday took home the 2008 World Series title. These Phillies are now the champions of baseball for the year of 2008 and no one can take that away from them.

Ryan Howard has now established himself in history.
You can see Phillies World Series celebration videos here:

Ryan Howard showed in Game 4 why he is such a feared hitter.
The Philadelphia Phillies, after their 10-2 win, are now one win away from winning the 2008 World Series and being declared the 2008 baseball champions. Leading in the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, the Phillies dominated in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the best out of seven series.
The big star on Sunday night was none other than Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman for the Phillies. Howard hit two home runs and finished the game 3-4 with walk and five RBIs.
Howard wasn’t the …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies left the Tampa Bay Rays baffled in Game 1.
Although the Tampa Bay Rays were favored to not only win the game but win the series, the Philadelphia Phillies were able to draw first blood in the 2008 World Series. With a 3-2 victory, the Phillies need just three more victories to be crowned the 2008 baseball champions.
The star for the Phillies on Wednesday night was starting pitcher Cole Hamels. In seven very solid innings, Hamels gave up only two earned runs while striking out five Rays. Brad Lidge notched the save to remain perfect in save opportunities …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies, a team that always had the talent but hadn’t put it together in the postseason, are headed to the 2008 World Series. With a 5-1 victory on Wednesday night over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies needed only five games to win the NLCS.
Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies off to a fast start when he hit a lead off homer. Ryan Howard also had a big night at the plate, as he went 3-4 with a run and an RBI. The Dodgers got their lone run on a Manny Ramirez solo shot in the sixth.
Arguably the star …read more

Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister, Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals in recent years have already been eliminated from the playoffs at this point in the season. However this year, the Royals actually find themselves over .500. Why? Look no further than the pitching of Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister. These two pitchers have 0.75 and 0.86 earn run averages, respectively.
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
After a solid season last year, many thought Cole Hamels would be better this season. But this better? Hamels has a 0.82 ERA and has given up only 11 hits in …read more

Small Sample Hero? Control Freak? Flamethower? Sounds like a comic book convention gone horribly wrong…

Phillies at Reds, 9:35 a.m. PT — Fire up a pot of coffee and sidle on up to the Internet (really, I’d like to see that). Cole Hamels and Bronson Arroyo square off in Monday’s first game. Plus you get a chance to watch Jeff “Offensive Beast” Keppinger in action. Honestly, I always thought that guy could be useful if given the chance, but .435/.480/.826 through the first week? Man, I love small samples. They’ll show you just about anything you want to see.
Mariners …read more