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 the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Brad Lidge was able to pick up his third straight save in the postseason. He gave up a hit to begin the inning but then was able to induce a double play.

Cole Hamels, who was amazing last year in the playoffs, picked up the win despite a so-so effort. In 5.1 innings, he gave up eight hits and four earned runs. Clayton Kershaw got the loss after giving up five earned runs in 4.2 innings.

Game 2 will be played on Friday and will pit Pedro Martinez against Vicente Padilla.

Brad Lidge and Carlos Ruiz celebrate the Game 1 win (Image: Zuma Press)

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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, this was quite a turnaround.

Providing the offense for the Phillies was — who else? — Ryan Howard. The big first baseman was 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the fourth inning. That lone RBI was all Hamels needed.

For the Giants, Jonathan Sanchez wasn’t half bad, either. In six innings, the native of Puerto Rico gave up only three hits and one earned run while striking out eight.

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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 record with a 3.09 ERA. In the postseason, he was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

Hamels has a few performance bonuses built into his contract based on the Cy Young Award. At 25, there’s a legitimate chance that he could have a Cy Young Award type future and lead the Phillies back to the promised land.

For the Phillies, Hamels was their second big re-signing in their rotation. Earlier in the offseason, they agreed on a deal with Jamie Moyer, the 45-year-old starting pitcher.

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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 single. Tampa Bay struck right back when Rocco Baldelli hit a solo shot to tie the game a three apiece.

The go ahead run was scored in the 7th inning by the Phillies. Pat Burrell hit a double off the wall and then scored on a Pedro Feliz hit to make the score 4-3. No team would score another run as Brad Lidge saved the game and win the World Series for the Phillies. Lidge, it should be noted, ended the season 48-for-48 in save opportunities.

Cole Hamels was named the MVP of the 2008 World Series as the city of Philadelphia finally felt the championship glory once again.

Phillies fans weren’t bashful in their celebration of the 2008 World Series championship.

Photo: Newscom

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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:

Photo: Newscom

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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 only hitting star for the Phillies on this night. Right fielder Jayson Werth had a home run of his own. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton was not only dominant on the mound, he also helped his own cause by hitting a home run in the fifth inning. On the mound, Blanton went six innings and gave up two runs while striking out seven batters.

The Rays could never get things going. Their only two runs of the game were courtesy of solo homers by Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske. Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine struggled, but he wasn’t alone. All four pitchers who pitched for Tampa Bay gave up at least one run.

The Phillies will go for the 2008 World Series championship on Monday. The Rays, on the other hand, will try to win the game and send the series back to Tampa Bay. The pitchers in Game 5 will be Scott Kazmir for the Rays and Cole Hamels for the Phillies. Game 5 of the World Series starts at 8PM eastern and will be shown on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

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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 this year.

At the plate, the big hit for the Phillies was provided by Chase Utley. His two-run homer in the first inning gave the Phillies a lead they would never relinquish. On the game, Utley was 2-4 with a walk.

On the other side of the diamond, the favored Rays just couldn’t get a rally going against Hamels and the Phillies bullpen. The only batter who had success was Akinori Iwamura, who was 3-4 with an RBI.

Game 2 on the World Series schedule is to be played at 8PM Eastern in Tampa Bay.

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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 of the game was Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels. In seven innings, Hamels gave up only one run on five hits while striking out five. Chad Billingsley wasn’t quite as effective for the Dodgers, giving up three earned runs in less than four innings pitched.

In the 2008 world series, the Phillies will take on the winner of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. The Rays currently lead that series 3-1, with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday.

Here is a video of Cole Hamels talking about how the Phillies will prepare for the World Series:

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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 22 innings. At the age of 24, Hamels is quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in the game.

Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers
Ben Sheets has been good for a long time now. This year, he’s pitching even better than ever. Sheets has authored a 1.17 ERA and a record of 2-0. He’s on pace for yet another great season.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
While he’s no youngster, Mariano Rivera is proving that old guys can pitch, too. At 38-years-old, Rivera has been dominant to begin the season. He has five saves, a 0.00 ERA, seven strikeout and no walks in six innings. After a relatively shaky season last year, Rivera is showing he still has some gas left in the tank.

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• 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 at Orioles, 12:05 p.m. PT — I don’t know that this will be a good game to watch, but it could be interesting. First off, you’ve got Carlos Silva hooking up against Daniel Cabrera on the mound. Are there two more different pitchers in the game today? Bob Tewksbury and Steve Dalkowski have retired, right? The other story line, of course, is Adam Jones facing his former team. I still can’t believe Baltimore had the smarts to make that deal.
• Braves at Rockies, 5:35 p.m. PT — Colorado has stumbled to a 1-5 start in ‘08. Maybe facing 42-year-old Tom Glavine in their home park will help. You know what else would help? Not hitting .209/.281/.333 as a team. You think?

Happy Monday, folks, and happy watching!

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