Recap: Tampa Bay vs. Philadelphia
Sports Network | October 23, 2008
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Chase Utley belted a two-run homer in the opening inning and Cole Hamels threw seven strong frames as the Philadelphia Phillies overcame an inefficient offense to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2, in Game 1 of the World Series.
Shane Victorino scored on a Carlos Ruiz groundout in the fourth inning in what proved to be the winning run, and the Phillies were victorious despite going 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 men on base.
Hamels (1-0), the MVP of the NL Championship Series when the Phillies beat the Dodgers, allowed five hits, two runs and had five strikeouts against a pair of walks. The 24-year-old lefty moved to 4-0 in the 2008 playoffs.
Brad Lidge, who hasn't blown a save all year, worked his slider to perfection in the ninth inning, striking out Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria, and then getting Carl Crawford to pop out to third baseman Pedro Feliz in foul territory to finish the game. It was Lidge's 50th straight save.
The Phillies are in the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993 and are trying for their second title, aiming to join the 1980 squad.
Crawford homered in the fourth inning and Akinori Iwamura's third hit of the night, an RBI double in the fifth, accounted for the Tampa Bay runs.
The Rays, who had just five hits, are just the third team to play in the World Series immediately after 10 or more consecutive losing seasons. They finished off the 2007 champion Boston Red Sox in the ALCS on Sunday in Game 7 to reach their first World Series, but now have to rally after losing the opener of their second straight playoff set.
Scott Kazmir (0-1) was charged with six hits and three runs over six frames. He had four walks and four strikeouts.
Game 2 is Thursday night, again at Tropicana Field. Brett Myers will pitch for the Phillies while James Shields heads to the mound for the Rays.
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