It has been nearly a year since Brett Myers unleashed the pitch that froze Washington's Wily Mo Pena and launched the celebration of the Phillies' first division title since 1993. It's a highlight that, thanks to your season-in-review DVD, will live forever.
The winning pitcher that day: Jamie Moyer. On Saturday, Moyer has a chance for some deja vu.
With a victory over the Nationals, or a New York Mets loss, the Phillies could clinch their second consecutive National League East crown. And they'll send Moyer, their 45-year-old left-hander and 15-game winner, to the mound to initiate the party.
"It's a little weird that we're playing Washington again," said Moyer, who permitted only an unearned run in the Sept. 30 clincher last season. "But I really haven't thought too much about it yet. I looked over the roster, and there are a lot of different faces.
"When you have an opportunity to pitch in a game that has that meaning, it's nice to be given the ball. It's exciting for me, it's exciting for the fans, it's exciting for the city, and it's exciting for the organization. But we have to get there first."
With a win Saturday, Moyer, the oldest pitcher in baseball, could make history, too. Moyer, who already leads the Phillies in wins, could match Phil Niekro for the most victories ever for a pitcher 45 or older. Niekro went 16-8 for the Yankees in 1984.
Moyer has logged 190 1/3 innings, but he has stayed strong late in the season. Since the All-Star break, he is 7-1 with a 3.54 ERA in 13 starts. Moyer's overall 3.78 ERA was tied for 19th-best in the league entering Friday night.
"I feel probably a little better right now than I did last year," Moyer said. "This is where you want to be. This is what you play for. This is why you take all the extra ground balls in spring training."
PHILLIES 8, NATIONALS 4: Ryan Howard belted a three-run homer in the first inning and the Phillies cruised Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Howard added an RBI double in the second inning, as the Phillies took a 7-1 lead. Howard raised his majors-leading totals to 48 homers and 146 RBIs. Chase Utley picked up three hits, including a three-run double in the second inning. Jayson Werth also had two hits, snapping a 1-for-25 slump. Joe Blanton allowed four runs (one earned) in six innings to earn the victory. Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge combined for three innings of scoreless relief.
