But on Sunday night, in Game 4 of the World Series, Blanton woke everybody up. He did it with his right arm, chucking fastballs past the Tampa Bay Rays hitters and allowing only benign solo home runs by Carl Crawford and pinch hitter Eric Hinske. And he did it -- in unexpected fashion -- with his bat, belting a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Thus, Blanton led the Phillies to a 10-2 victory before 45,903 at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia is on the brink of its first World Series crown since 1980 and only its second in the franchise's 126-year history.

Not bad for a so-called consolation prize.

"At the end of the day, sure, it's human nature to worry about what everybody else thinks," Blanton said. "But I know I can help a team. I know what I'm able to do."

Added right-hander Brett Myers, "A lot of times, the media makes some guys better than they are. All the critics talked about Joe's ERA or his win-loss ratio in the first half of the season. But I'll take a guy with a lot of heart, and Joe has a lot of heart. He's been an asset to this team."

When Blanton left the mound, after walking Ben Zobrist to open the seventh inning, he got a standing ovation and doffed his cap. The fans had craved a curtain call two innings earlier when he became the 15th pitcher to homer in the World Series and the first since Oakland's Ken Holtzman in 1974.

"I don't think I opened my eyes or took a breath for about 20 minutes after I hit it," said Blanton, who had just nine career at-bats in the American League before this season.

Making his third career playoff start, Blanton retired the first five batters, three via strikeout. He struck out four of the first eight batters and was so dominant that Rays manager Joe Maddon suspected something was amiss. He alerted plate umpire Tom Hallion to a discoloration on the bill of Blanton's cap and wondered if it were a spot of pine tar that could be used to doctor the baseball. Hallion didn't find any evidence of pine tar.

"They rub the balls up with whatever they rub them up with, and you get it on your hand and touch your hat," Blanton said. "It's nothing sticky. Anybody can go touch it. I don't change my hat. It just gets rubbed on the hat."

PHILLIES 10, RAYS 2: Ryan Howard blasted two home runs and collected five RBIs Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park to help draw the Phillies within one win of their first World Series championship since 1980. Jayson Werth and pitcher Joe Blanton also homered for the Phillies. Blanton allowed two runs on solo homers by Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske in six-plus innings. Howard and Jimmy Rollins, slumping earlier in the Series, had three hits apiece. Howard tied a franchise playoff record with five RBIs. Blanton became the 15th pitcher to homer in the World Series and only the second Phillies pitcher to homer in a postseason game.

No team since the 1985 Kansas City Royals has recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win a World Series.