Saturday, October 25

Attendance: None

Week 4 Final @

Game Leaders



L: Howell

(0-0) 5.40 era

W: Romero

(0-0) 0.00 era



1 (0)


1 (0)


1 (0)

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Phillies haven't been able to hit with runners in scoring position for this entire World Series, but in the ninth inning of Game 3, Eric Bruntlett scored on a Carlos Ruiz slow dribbler to give Philadelphia a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay in a wild early-morning finish.

J.P. Howell hit Bruntlett with a pitch leading off. Bruntlett then went to second when Grant Balfour uncorked a wild pitch, and advanced to third when catcher Dioner Navarro's throw went into center field. Shane Victorino and pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs were intentionally walked before Ruiz hit a slow bouncer toward third, tight to the line. Evan Longoria charged and while falling down sent an underhand scoop, but the ball sailed over Navarro's head.

"The grass is relatively thick. I don't think it would have gone foul," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "I don't know that, but I don't think so. I didn't even think of it. I really thought to myself, how is he going to throw this ball? Because bare-handed there's no way to get on top and throw. It's a really awkward play and he did the best that he could. It's just an unfortunate situation."

The hit made the Phillies 2-for-33 with runners in scoring position, but they still grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

First pitch was officially at 10:06 p.m. (et), 1 1/2 hours after the original time, marking the latest start time in World Series history because of a lengthy rain delay. The teams played until 1:47 a.m. (et).

Ruiz, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard all homered for the Phillies, while J.C. Romero (1-0) threw 1 1/3 innings to get the win.

Jamie Moyer, who at 45 is the second-oldest pitcher to start a World Series game, allowed five hits and three runs and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings for the Phillies. He came into the game with an 0-2 record and a 13.50 ERA in two playoff appearances this year.

"Tonight was a new game," Moyer said. "Three games ago this was a new series. (I just try) to focus on the now and not the past. Personally, I felt I did a good job of what I set out to do."

Howell (0-1) threw one inning and was tagged with the loss.

Gabe Gross drove in two runs for the Rays, while B.J. Upton had two hits, an RBI and tied a World Series record with three steals.

Matt Garza, MVP of the ALCS, allowed six hits and four runs, and had seven strikeouts through six innings for the Rays.

Game 4 is Sunday night, again at Citizens Bank Park. Andy Sonnanstine gets the start for the Rays, while Joe Blanton will be on the mound for the Phillies.

The Rays drew within a run in the seventh, helped by a poor umpiring call. Carl Crawford bunted toward first base, and Moyer dove to get the ball with his glove. In one motion, Moyer scooped it out of his glove to a barehanded Howard at first base. Replays showed Crawford was barely out, but first base umpire Tom Hallion signaled safe.

"As an umpire you never want to be involved in the outcome of the game, any umpire that you have," said Hallion. "So, yeah, I would just say that we don't like being involved in something like that. We like to get every play right. We're human beings and sometimes we get them wrong."

Navarro doubled down the left field line, and Gross grounded out to Howard to make it 4-2. Moyer was then lifted for Chad Durbin, who retired Jason Bartlett on a grounder to shortstop, but that plated Navarro.

Base running was the major factor in the eighth inning for both teams. Upton reached on an infield single, and with one out stole second, then took off for third. The throw from Ruiz to third hit the shoe of Upton and the ball trickled into foul territory, allowing Upton to race home with the tying run.

"When you talk about their speed, when you get Crawford and Upton, they can really fly," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "When they hit the ball in the infield, they make you hurry. And they make you do things with it. They're quick and they're hard to stop."

In the bottom half, Chad Bradford walked Jayson Werth. Howell then came in from the bullpen, and Werth stole second base. After Utley struck out, Werth was picked off when he strayed too far toward third.

The eighth inning ended on a Howard strikeout, and Romero retired the side in order in the top of the ninth.

The Rays won Thursday, 4-2, to even the series, but fell behind in the opening inning. Jimmy Rollins singled up the middle and Werth walked. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Utley's groundout to first made it 1-0.

In the second, Crawford doubled to left off the glove of a diving Pat Burrell, then stole third with one out before scoring on Gross' sacrifice fly to right- center.

Ruiz, who had a pair of doubles and scored on Thursday, homered to left on a 1-0 pitch with two outs in the second.

Navarro led off the Tampa Bay fifth with a single, but Moyer retired the next three batters. The lefty escaped trouble in the sixth, thanks mostly to the windy conditions at Citizens Bank Park. Upton singled with one out and stole second with two down. Longoria then crushed a ball to deep left field, but the wind knocked it down to allow Burrell to catch it on the warning track.

"I threw it, he hit it, and I thought, 'Oh boy,'" said Moyer. "It was high and I've seen a lot of balls land in the flower pot. I thought, 'This isn't a good thing.' I felt I got away with one."

Utley homered on a 1-2 offering to right field leading off the bottom half, and Howard followed by taking a 2-2 pitch also to right. It's the first time players have hit back-to-back homers in the World Series since Reggie Sanders and David Bell did it for San Francisco against the Angels in Game 2 in 2002.

H: Fieldin Culbreth
Tom Hallion
Jeff Kellogg
Tim Tschida

Updated: 10/26/2008 - 3:31 AM - Note: all times are Eastern Time