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October 3, 2008

On the Beat

Game Two Report, Brewers versus Phillies

by John Perrotto

PHILADELPHIA—Brett Myers had retreated to the Phillies' clubhouse after a 20-minute post-game interrogation from the media in the interview room, and then he stood at his locker and made small talk with a few reporters. "All everyone wanted to talk about was my hitting," the right-hander said with a shake of his head. "Didn't anyone realize I pitched tonight, too?"

Years from now, those who made up largest crowd ever to watch a baseball game at Citizens Bank Ballpark probably won't remember that Myers not only started for the Phillies on Thursday night, but he also went toe-to-toe with the best pitcher in baseball and out-dueled him—on the mound. It's doubtful those 46,208 fans will recall that Myers, in the same season in which he made a tour of the farm system in order to relearn how to be an effective starting pitcher, used his right arm to propel the Phillies to a 5-2 win and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series on a night when the Brewers had the best pitcher on the mound. Instead, they are most likely to recall how Myers, owner of a .116/.162/.140 batting line in 390 career plate appearances, stepped into the batter's box and battled the best pitcher in baseball, forcing Sabathia to throw an amazing 19 pitches spaced over two PAs. It was Myers' pesky at-bats, reminiscent of a modern-day Jack Crooks, that made the fans wave their rally towels frantically. They also helped the Phillies not only beat CC Sabathia, but put the biggest whipping on the big left-hander since the Brewers acquired him from the Indians on July 7 in what will go down as one of the greatest in-season trades ever.

While Myers allowed just two runs and two hits in seven innings, and Shane Victorino capped a five-run second inning with a grand slam that put the Phillies in the driver's seat in this series, it was Myers' imitation of Crooks in those two at-bats that left the most lasting impression and helped exhaust Sabathia, who was making his fourth consecutive start on short rest. Crooks was a star infielder in the late 19^th century, and was perhaps the original Moneyball player, long before computers and sabermetrics came along. He drove opposing pitchers to distraction with his uncanny ability to foul off pitches and stay alive.

Myers has never been confused with Crooks before. "I can't hit a lick and I don't even try to pretend that I can, like some pitchers do," Myers said with a smile. Phillies closer Brad Lidge concurred with that assessment. "He was going so bad at one point early in this season that he went up to the plate and refused to even swing the bat," said Lidge, who pitched a perfect ninth to get his second save in the series. "He was just hoping that maybe somehow the pitcher would walk him if he just stood there."

Myers first time at bat came in the second, after the Phillies had scored once in the inning to tie the game at 1-1 on back-to-back doubles by Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz. An inning earlier, Myers' bases-loaded walk to J.J. Hardy had given the Brewers the game's first run, but then Corey Hart killed the rally by grounding back to the mound for a 1-2-3 double play. With two outs and Feliz on second, Myers swung through Sabathia's first two pitches, and then suddenly morphed into an ideal leadoff man. Myers took a ball, then fouled off a pitch. Then he took another ball to even the count at 2-2, then fouled off another pitch, breaking his bat in the process and receiving a standing ovation as he walked back to the on-deck circle to retrieve some replacement wood. Myers took yet another ball to run the count full, fouled off one more pitch, and then coaxed a walk to keep the inning alive.