W.S. Game 1

Thanks to MLB schedule makers, we've had to wait since Sunday for this day to come. It's just more days for the stress to mount on the fans and I suppose the players as well. With Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia on the mound this game should be a pitchers duel, but when it looks that way, it usually ends up in a shootout. Cliff Lee did win the first ever game at the new Yankee Stadium defeating C.C. Sabathia, but that was in April and it hardly matters now. And the Phillies did beat C.C. last postseason when he was with the Brewers en route to a World Series championship. And the Phillies did win two out of three in Yankee Stadium this summer and had it not been for a Brad Lidge blown save, they may have swept the Yankees. But all of those positives are in the past. In the postseason nothing else matters. Just ask Carlos Ruiz, the playoffs are a completely different animal.

Now I'm especially nervous about game one. In the Phillies 2008 postseason run and so far in 2009, they have won each game one of each series. So I think that this game is especially important to get home field advantage in the Phillies favor and to show the Yankees that they're not playing the Twins or Angels, but a real baseball team and a World Champion. Runs are going to be hard to come by tonight and whichever starting pitcher tires first will lose the game. I really don't want to make a prediction for tonight because it will be completely biased towards who I want to win, but I'll do it anyway.

Prediction: 4-3 Philadelphia

Game 2

Well I gotta say I feel pretty confident. I don't feel that special quality for this team that I felt last year, but I'm much less nervous watching the games this year. Yesterday I didn't fear that Cliff Lee would implode and give up three runs in the first inning or think that the offense wouldn't be able to hit with RISP. I had a strange confidence that I rarely have with this Phillies ball club or any Philadelphia team for that matter. I say Cole shows that he's still Cole today and the Phils get their first round tripper of the 2009 playoffs.

Prediction: 7-2 Philadelphia

Sweet VictorLee

Prediction: 7-4 Philadelphia

Result: 5-1 Philadelphia

Eh, Close enough. The Phillies looked pretty darn good in their first win of the first game of the 2009 playoffs. It wasn't the 9 innings of six hit, one run baseball of Cliff Lee that impressed me the most today (I'm not saying it didn't impress me though). It was the fact that the Phillies scored five runs today without the benefit of a homerun. All year the Phillies have had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position, but not on this day. The fact that the Phils found out how to hit in the clutch and simply manufacture runs with a stolen base or an extra base hit is what was really impressive. Now to the second most impressive part of Game 1, Cliff Lee.

Lee struggled early in the game and gave most everyone in the record attendance of Citizens Bank Park, as well as myself, a little scare. But after the first few innings, Cliff Lee went on to retire 16 in a row en route to a one run complete game. Not only did he pitch a gem, he chipped in at the plate as well, getting a base hit as well as a sacrifice bunt. He also set a Phillies record as the first Phillies pitcher ever to steal a base in the postseason.

I was extremely satisfied with the game today and look forward to seeing what Cole Hamels has to show us on Thursday. He should want to show everyone that he still is the Cole who won the NLCS and World Series MVPs and that he has the stuff to take the Phillies far into the postseason. Hopefully Lee's performance gives Hamels a little motivation and something to try to top. Good luck tomorrow Phils!

Game 2 Prediction: TBD