Jonathan Lecoy’s hit was right of the top of the railing which is in play and not a home run or grand slam
The Phillies were coasting along on a Sunday afternoon with Cliff Lee on the mound. Lee was doing what he does the best, keeping a team off it’s feet with great pitches and the Phillies offense came out and threw 5 runs on the board in the first inning. Lee even got his 1,600th strikeout of his career.
You would think the Phillies probably wouldn’t have to worry about winning the game yesterday, and that was the way it was for most of the game, it was a 7-0 score through 7+ innings when Charlie Manuel came out and took the ball away from Lee after his 7.2 strong innings and 105 pitches, Lee had some muscle cramps and didn’t feel all that well when he was taken out.
Domonic Brown continued his torrid pace he set for himself last month, with a 3-run home run in the first inning.
That 7-0 score was the way the game went through most of the afternoon, but there was a sense that the Brewers didn’t just give up and roll over on this one, though they could have.
The top of the 8th inning and the Brewers weren’t quite done on the day, with Lee on the mound still, the Brewers started their rally off with a single to center field by Richie Weeks. Jeff Bianchi then got up and did the same thing with a single to Ben Revere, so the Brewers suddenly had two runners on. The next Brewers batter, Logan Schafer, grounded into a double play. Norichika Aoki then singled in Richie Weeks from third base and Lee came out of the game.
You figure it’s 7-1 no problem.
That’s where it starts to get interesting. Carlos Gomez had singled just before Cliff Lee was taken out of the game, the Brewers had two base runners on with Justin De Fratus on the mound. Aramis Ramirez walked and now the Brewers had the bases loaded for Jonathan Lecroy.
Lecroy launched a long fly ball to left field, all of the Phillies fans in the stadium, watching on tv, and listening on radio hold their collective breath and the unthinkable happens. The ball appears to sail out of CBP, a grand slam or so it seemed. Phillies fans protested that the ball hadn’t left the yard, the umps were calling this a grand slam, as they really didn’t get a good look at where the ball landed. Could it be the second day in a row where a missed umpire call haunts the Phillies?
Charlie Manuel came out of the dugout and protested, he wanted a replay and after a few seconds of arguing the point, the umps all convened in the replay area that only a couple years before, didn’t exist. The Phillies had a chance to review this play and possibly call this home run back.
The umps came back and ruled that it was indeed not a home run, and the Phillies still were in trouble with the triple that was awarded to Lecroy. Jonathan’s hit brought home 3 more runs for the Brewers and now it was a 7-4 game.
Fast forward to the ninth, it was a nailbiter. Jonathan Papelbon was unavailable for the Phillies yesterday with flu-like symptoms. Antonio Bastardo was the Phillies closer yesterday and it almost ended up with what could have contributed to a loss as the Brewers had loaded the bases and were literally on the doorstep of trying to take the Phillies lead from them. Somehow Bastardo got out of the jam, and the Phillies put this win into their season total, but not after many scary moments on a summer Sunday afternoon in South Philly.