Game 5: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies- Saturday, April 20, 2o13
We took a late morning train out of Baltimore and arrived in Philadelphia just before noon. After checking into the hotel, we headed downtown to see the Liberty Bell. There was a long queue, but it moved quickly and we really enjoyed the visit. That site is so well done! We then had lunch at the Hard Rock Café and later took a bus to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The museum was closing by the time we got there, but we were still able to walk around the impressive building and snap a lot of pictures, including the Rocky Steps, footprints, and statue. Finally, we headed to the ballpark and got there about 45 minutes before game time.
It was chilly in Philly. The game time temperature was in the mid-50’s, but it steadily went down later in the evening and the gusting winds made it seem really cold. People were walking around with blankets around them.
Notwithstanding the cold temperatures, this was a SPECIAL game. It was Autism Awareness Night at the ballpark and an autistic child threw the ceremonial first pitch. Really COOL! Many fans diagnosed with autism, and their families and friends, were at the game.
Another attraction of the game was Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee. Lee made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2002 and pitched for them for a number of years. In 2008, he won 22 games for the Tribe, pitched two scoreless frames as a starter in the All Star Game, and won the American League Cy Young Award. The Indians, knowing full well they couldn’t afford to keep him, traded him mid-season in 2009 to the Phillies. A few months later, Lee started Game 1 for Philadelphia in their World Series against the Yankees and pitched a complete game victory allowing just one run. He also started and won Game 5 although the Phillies eventually lost the series. The following year, Lee pitched in the World Series again, this time for the Rangers, but lost both his starts to Tim Lincecum as the Giants won it all.
Cliff Lee is also one of the good guys in baseball. He has been very generous in giving back to the community. A few years ago, he and his wife Kristen set up a foundation to help raise funds for cancer research, especially focusing on pediatric oncology. They have been staunch supporters of kids diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma. Here’s a somewhat dated link to a story about the Lees.
It is really a pleasure to see Lee pitch. He is not overpowering (his fast ball tops out at 92 mph) but is a finesse pitcher who relies on pin-point control, speed variations, and movement. He was making his fourth start of the year and came into the game with a miniscule 1.52 ERA. Also, in his first three starts, and nearly 24 innings, he walked just one batter.
Lee, however, was uncharacteristically off in this game. For a guy who rarely walks anybody, he issued three free passes in the third inning to load the bases! All three came around to score and by the time the inning was over, Lee and the Phillies were down 4-0. It was especially frustrating because all four runs scored with two outs in the inning. The damage could have been limited, too, but for some unknown reason, Chase Utley left his position at second base and what might have been a routine grounder to end the inning, got through to right field to score the third run of the frame. The next batter, David Freese, promptly added another RBI. Lee also gave up a solo shot to Carlos Beltran in the 5th and the Phillies were now in a 5-0 hole. He was done after 5 innings and 102 pitches, his shortest start of the year. Given the Phillies well chronicled offensive woes this season, the deficit seemed insurmountable and it was. The game ended with no additional scoring by either team.
We walked around the ballpark during the game and took plenty of pictures. Built in 2004, this stadium is quite modern and really pretty. There was also a near-full house crowd of more than 41,000 on hand.
After the game, we headed back to the hotel and started getting ready to go back home in the morning. We wish we could catch a few more games but school and work beckons. So we’ve got to go.
Bye now!
