"That was about the farthest anyone can hit it and not be out of the yard," Hamels said. "Lucky for us, it didn't go out."
For five innings, as 45,839 fans fanned the flame with waving towels, the Phillies tried to locate their inner Manny - the loose, carefree hitter who is oblivious to pressure.
In the sixth, Chase Utley found him. Two batters later, Pat Burrell found him. Within moments, two home runs landed in the seats and the Phillies had a 3-2 lead. They held on to win Game 1.
They are one-quarter of the way to the World Series.
Utley's two-run homer off Dodgers starter Derek Lowe felt like Shane Victorino's grand slam last week off Milwaukee ace CC Sabathia. It was a declaration that these Phillies are ready to seize the moment and return to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
The towering shot to right field also resembled Jimmy Rollins' leadoff homer in Game 4 Sunday in Milwaukee. It sent a message to the rest of the team that this would be a good night, after all.
"This is what we play for, the postseason," Hamels said. "You're finally there, you step on the field and the crowd is going crazy. I had the normal nerves everybody does."
And that's where the inner Manny came in.
Last year, these Phillies lost three playoff games, realizing only after elimination what the postseason was all about.
This year, it took a couple of lucky breaks, Victorino's slam, and a sobering loss in Game 3 against Milwaukee to get the Phillies swinging bats like it was carefree June or familiar August. The Game 4 victory raised the stakes and posed a fresh riddle.
Could the Phillies stay loose, keep hitting, and out-Manny Manny in his natural environment?
