THE PHILLIES not only landed one of the best pitchers in baseball, they also got a player who is so country he makes Kevin Kolb look like a metrosexual.
Roy Oswalt married his high school sweetheart, comes from a Mississippi town of about 500 and once used a spark plug to cure a shoulder injury.
Here are some other things - a few that are actually relevant to the Phillies' chances this year - to know about the latest star pitcher acquired by Ruben Amaro:
1. Has an ugly 6-12 record this season, but the Astros have scored just 17 runs in his 12 losses.
2. Has gotten thumped in his last two starts, though. He took a ground ball off his left ankle in the second inning and was lifted after the fourth in a July 18 loss to the Pirates. He gave up six runs and nine hits to the Reds on Sunday.
3. Had a slight hamstring problem late in the spring, but hasn't missed a start. Finished the 2009 season on the disabled list with a lower back strain.
4. Has been extremely clutch throughout his career. In starts after July, Oswalt is an amazing 56-16 with a 2.79 ERA.
5. Helped lead the Astros to their only World Series in 2005 when he limited the Cardinals to one run in seven innings in both Games 2 and 6.
6. In addition to his League Championship Series MVP, Astros owner Drayton McLane gave Oswalt a bulldozer for his efforts against the Cardinals that year. Now that'll be tough to park in South Philly.
7. Lives on a 1,000-acre ranch just outside of his hometown of Weir, Miss., which is where the bulldozer comes in most handy.
8. Oswalt did give up five earned runs in his only World Series start, a Game 3 no-decision in which he failed to hold a 4-0 lead. The White Sox won in 14 innings and eventually swept the Astros.
9. Is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA in his career at Citizens Bank Park. He's allowed one home run (Ryan Howard, 2005) in 27 2/3 innings pitched at the very hitter-friendly ballpark, where he last pitched in 2008 and where he registered his 100th career win on April 13, 2007.
10. Has never won a Cy Young Award, but has been in the top-5 in balloting five times in his career. His best finish was third in 2004 behind Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.
11. Finished second in the 2001 Rookie of the Year voting to Albert Pujols.
12. Grandfather's name was Houston, the only franchise he had known until yesterday. Houston Oswalt lived on a watermelon farm, where Roy worked as kid.
13. Had gone the last three seasons without committing an error, but has made two this year.
