But do not forget this: If the Phillies are to win another World Series, Blanton will play a significant role. The Big Three - Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels - could start 17 of a potential 19 postseason games. The other two? Those are Blanton's.
The postseason is all but assured now for the Phillies, who own the best record in baseball at 93-61. Their magic number is two, which means they can clinch a fourth straight NL East title Saturday with a victory over the Mets and an Atlanta Braves loss.
"We're getting close," Manuel said.
Their 11th straight win did not come without some tense moments in the ninth. With Mets runners on the corners, the Phillies thought they had the game won when Jesus Feliciano hit a comebacker to Brad Lidge. But umpires had granted a time-out before the pitch so the Mets could use a pinch-runner.
"I think that was terrible," Manuel said.
"That's a little ridiculous," Lidge said.
Wasn't it even stranger that the pinch-runner was coming with an 0-1 pitch?
"Whatever," Manuel said.
Lidge recovered to strike out Feliciano and save Blanton's performance. But the Mets were steaming afterward about a hard Chase Utley slide at second baseman Ruben Tejada in the fifth inning.
"We're going to have to reevaluate the way we go into second base," Mets third baseman David Wright told reporters after the game. Utley declined to comment.
Aside from that circus, the most important development to come out of Friday's game was Blanton. If he can do what he did Friday, the Phillies surely will be confident in handing him the ball in the postseason.
