Jonathan Broxton

THE PLAY: As goes Jimmy Rollins, so go the Phillies. And he has them one step closer to going back to the World Series with what has to be the most clutch hit of his 10-year career. THE SETUP: His team trailing, 4-3, with one out in the bottom of the ninth and facing Jonathan Broxton, pinch-hitter Matt Stairs, who killed the Dodgers with a pinch-homer in last year's NLCS, began last night's comeback with a walk. With Eric Bruntlett pinch-running, Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch. After Greg Dobbs lined out to third, Rollins took center stage.

Joe Torre said he met with Jonathan Broxton immediately after Game 4 and again yesterday, mainly to reiterate his faith in the young closer. Broxton might have needed the boost, since he now has seen the Phillies score the game-winning runs twice with him on the mound, first in Game 4 of the 2008 National League Championship Series, then again Monday. "This kid, this closing thing, this is something new to him," Torre said. "I did this role last year," said a sullen Broxton, 25, who has logged 50 of the 55 saves to his credit in the past two seasons, and has pitched in 308 major league games.

Phillies vs. Dodgers (Phils split the series, 4-4) AT LOS ANGELES (Aug. 11-14) Dodgers 8, Phillies 6 WP: Derek Lowe; LP: Kyle Kendrick; S: Jonathan Broxton Top hitters: Phillies - Chase Utley (3 hits, 2 RBI, 2 doubles), Jimmy Rollins (single, triple); Dodgers - James Loney (3 hits, 3 RBI), Casey Blake (2-run HR), Jeff Kent (3 hits, RBI), Manny Ramirez (2 hits, 2 RBI) What happened: Blake and Ramirez knocked in two runs apiece in a six-run third to knock out Kendrick.

LOS ANGELES - The Dodgers almost gave 21-year-old Clayton Kershaw the ball for their first playoff start. He'd helped clinch the division a few days before, a six-inning shutdown of the Rockies. But that was not a microscope game. So, they went with veteran lefthander Randy Wolf. "We felt the veteran could handle the hoopla," manager Joe Torre said. Wolf gave up five walks and six hits in less than four innings. He surrendered only two runs and the Dodgers won, but when Kershaw gave up two runs and came within an out from going seven innings the next game, Kershaw had earned the right to become the staff's No. 1 pitcher.

Facing 6-foot-4, 290-pound reliever Jonathan Broxton will not be new for the Phillies. They have seen the 100-m.p.h. fireballer three times this season. He earned a save in the first game, was the winning pitcher in the second, and blew a save in the third. Here is a look at those games: Date   Outcome           IP      H    R ER BB SO AVG    P 8-11    Save             1.1   3    2   2   1   2   .429   33      8-13   Win             1      0   0   0   0   2   .

Crazy night in LaLa Land At least three stories emerged from Tuesday night's old-fashioned Dodgers-Giants beanball battle. First was the five-game suspension handed down by MLB disciplinarian Bob Watson to Los Angeles pitcher Clayton Kershaw for throwing at our old friend Aaron Rowand in the 7-5 San Francisco victory. Dodgers manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer also were tagged with one-game suspensions. Second was the hit Don Mattingly's impending managerial career took after Torre got the hook.

The stakes were different Thursday night but the setting, for Jonathan Broxton, was eerily similar. In 2009, Broxton blew a save in Game 4 of the NLCS, extending the Phillies' series lead to three games to one. And on Thursday in his first trip back to Citizens Bank Park, Broxton gave the Fightin's yet another memorable moment. Entering the ninth inning with a three-run cushion, Broxton faced five batters, retired none, and was done when Carlos Ruiz doubled to left-center, driving in two runs to give the Phillies a 10-9 victory.

Say Matt Stairs and any Phillies fan can call up the image from Game 4 of last year's National League Championship Series. Jonathan Broxton, the Dodgers pitcher who threw the fastball that landed deep in the right-field bleachers, could have been crushed right along with it. "You've seen it in the past, one wrong pitch has ruined some guys," first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz said yesterday in the Dodgers' clubhouse. Mientkiewicz nodded across the room toward Broxton's locker.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Charlie Manuel said he spoke to the National League team before Tuesday's All-Star Game to stress the importance of home-field advantage in the World Series. Whether Manuel's Phillies capture the pennant for a third straight season or not, one club will benefit from the NL's triumph. But this was, after all, still an exhibition game. "I don't know if they heard me or not," Manuel said. Apparently Brian McCann did. The Atlanta catcher came up with the biggest hit of the 81st All-Star Game, a three-run double in the seventh inning.

LOS ANGELES - Like the Monkees, Joe Torre is a believer. As with most baseball observers, the Rays convinced him of their validity Sept. 9. They beat Boston, 5-4, scoring twice in the ninth off closer Jonathan Papelbon after blowing a one-run lead in the eighth. It ended a four-game losing streak, a stretch of six losses in seven games, and a seven-game losing streak at Fenway Park. A loss would have cost the Rays their first-place spot in the American League East. Those same Rays hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven ALCS, which continues tonight in Boston.

Ever since ballparks became food courts with dugouts, teams seemingly have competed to sell the grossest items their caterers can concoct. This one might be it. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Lake County Captains of the Class A Midwest League are selling a gigantic fish sandwich they call the "Moby Dick. " The 4,000-calorie beast consists of five quarter-pound fish fillets, eight slices of cheese, six ounces of clam strips, a third of a pound of French fries, a cup of coleslaw, plus lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and tartar sauce.

JOHAN SANTANA AND the New York Mets were amply pleased with his latest outing. The lefthander who missed the entire major league season last year after shoulder surgery pitched 2 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run yesterday in the Mets' rain-shortened 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins. The game was called after the fifth inning. Miami shortstop Jose Reyes, who left the Mets to sign with the Marlins in the offseason, did not make the trip. "We're still building up pitches," Santana said.

Inside the Phillies CLEARWATER, Fla. - It was late September 2003, and the Phillies were playing Juan Pierre's Florida Marlins at whatever that football stadium in South Florida was called at the time. The Phillies trailed the Marlins by one game in the National League wild-card race when they arrived. After the Marlins won the second game of the series to all but assure themselves of a spot in the playoffs, Pierre glanced into the visitors' dugout and was amused by what he saw. "I forget exactly how we won, but Larry Bowa threw his scorecard, and all these other papers just started flying all over the dugout," Pierre said, a huge smile crossing his face.

The Boston Red Sox and Bobby Valentine have reached a verbal agreement which would make Valentine the next manager of the team, Mike Lynch of Boston's WCVB-TV reported. ESPN has also reported that the deal is done. Valentine, who managed both the New York Mets and Texas Rangers, was most recently an analyst for ESPN. He is in Japan but will be returning around midnight Wednesday.   Broxton to K.C. Reliever Jonathan Broxton and the Kansas City Royals agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract that guarantees the burly righthander $4 million.

Jaime Garcia carried a perfect game into the eighth inning and finished with a two-hitter, dominating the visiting Milwaukee Brewers in a 6-0 victory for the St. Louis Cardinals last night. Garcia (4-0) issued a four-pitch walk to Casey McGehee with one out in the eighth. On the next pitch, Yuniesky Betancourt grounded a solid single to left to end the no-hit bid. Garcia threw a four-hit shutout to beat the Padres in his first start, but hadn't gone longer than six innings in any of his next five outings.

Major League Baseball believes the Los Angeles Dodgers do not have enough money to make their end of May payroll, a person familiar with the team's finances told the Associated Press. The person spoke yesterday on condition of anonymity because MLB's investigation of the team's finances under owner Frank McCourt is ongoing. The Los Angeles Times first reported that the Dodgers lacked the cash to make their May 31 payroll. The person said that if the Dodgers don't have the money, MLB would make payroll.

Now that he's 1-for-1 as a pinch-hitter this year, Hanley Ramirez wants his starting job back. The All-Star shortstop came off the bench in the ninth inning last night to bust out of a slump with a two-out single, and two subsequent fielding lapses by the Los Angeles Dodgers helped the Florida Marlins score twice to win, 5-4. An error by shortstop Jamey Carroll let in the tying run. Omar Infante then lined a bases-loaded single that leftfielder...

LOS ANGELES - Chad Billingsley cooled off one of baseball's hottest offenses through eight innings before Matt Kemp got to Ryan Franklin again. This time, his two-run, walk-off homer salvaged a victory for the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers. Kemp crushed his game-winner in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday that ended the Dodgers' five-game skid. "It's one way to turn the page," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We talked about getting that rock rolling in a different direction.

SAN FRANCISCO - When John Barr left his well-paid and promising job with Merrill Lynch to become a baseball scout in 1984, his mother-in-law offered one piece of advice to his new bride. "Leave him now," she said. Marianne Barr stuck it out, though, understood her husband's passion for baseball was worth the two-thirds cut in pay, at least to him. Nearly 27 years, four kids and five major league organizations later, the Audubon, N.J., native and current Haddonfield resident is in his third season as a special assistant to San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean, in charge of their drafts and minor leagues.