Rocco Baldelli

THE PLAY: Trailing 4-0, the Phillies had runners on first and second with one away when Chase Utley lined out to rightfield. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena hustled back to the bag and Rocco Baldelli threw him a strike to nail Jayson Werth, who did not get a good read on the ball and had made his way too far toward second base. UP NEXT: Although Utley's liner would have been the second out, it would have given Ryan Howard, who had already doubled and singled to that point, a good chance to get the Phillies on the board.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's lack of control in a key situation cost him against the Toronto Blue Jays. Dice-K struck out 10 over six innings, but forced in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk to Gregg Zaun in the fourth, and Toronto beat the visiting Boston Red Sox, 2-1, last night despite getting only three hits. Matsuzaka (1-2) retired his first eight batters and Wily Mo Pena's third-inning homer gave him a lead, but Lyle Overbay's single tied the score in the two-run fourth.

That elusive 20-win season Yankees righthander Mike Mussina had an opportunity to pick up his 17th win of the season Friday when New York played Baltimore. Bidding to win 20 for the first time in a career that began in 1991, the 39-year-old Mussina allowed four runs and nine hits over six innings. The Yankees rallied to defeat his old team, 9-4. But Mussina left with the Orioles ahead, 4-3. Is it a mirage? Since trading away CC Sabathia on July 7, Cleveland has been winning, going 23-16 through Friday night.

Tampa Bay Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria is considered one of the future stars of the game, but he won't have fond memories of his first World Series. The Phillies eliminated the Rays, four games to one, with last night's 4-3 victory at Citizens Bank Park that ended a dreary Series for Longoria. He began the World Series batting cleanup, hit fifth last night, and managed just one hit in 20 at-bats with two RBIs. Considering that he had swatted six home runs in the first two playoff series, and that he had hit 27 home runs and collected 85 RBIs in 448 regular-season at-bats, his World Series showing was a huge disappointment.

The situation cried for a strikeout pitcher, but Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon decided to play it by the book, a choice that led to a failed final chapter for the American League champions. During the winter, Maddon will think a lot about last night's elimination game, the Phillies' 4-3 win over the Rays at Citizens Bank Park that clinched the World Series four games to one. The game had been suspended after the inclement weather on Monday with the Phillies coming to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning and the score tied at 2. Almost every move was magnified.

The physical struggles of Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli have been well-documented, which makes his performance yesterday in front of so many friends that much more special. A native of Rhode Island, Baldelli hit a towering three-run home run in the eighth inning of yesterday's 9-1 trouncing of the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park. Baldelli missed the first four-plus months of the season due to mitochondrial disorder, a condition that slows muscle recovery and causes fatigue.

The Tampa Bay Rays came to Philadelphia yesterday with renewed confidence after Thursday's 4-2 win over the Phillies tied the World Series at one game apiece. The Rays had dropped the opener, 3-2, Wednesday at Tropicana Field. In the American League Championship Series, the Rays also lost the opener at home, 2-0, to Boston. We know how that one turned out. The Rays won the second game in Tampa, 9-8, in 11 innings and took off from there, eventually ousting the Red Sox in seven games to win the ALCS.

For the New York Yankees, it was a win-win situation. First, Jason Giambi returned to the Yankees' lineup for the first time since July 23. Then, the Yankees' Mike Mussina pitched three-hit ball for eight innings and struck out a season-high 11, leading New York to a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Giambi went 0-for-3 with a walk and a long drive to the rightfield warning track. He is recovering from a benign tumor, intestinal parasite, strained groin and respiratory infection.

The game was almost secondary. An 8-year-old boy watching the Athletics' game against Tampa Bay in Oakland last night suffered burns on one of his legs when another fan tossed an explosive device from the upper deck of the Coliseum. The boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment. No further information was immediately available. A suspect was in police custody after the incident in the bottom of the third inning, the A's said. The device, commonly known as a cherry bomb, made a loud boom as it fell from the third deck to the first tier of bleachers in leftfield.

John Rocker wants back into baseball and could find a new home with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The former Atlanta, Cleveland and Texas reliever worked out yesterday at Tropicana Field and was impressive enough that Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella feels it would be worth signing Rocker to a minor league contract and giving him a chance to work his way up to the majors. "He's chomping at the bit to get back in baseball and get back to the big leagues," Piniella said, adding that Rocker would be assigned to Triple A Durham if he does sign with Tampa Bay. "I think it would be a good gamble.

The Tampa Bay Rays entered the World Series as the anointed Team of Destiny. According to whom? By people who loved their worst-to-first story in the American League East. Some thought that the happenstances in Game 5 - that whole game-being-suspended thing - showed once again that the Rays were destined to win the World Series, even though the Phillies held a three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series. "If they're destined, we want to definitely fight through destiny," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said before his team finished off Tampa Bay, 4-3, in the resumption of Game 5 last night.

The Tampa Bay Rays entered the World Series as the anointed Team of Destiny. By whom? By people who loved their worst-to-first story in the American League East. Some thought that the happenstances in Game 5 - that whole game-being-suspended thing - showed once again that the Rays were destined to win the World Series, even though the Phillies held a three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series. "If they're destined, we want to definitely fight through destiny," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said in a news conference before his team finished off Tampa Bay, 4-3, in the resumption of Game 5 last night.

Tampa Bay Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria is considered one of the future stars of the game, but he won't have fond memories of his first World Series. The Phillies eliminated the Rays, four games to one, with last night's 4-3 victory at Citizens Bank Park that ended a dreary Series for Longoria. He began the World Series batting cleanup, hit fifth last night, and managed just one hit in 20 at-bats with two RBIs. Considering that he had swatted six home runs in the first two playoff series, and that he had hit 27 home runs and collected 85 RBIs in 448 regular-season at-bats, his World Series showing was a huge disappointment.

The situation cried for a strikeout pitcher, but Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon decided to play it by the book, a choice that led to a failed final chapter for the American League champions. During the winter, Maddon will think a lot about last night's elimination game, the Phillies' 4-3 win over the Rays at Citizens Bank Park that clinched the World Series four games to one. The game had been suspended after the inclement weather on Monday with the Phillies coming to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning and the score tied at 2. Almost every move was magnified.

Designated hitter Cliff Floyd, a National League player for most of his 16 seasons in the majors, considered talking to his young Tampa Bay teammates about the perils of playing in Philadelphia. Most notably, dealing with the rabid fans. But Floyd didn't have to give his talk. The Rays got a firsthand look yesterday while getting on a bus to Citizens Bank Park, where they practiced for tonight's Game 3 of the World Series against the Phillies. "We got cursed out as much as you can get cursed out in one minute," Floyd said before the workout.

The Tampa Bay Rays came to Philadelphia yesterday with renewed confidence after Thursday's 4-2 win over the Phillies tied the World Series at one game apiece. The Rays had dropped the opener, 3-2, Wednesday at Tropicana Field. In the American League Championship Series, the Rays also lost the opener at home, 2-0, to Boston. We know how that one turned out. The Rays won the second game in Tampa, 9-8, in 11 innings and took off from there, eventually ousting the Red Sox in seven games to win the ALCS.

For someone who didn't know whether he would play at all this year, Tampa Bay rightfielder Rocco Baldelli has come a long way. Baldelli made his first World Series start last night in Game 2 against the Phillies at Tropicana Field. The 27-year-old Baldelli spent the first 116 games of the season on the disabled list because of a mitochondrial disorder, a metabolic condition that causes muscle weakness and fatigue. After two rehabilitation assignments, he returned to the Rays' roster on Aug. 10. Baldelli still is not able to play every day. Last night was his sixth appearance in 13 postseason games.

If the Phillies were a station wagon - red, of course - they would be in the shop having a new clutch installed today. They went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position in last night's 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of the World Series. They went 0 for 13 in Game 1 and managed a 3-2 win behind Cole Hamels. That's 1 for 28 (.036) if you're scoring at home, or screaming, "For the love of Richie Ashburn, do something on the base paths," at your television set. The Phils had the lead runner on base in the second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth innings.

THE PLAY: Trailing 4-0, the Phillies had runners on first and second with one away when Chase Utley lined out to rightfield. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena hustled back to the bag and Rocco Baldelli threw him a strike to nail Jayson Werth, who did not get a good read on the ball and had made his way too far toward second base. UP NEXT: Although Utley's liner would have been the second out, it would have given Ryan Howard, who had already doubled and singled to that point, a good chance to get the Phillies on the board.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - When the Angels won the 2002 World Series, a common observation was that manager Mike Scioscia played a National League style of baseball, emphasizing the details of small ball that seem to be overlooked in a league where teams have a designated hitter and often seem content to sit back and wait for a three-run homer. Scioscia's bench coach then was Joe Maddon, who became manager of downtrodden Devil Rays before the 2006 season. And Maddon has brought the same approach to Tropicana Field.