Major League Baseball

Phillies were this close to evening series

Published Nov. 2, 2009 8:55 a.m. ET

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One strike, and the Phillies would be on the verge of drawing even with the Yankees in the World Series.


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One strike, and the Phillies would face Phil Coke, not Mariano Rivera, to start the ninth inning.

One strike, and Charlie Manuel's decision to start Joe Blanton in Game 4 would start looking like a managerial masterstroke.

One strike, and Brad Lidge would be a postseason hero in Philadelphia once again.

And the Phillies almost got it. Instead, all they had after Sunday night was a bitter 7-4 defeat and 3-1 series deficit.

"Real close," Lidge would say later, and he was absolutely right.

Lidge was on the mound in Sunday's ninth inning. It was his first World Series appearance since throwing the final pitch of last season. None on. Two out. A 4-4 tie.

His fastball looked good. His slider looked even better. He had just used it to strike out Derek Jeter, and now Johnny Damon was about to meet a similar fate.

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