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Around SBN: Two Minutes Of Thunder Basketball Wins The Game

Believe it: Phillies 5, Dodgers 3

A sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park drawn by Dollar Dog Night and a 2008 National League Championship Series rematch enjoyed not only a Phillies win, but two of baseball's rarer occurrences: Jayson Werth stole home, and Pedro Feliz walked four times. Combined with a second straight quality start from Chan Ho Park, it made for a good night in South Philadelphia as the Phils won for just the second time in six games and stayed a game off the pace in the NL East. 

Park allowed a run in a shaky first inning that could have been much worse. Orlando Hudson slipped between first and second on his RBI single and was tagged out, clearing the bases before an Andre Ethier double. The Phils got even in the third inning when Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw walked Feliz and Carlos Ruiz, Park sacrificed them along, and Shane Victorino brought Feliz home on a groundout. Matt Kemp put Los Angeles ahead 2-1 with a fourth-inning RBI single, but the Phils batted around in the bottom of the fourth, drawing even on an RBI single from Jimmy Rollins--batting fifth tonight--and taking a 4-2 lead on a two-run Raul Ibanez double.

Park took it from there, pitching through evident discomfort after seeming to hurt himself on his third-inning sac bunt. He ultimately went six innings, holding his former club to two runs on seven hits. Importantly, he did not issue a walk while striking out three. 

Werth made his own run in the seventh, singling with one out and then stealing second and third. LA reliever Will Ohman walked the bases loaded behind him before giving way to Ronald Belisario, who fell behind Feliz. With the count 2-0, Werth took a walking lead from third and broke for home when catcher Russell Martin lazily threw the ball back to the mound. He slid under the return throw to extend the lead to 5-2, becoming the first player to steal second, third, and home in the same inning since Eric Young did it for the Rockies in 1996. Werth's four steals on the night also tied a Phillies club record shared by Sherry Magee, who did it twice in 1906, and Garry Maddox in 1978. The extra tally proved important in the ninth, as the Dodgers scored once and put the tying runs on base against a still-shaky Brad Lidge before Juan Pierre lined out to center to end it. 

But let's not lose sight of the real story here: Pedro Feliz walked four times in this game. That would have represented 40 percent of his walk total in 2001 (in 230 plate appearances) and 2003 (245), and about 15 percent of his 2007 total, in 586 trips to the plate. The steal of home is what the fans will remember, but what Feliz did was much less likely. 

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“But let’s not lose sight of the real story here: Pedro Feliz walked four times in this game. That would have represented 40 percent of his walk total in 2001 (in 230 plate appearances) and 2003 (245), and about 15 percent of his 2007 total, in 586 trips to the plate.”

As a Dodger fan, this makes me sad… We definitely had our chances, but unlike the Phillies, didn’t take advantage of them.

by Brendan Scolari on May 13, 2009 2:17 AM EDT reply actions  

I’d like to thank Jayson Werth for making phillies highlights sportscenter worthy :)

"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."

Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.

by jemagee on May 13, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions  

Not to be a party pooper here, but I would think a steal of home would be even less likely than Feliz walking four times. Is there a way to calculate this?

by taco pal on May 13, 2009 11:13 AM EDT reply actions  

I indirectly asked MattS this question on another site. He wrote:

i cant find numbers on how often someone steals home. the 4 walks thing is tough to measure, because he’s obviously more likely to walk four times in a game when he faces clayton kershaw than when he faced roy halladay. ignoring that, his lifetime BB/PA is 5.4% and this year it’s 8.3%. four consecutive BB at 5.4% is 1 in 117,000. four consecutive BB at 8.3% is 1 in 21,000. i think it’s between the two but adding in the extra likelihood from facing someone like kershaw, it’s probably closer to 1 in 10,000 given how wild he was.

jimmy rollins has stolen home once as far as i know in 1280 games. i would guess a lot of major stolen base guys never get one. i don’t know if it’s 1 in 10,000. tough to measure. probably more common, i guess.

by dajafi on May 13, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions  

If you make it straight steals of home only, that would make it even rarer (that is, if you exclude the times when someone runs home while another baserunner is caught in a rundown).

Not sure how I would treat designed double steals. Didn’t Carlos Ruiz once steal home on a double steal?

by taco pal on May 13, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions  

Yup. June of ’07, I think.

In 30 years of watching Phils games, last night’s straight steal of home was the first one I remember seeing. But I still think the odds of Feliz getting four free passes are higher…

by dajafi on May 13, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions  

I vaguely remember an opponent once stealing home off of Joe Cowley back in the late 1980s, but I’d never seen a Phillie do it.

by taco pal on May 13, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions  

Man, Joe Cowley

There’s a name I hadn’t heard in years. I always felt bad for that dude, isn’t he the one who had a mental breakdown after starting the season so badly that his ERA was in the 30’s or 40’s?

by Cormican on May 14, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions  

Pedro's projected full-season stats

162 G
535 AB
70 R
162 H
11 HR
103 RBI
70 BB (!)
65 K
.303 BA
.377 OBP
.424 SLG

by taco pal on May 13, 2009 11:38 AM EDT reply actions  

Anyone know what the record is for most consecutive walks?

It would have had to have been Bonds, I’d think.

by taco pal on May 13, 2009 3:36 PM EDT reply actions  

That would be 7

Done most recently by Barry Bonds. Honestly, the list is mostly sluggers (Bonds, Canseco, I think Mel Ott was on the list) so probably included several intentionals in there. Feliz’s is impressive because nobody intentionally walks Pedro.

by Cormican on May 14, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions  

I wonder

Pedro might have gotten an IBB or two in one of his previous 3 walk games if he was batting 8th.

by phatj on May 14, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions  

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