BOX SCORE
The Phillies completed the climb to the top of the National League East mountaintop on Saturday night, and they acted like theyd been there before. They shook hands, they hugged, they popped some champagne corks and puffed on some victory cigars.
All in all, though, the celebration was rather muted, somewhat routine and definitely controlled. The Phillies, indeed, have been here before. Their division clinching, 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals (see game breakdown) marked the fifth straight year that they have won the NL East.
This is just one piece, manager Charlie Manuel said.
One piece of what the Phillies hope is a journey to a second World Series championship in four years.
This is a step, Ryan Howard said in the victorious clubhouse. Well celebrate a little, but we know the true test starts in October.
Several players made outstanding contributions to the Phillies 98th and biggest win of the season.
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Hunter Pence knocked in a pair of runs.
Shane Victorino homered on his way to a three-RBI night.
Raul Ibanez put an exclamation point on the evening with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth.
Perhaps the best contribution came from Roy Oswalt, who looked like a postseason-ready pitcher in delivering seven shutout innings. He walked none and struck out seven. The ball had excellent life coming out of his hand.
It was jumping, he said.
Oswalt may have come up with something that will help him find consistency in his inconsistent season. He threw a light bullpen session the day before he pitched, and will probably continue to do that before his remaining starts.
After the game, Oswalt allowed himself a swig or two of champagne. It has been a difficult year for him. He spent a week at home in Mississippi helping his family, friends and neighbors clean up after a tornado, and pitched most of the season dealing with a back injury.
Its pretty special to pitch the last game that got us in, Oswalt said. Any clincher is special, especially with all the stuff I had to deal with this year. But any one of the five guys could have pitched tonight. Theyre all great.
Yes, they are.
When the Phillies assembled in Clearwater for spring training, they thought they had a starting pitching staff for the ages, and it has turned out that way with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee vying for the NL Cy Young Award and Cole Hamels not far out of the picture. The three pitchers rank in the top seven in the league in ERA.
I actually think theyve been better than advertised because of the expectations put on them, pitching coach Rich Dubee said of the rotation. They pitched beyond those expectations. They took it to another level.
We have a great rotation. Look at the numbers. But right now were just getting started.
That mindsetwere just getting startedshowed in how the Phillies reacted after Ryan Madson got the final out of the game. There was no jumping around, no pigpile, no wild scene on the field. Players lined up and shook hands. There was the occasional hug. But most of all, this team remained businesslike because it has more business to take care of.
That was a sign that this is great to do but were looking to do more, Oswalt said. Were looking to win that last game of the year.
Winning the last game of the year, the World Series clincher, is the reason Halladay and Oswalt waived no-trade clauses to come to Philadelphia. It is the reason Lee and Ibanez signed with the Phillies.
Ibanezs eighth-inning grand slam turned a tight game into a blowout. As the ball landed in the rightfield seats, the 198th straight sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park erupted in joy. The fans lured Ibanez from the dugout for a curtain call and later saluted him as he ran to his position in left field.
Every hair on my arm stood up, Ibanez said. It was unbelievable. These are the best fans in the game.
Ibanez is 39 years old and a free agent at seasons end. He is a man of great feeling. In the winning clubhouse, he spoke of someday telling his grandchildren that I was a part of a team like this and got to play with a pitching staff like this.
He would like to have a World Series ring on his finger when he tells the story.
One hurdle has been cleared. The Phillies are NL East champs. The rest of the journey starts in two weeks.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com