Phillies sweep Reds behind Hamels’ complete game
The year of the pitcher continued on Sunday when Cole Hamels tossed a complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds.
Pitching in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Hamels allowed just five hits, striking out nine batters in a 2-0 victory. Jayson Werth scored the first run of the game on a throwing error by shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Chase Utley hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to provide Hamels all the run support he needed.
“This moment here is just another stepping stone to trying to win another World Series. We don't want to get too carried away. We're just going to move on and play the best baseball we can,” Hamels said.
By allowing just five hits, Hamels helped the Phillies set a new Division Series record of least amount of hits allowed. The 11 they allowed against the Reds bettered the 13 the New York Yankees allowed against the Texas Rangers in the 1998 ALDS.
The run Werth scored was Philadelphia’s sixth unearned run of the series, five of those coming in game two when the Reds had a nightmare day in the field. And when the National League’s best offence during the regular season puts up just 11 hits in three games, errors become even more costly.
"I mean, they really pitched, they're a very good team. We kept 'em in the ballpark, so to speak, kept the runs down. We just didn't push across enough runs,” Reds manager Dusty Bakers said.
The Phillies are now looking to become the first National League team to win three NL Championships in-a-row since the St Louis Cardinals did it in 1942-44.
"For everybody here the ultimate goal is to get to the World Series. This is the first step. We're all looking to get to the end,” Roy Halladay, who threw a no-hitter in the first game, said.
The Phillies will now play the Atlanta Braves or San Francisco Giants who play game four of their series on Monday, with the Giants leading the series 2-1.
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