(The following was originally published in the October 27th, 2008 edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer.)Brett Myers peered towards the plate, searching for Chris Coste's sign. The Phillies were one strike away from taking a 2-1 World Series lead. Only the bat of Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis stood in their way.
Just a few months ago, this scenario would have seemed highly unlikely. On July 1st, the Phillies lead their division, but weren't exactly playing like a World Series contender. They clung to a slim one-game lead, an advantage that would become a one-game deficit before the week ended. The offensive juggernaut of May had devolved into an almost punchless outfit, solely dependent upon the long ball. The starting rotation, beyond Cy Young-candidate Cole Hamels, was erratic at best. In a surprising move, struggling Opening Day starter Brett Myers, and his $8.5 million contract, was demoted to the minors. The Phils were a few weeks away from becoming a trade deadline seller.
Myers' demotion became one of the turning points of the Phillies' pennant-winning season. Myers spent three weeks in AAA, and returned for the stretch run with his confidence back. He had his
mojo back. With the acquisition of RF Matt Holliday in late July solidifying the again-potent offense, the Phillies played .800 ball in August and September, easily winning the NL East. Twelve playoff games later, Brett Myers was a pitch away from wrapping up Game 3.
Myers wanted to close out the game with an exclamation point. With his fastball. But the scouting reports, and his veteran catcher, called for the curve. The poised hurler whirled into his windup, and froze Youkilis with a curve that just caught the plate. The Phillies had the Series lead, and Randy Wolf had his 3rd playoff win. Injured closer Brad Lidge was the first to congratulate Myers on his seventh playoff save. Lidge's freak season-ending injury on July 20th had been viewed by many as the blow that would kill the Phils' postseason chances. A rejuvenated Brett Myers felt differently.
