Looking Back on the 2008 World Series: Philadelphia Phillies

For at least the fifth consecutive season, the National League representative comes into the World Series as the underdog. This year’s contender, the Phillies, benefited from the Mets’ collapse, version 2.0, as well as a timely peak in their own play.

This year’s team

The Phillies won in 2008 with serious power distributed through the front on the lineup. They led the N.L. in homers and finished second in slugging. Ryan Howard, in particular, had an MVP-caliber season, with 48 home runs and 146 RBIs (as well as, um, 199 strikeouts). Jimmy Rollins fell back to earth after 2007, but Chase Utley cushioned the blow by staying in the lineup for 159 games. The ever underrated Pat Burrell (119 career OPS+) put up another solid season, and Shane Victorino transitioned into a more than adequate everyday player, leading the regulars in batting average.

On the pitcher’s mound, 2008 was another positive step for Cole Hamels. He won only 14 games, but led the N.L. in WHIP, giving up fewer than eight hits per nine innings. Furthermore, behind an otherwise unremarkable rotation, the bullpen was stellar, giving up fewer runs than any other group in the league.

Thinking back to 2007

There are two reasons why this Philadelphia team sends your mind back to last season. First, because the 2007 Phillies were substantially the same team, yet fell short in the NLCS. Second, because last year’s World Series featured another unheralded National League team that got hot (okay, scalding) in September. The Rockies, like the Phillies, used a balanced offense and quietly solid pitching to get to the end of October.

Are this year’s Phillies better than they were in 2007? In a word, yes, but where was the improvement? There appear to be two main differences. First, a full season worth of Chase Utley. The second baseman came in the top ten in MVP voting in 2007 despite playing only 132 games, and for good reason—he was third in the league in doubles despite the missed time, and 8 ^th in OPS+. Getting a full year’s production out of Utley was hugely important for the 2008 Phillies, especially with Rollins’ offensive struggles. It is also good to note the Phillies’ strong infield defense—all four players have above-average gloves, and in this aspect Rollins was as strong as usual.

The second big improvement over 2007 was the performance of the bullpen, which can itself be attributed to the addition of Brad Lidge. The former Astro was not only one of the most dominant closers in baseball, he also facilitated Brett Myers’ transition back to the rotation. By strengthening the starting pitching, Philadelphia was able to better preserve its bullpen. In 2008, six pitchers threw at least 30 innings in relief, and none of them had an ERA over 3.60. Compare this to 2007, when eight pitchers threw 30 innings and five of them posted a ERA over 4.00. Myers was a useful third starter and got hot in August, winning four games and limiting opponents to a .287 on-base percentage.

Of course, another easy way to see that this year’s edition is superior is that they made it to the World Series, whereas the 2007 Phillies were swept by the Rockies. Would it be fair to compare the 2008 squad with last year’s pennant winners? As stated above, both teams flew under the radar until the end, only getting in by the skin of their respective teeth. Another similarity is the solid bullpen—setting up Manny Corpas and Brian Fuentes were a host of middle relievers who pitched a tremendous number of innings. Both had a strong offensive infield, a somewhat uneven rotation, and both had been absent from the playoffs for several seasons.

So, is there any reason to give Philadelphia a better chance than their predecessors? Absolutely. First, the pitching staff is more experienced, led by Jamie Moyer as well as Lidge, who played in the 2005 World Series with Houston. Second, Philadelphia does not struggle on the road in the same way that Colorado did—they had a winning record away from home on the season, and won key games there in each of their two playoff series. That will be important against Tampa, since the A.L. has once again gained home field advantage.

Leafing through the annals

The Phillies have been in Philadelphia continuously since 1890, yet for some reason the franchise has never had the romantic allure of the other grand old clubs. Over that time frame there have been six pennant winners, most recently in 1993. Only one of those teams has gone on to win the World Series—the 1980 Phillies. Let’s look at the men in whose footsteps Howard et al. look to follow.

In point of fact, it’s somewhat misleading to refer to the 1980 Phillies as a ‘team.’ Granted, there were 25 men on the roster, but virtually all the heavy lifting was done by two solitary stars. Mike Schmidt hit 48 home runs and won the MVP unanimously; on the last weekend of the season, in a series that would determine the pennant, he hit a go-ahead shot in the 11 ^th inning against Montreal to bring home the flag. No one else in baseball could match him at the plate, but he had a counterpart on the mound in teammate Steve Carlton. The lefty led the league in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched, and came in third in ERA. He received 23 of 24 first place votes for the Cy Young award. The only other Phillies pitcher with an ERA+ over 100 was Dick Ruthven at 107; Carlton, meanwhile, led the league at 162.

At least offensively, the 1980 Phillies were not a good comparison for this year’s model, which gets above average production from several sources. That team was also much older than the current one, which is quite young apart from Moyer (who, incidentally, allowed Schmidt 17 hits in 42 career at-bats). There are, however, several interesting comparisons. Cole Hamels is doing his best Steve Carlton impersonation, and Brad Lidge is at least as dominant as Tug McGraw was for the world champs. Both teams have stronger defense in the infield than the outfield (with apologies to the shamefully forgotten Bake McBride).

Perhaps most importantly, both teams faltered down the stretch in previous seasons, and both grew from the experience. Most commentators would agree that the Philadelphia teams managed by Danny Ozark from 1976-78 were the better than 1980, but those earlier groups had all failed to capture the pennant. More recently, the 2007 Phillies were decidedly not better than this year’s team, but one might imagine that last year’s defeat has taught them a lesson about playoff performance.

It’s also worth pointing out that in 1980, the American League pennant winner was a recent expansion team in its first World Series, relying chiefly on team speed and youth. Those Royals, on the other hand, had poor pitching which was ultimately their downfall. Still, a young Willie Wilson would have fit right in with the 2008 Rays, and Tampa fans could wish Evan Longoria nothing better than to match the career of George Brett.

Of course, the 2008 Phillies will ultimately stand on their own merits, and serve in turn as a measuring stick for teams of the future. The eve of the first game of the World Series, however, is as fair a time as any to look back through the past for wafted hints of the future.