2009 NLCS recap

By now, Brad Lidge appearing at the end of an NLCS was an expected sight. It was his fourth -- two with Houston and then two with Philadelphia. And when Lidge threw his final pitch to Ronnie Belliard for an F-8, this is what played over the Citizens Bank Park speakers: "Meet the new boss / Same as the new boss."

"The Who" lyrics were appropriate, because the Phillies were headed back to the World Series, where they had won it all a year earlier for the first time since 1980. Their repeat hopes were led by Ryan Howard, the 2009 NLCS MVP Award winner, who had many key hits, including a two-run triple in the first inning of Game 3 -- an 11-0 blowout that put the Phillies ahead in the series for good.

In that game, Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee delivered probably the finest individual performance of the series: eight shutout innings, striking out 10 and allowing three hits. Chad Durbin closed out the gem with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Dodgers still had a chance to tie the series at 2-2 had Jonathan Broxton only saved a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 4 in Philly. Manny Ramirez was replaced in left field for the start of the inning, and as an aside, it was a typical "Manny Being Manny" moment, as he reportedly hit the showers before the Phillies' upcoming dramatics were through.

With one out, Broxton walked pinch-hitter Matt Stairs and then hit Carlos Ruiz with a pitch. Greg Dobbs lined out, and with two gone and two on, Jimmy Rollins stepped up and roped a 1-1 pitch to the gap in right-center, scoring both runners for the walk-off win.

Philadelphia easily clinched two nights later with a 10-4 victory, and next up was a short train ride to the Bronx to face the Yankees in the World Series. The Phillies hoped to become the first NL club since the 1975-76 Reds to repeat as world champions.

Speaking of the Yankees, one postscript of this NLCS is that Game 5 marked the final postseason game managed by Joe Torre. After so many success stories in October (and November), the Dodgers' manager would return for an 80-82 season with the Dodgers in 2010 and then be replaced by his former coach Don Mattingly, ultimately moving into a senior-management role within Major League Baseball.

Path to the NLCS
NLDS: Philadelphia over Milwaukee (3 games to 1); Los Angeles over Chicago (3 games to 0)

Managers: Charlie Manuel, PHI; Joe Torre, LAD

MVP: Cole Hamels