Could somebody please tell me what on earth happened to Brad Lidge? He was 48 for 48 in saves last year, including the postseason, in which the Phils won the World Series. Now he is just a shell of his former self, someone who struggles mightily closing out games. Are we waiting for the real Brad Lidge to show up, or is this just who he is?
Over the course of his career, when Lidge is on, he is on. The two best seasons of his career were 2008 (mentioned above) and 2005, a year in which he went 42 for 46 in saves. It is no surprise that in those two seasons, the Astros and the Phillies each won the NL Pennant, with Philly taking home the commissioner's trophy. However, when Lidge is not on, he can be brutal. He had probably the worst season of his career this year, when he went 31 for 42 in saves. In case you are keeping score at home, that is 11 blown saves. Ouch. I did not even mention the fact that Lidge also had a 7.21 ERA, either. Having an ERA that bloated is bad enough for a starting pitcher, let alone a closer. It is a testament to how much talent the Phillies have that they are even in the World Series, because that kind of performance from a closer would have killed any other team. Lidge also had a dismal campaign in 2006, when he went 32 for 38 in saves, with a 5.28 ERA. Since Houston was not quite as talented as this current Phillies team, they missed the postseason. Lidge's performance had to be one of the contributing factors to Houston failing to defend their National League crown.
I do not want to pile on Lidge too much; he seems to be an upstanding guy, and one who can candidly talk about his failures when they occur. You can tell that Lidge is someone who will not let adversity get the best of him, no matter how bad things get. He perseveres, and that is one trait that I like about him. The Phillies however, need for the 2008 Lidge to show up instead of the 2009 Lidge. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act needs to stop. Otherwise, Mr. Hyde will get the best of Dr. Jekyll once again.
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The Phillies are now down three games to one in the World Series. Only five teams have come back to win it all after trailing by this much: the 1925 Pirates, 1958 Yankees, 1968 Tigers, 1979 Pirates and the 1985 Royals. If Philly does come back to win it all, they will have to attempt to become the first team since the 1979 Pirates to take Game Seven on the road. That will be no easy feat, because the road team has lost the last eight Game Sevens played (1982 Brewers, 1985 Cardinals, 1986 Red Sox, 1987 Cardinals, 1991 Braves, 1997 Indians, 2001 Yankees and 2002 Giants).
However, Philly fans should not fear this deficit, and they should look to the five teams who have managed to pull it off for inspiration. Kansas City in 1985 was just three outs away from elimination in Game Six when, by good fortune, they received a generous call from umpire Don Denkinger at first base. The call would unravel the Cardinals as first baseman Jack Clark would miss an easy pop-up in foul territory to help extend the inning. Moments later, Dane Iorg would connect for the game winning base hit off of Cardinals closer Todd Worrell to force a Game 7. The Royals would slam the shaken Cardinals in Game Seven, 11-0, to take home their first ever championship.
In 1979, the Pirates were just six outs away from evening the up the Series at two games apiece against the Baltimore Orioles. The Bucs had a 6-3 lead, and they were turning the game over to their bullpen, which happened to be one of the best in baseball. They were also playing in front of a raucous crowd at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, who were anxious to see their Bucs get back into the Series. Their joy would soon be extinguished by the red-hot bats of the Orioles, as they would score six times in the top of the eighth inning to take a 9-6 lead. The Orioles hung on to win the game, and would take a 3-1 Series lead. Howard Cosell, who was one of the commentators for ABC during the World Series, described the Pirates and their crowd as being "shell-shocked." The Series seemed to be over for certain.
Game Five would feature 23 game winner (and eventual Cy Young winner) Mike Flanagan for Baltimore against Jim Rooker, who went 4-7 with a 4.60 ERA in '79. Advantage Orioles, right? Wrong. Rooker pitched the game of his life, and the Pirates, still determined as ever, defeated the O's 7-1 to send the Series back to Baltimore.
In Game Six, the Pirates would have to face future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. Undeterred and undaunted, the Pirates beat him 4-0 to force Game Seven. Scott McGregor was the Orioles' last hope in Game Seven, but he could not hold on to a slim 1-0 lead, as Willie Stargell lit him up for a two run homer in the top of the sixth inning to give the Pirates the lead for good. "The Family" stuck together, and they would finish on top of the baseball world in 1979.
The 1968 Tigers had to come back from a 3-1 deficit, knowing all along that they would have to defeat Bob Gibson in Game Seven in order to win it all. Gibson had struck out a World Series-record 17 Tigers in Game One. Undeterred, the Tigers would go on to take down Gibson in Game Seven to win it all.
I could go on and on about the 1958 Yankees and the 1925 Pirates, but you get my point. Even though the Phillies are down three games to one against a very tough Yankees team, the lead is not insurmountable. The odds may be stacked against their favor, but so were the odds against the other five teams who trailed 3-1 in the Series. If the Phillies want to win back-to-back titles and mark their place in baseball lore, now is their chance to do it in grand fashion.
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