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Like 1964 All Over Again (But in Reverse)
2007-09-19 10:19
by Mike Carminati

It's like déjà vu all over again.

The Phillies overcame a Brett Myers blown save in the tenth to beat the Cards, 7-4, in fourteen innings for their sixth straight win. They now stand 1-1/2 games behind the collapsing Metsgoes in the NL East. Six days ago they were seven games back. No team has come back from more than 6 games after the first week of September to win their division/league.

Just by getting within a game and a half of the Mets in September after trailing by seven is an historic feat. Just 15 teams have done it including the '07 Phils. The Phils are one of two teams, the '06 Atsros being the other, to make that comeback in less than a week. Both teams made their sudden ascension in six days. Unfortunately for the Phils, that Astro team did not make the playoffs. (And the good news for the Mets is that the team that held on to beat the Astros, the Cardinals, ended up winning the World Series.)

Here are all the teams that went from seven or more games out to less than two games out in September with the number of days that ascension took and their eventual record:

YrTmDate 1GBDate 2GBDaysWLRankWon Div?Won WC?Won Lg?Won WS?
2007Philadelphia Phillies200709127200709181.56
2006Houston Astros200609207.5200609261.5682802NNNN
2005Cleveland Indians200509097.5200509221.51393692NNNN
2001St. Louis Cardinals2001090272001093012893692NYNN
1996Seattle Mariners199609137199609201785762NNNN
1982San Francisco Giants1982090571982092612187753N NN
1971Los Angeles Dodgers197109067197109141889732N NN
1964St. Louis Cardinals196409067.5196409261.52093691 YY
1964Cincinnati Reds196409187196409251.5792703 NN
1950Brooklyn Dodgers195009227195009301889652 NN
1938Chicago Cubs193809047193809261.52289631 YN
1934St. Louis Cardinals1934090671934092511995581 YY
1900Pittsburgh Pirates190009037190009211.51879602 N
1891Boston Beaneaters189109047189109251.52187511 Y
1873Boston Red Stockings187309037187309291.52643161 Y

I like the Phils chances of getting to a half game out. Today the Mets turn to Mike Pelfrey, who is 2-7 with a 5.23 ERA and who has not started a game in 12 days, to avoid a sweep in DC. The Mets are 3-10 in games in which he has pitched. The Phils turn to veteran's veteran Jamie Moyer, who is 13-11 overall and 6-4 in the second half despite a 6.26 ERA, a 1.65 WHIP, and a .322 opponent's batting average. The Phils' opponents, the Cardinals, have lost 15 of 16 while the Mets' opponents, the Nats, are 10-6 in September. And Leon is getting laaaaaaaarger!

Comments
2007-09-19 14:30:25
1.   Agronox
Since my A's put up such a crappy year I'm rooting for the Phils for the rest of the season.

It's always going to be interesting with that bullpen, isn't it?

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