Broxton vs. Phillies: A life in pictures

Comments

[NCPhilly]

Pwned

[gobaystars!]

That was quick.

[Tony]

f*cking awesome graphic

and..

CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCHHHHHHH

[Scotch Man]

Can the Braves do a waiver trade for Broxton?

[GTown_Dave]

zoowithroy (via Twitter): BROXTOWNED

[BloodStripes]

Smoked!!!

[NEPP]

God help him if he's ever traded to or he signs with an NL East team...that could get ugly if he has to see us 20 times a year.

[Sophist]

trust your stuff, ox.

Broxton and Billingsley's lower bodies are probably 300+ lbs combined.

Phils had no business taking 2/3 of these games considering the pitching matchups. Kendrick v Padilla and Blanton v Kershaw.

MORE:

http://www.mlb4all.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/stairs-gw-hr2-300x200.jpg

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1019/mlb_g_jrollwalkoff_300.jpg

[awh]

Sweeney with Phillies:

17 PA, 15 AB, 4 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 RBI

.333 .412 .333 .745

No XBH.......yet.

[awh]

Sophist, excellent work.

[J. Weitzel]

Favorite play: Hard double off the wall. Favorite player: Carlos Ruiz. Favorite ending: Walk-off rally. Most hated foe: Mets. Oh well

[GTown_Dave]

JW: Tough luck. Maybe tomorrow, though.

[freesamuel]

Bullpen? We don't need no stinking bullpen! Chooooooooch!!!

[Sophist]

Just looked it up and found something interesting:

Broxton's middle name is "Roy."

[Old Phan]

On one hand, I wouldn't want to start Raul against a LHP. On the other hand, he's been hot so I was OK with him starting. On the third hand, his AB in the 8th was the worst AB of the game. On the last hand, they won the game so all is well.

[johnnysanz3]

wow, i gave up on the game in the 8th....awesome

[MSH]

Fantastic!!!!

[MG]

I still want to know if when the last time the Phils overcame a deficit like that with 2 IP to play.

[awh]

Unfortunately, that win probably buries the Dodgers, expecially psychologically.

They could go into Atlanta and get swept.

[The Truth Injection]

The only Phillies pitcher to not give up a run tonight was Baez.

Thankfully he didn't do what many pitchers do in a blowout and phone in a performance.

[steve]

i literally had no faith until broxton got in the game. he has a mental block against the red pinstripes for some reason

[RSB]

I only wish I could have seen Tommy Lasorda's reaction.

[Sophist]

MG, a deficit like this?

http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2010-08-12&team=Phillies&dh=0&season=2010

[BloodStripes]

Before that out in the 8th Raul hit the ball hard for a few or all 4 outs.

Apparantly it was the best comeback that late in a game in 20 years ago. That time Phils beat LA as well.

[EastFallowfield]

.

[dutch]

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know squat about Ronald Belisario. I've seen him two games. But how can the Dodgers justify keeping that loser around?

[RSB]

That was the game where the Phillies were down 11-1 in the 8th and tied in on John Kruk's pinch 3-run homer in the 9th.

I'm proud to say I was still heartily watching both of these games for no apparent reason...

[Sophist]

Shoulda bunted. Shoulda kept Lee.

[phils and nova]

i'm sure this is an exhausted topic and i've been away from the tv and computer.....but are you kidding me?!? pat burrell hits 2 hr's today and one is a grand freaking slam

burrell's probably in the top 3 of favorite all time phillies and i'm so happy that his career is back but dang i wish he was doing this for tampa bay or another team in the AL

[EastFallowfield]

MLB Network showed highlights of the game RSB just brought up.

Everybody was skinnier before the Macho Row era.

[The Truth Injection]

MG: Not sure of the exact last time but MLB Network just showed highlights of the Phillies overcoming an 11-3 deficit to the Dodgers on August 21, 1990. They scored 9 in the 9th to win.

[joe l]

Well done, though it would have been nice to have an image of the Phillie doing the damage below each of his pictures.

[TrueGrit]

MLB network just aired highlights of the 1990 comeback in LA...i was only 7 years old, but some great names on that squad...Rod Booker, Carmelo Martinez, Dale Murphy, Kruk, Mulholland...

i never leave a game early, literally never...but i was with my parents tonight and Dad wasnt feelin great....left in mid-8th....go figure...fortunately, i was home in time to see chooch, who is now 3-3 with 2 BB vs. broxton

pitching matchups look pretty good for the weekend...wonder if we'll see k-rod

[mm]

Wait, is sweeney picking chooch up so he can "fly like superman" like he's 3 or something? Thats RIDIC!

[Zudok]

Great win! Looks to me like that Dodger 'pen is runnin' on Dunkin' - and I don't mean the coffee! Chooch looked hitterish, did he not? Nice touch on radio postgame show - JJ plays back Franzke call of J-Roll winner last October before tonight's game-winner. Had 'em all the way!

[Fatalotti]

Dear Carlos Ruiz, Matt Stairs and Jimmy Rollins:

I hate you.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Broxton

[EastFallowfield]

.

[RSB]

How many monumental closer meltdowns have the Phillies now benefited from this year? There was the game that Werth tied with 2 outs in the 9th at San Fran...Carlos Marmol in Chicago, Leo Nunez in Florida, now this. They've really stolen their share of wins this year. Sort of compensates some for watching Brad Lidge the last couple of seasons.

[awh]

Interesting stat from the guys at MLB Network:

Broxton has faced Ruiz 4 times.

He has yet to retire him:

4 PA, 3 AB, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 2B, 4 RBI

1.000 1.000 2.000

[gobaystars!]

That's Schnieder making him fly like superman.

[p. Red]

mm: That's Schneider and it looks like he's trying to rip the Ruiz off his back.

Anyone have a link to Franzke's call of this?

[Spitz]

Holy back handed compliment RSB!

[awh]

The announcers mentioned it as well, but kudos need to go to Ben Francisco for a great piece of baserunning to score the winning run.

He read it right off the bat, and got home so fast there wasn't even a throw - right behind Werth.

[Sophist]

The Franzke call had me swerving into the Indian River Bay.

[GTown_Dave]

Someone took the liberty of editing Broxton's Wiki entry, to hilarious effect:

Jonathan Broxton - Wikipedia

[JD]

And to those who left the Zen early or turned off the game...(in my best Nelson Muntz voice)HA HA!

[Dukes]

it's amazing...on a night when we talked about how bad TBag is, his call on Ruiz's winning double was as bad as we built him up to be. I heard Franzkie and the whole inning he was just great...and the call was very good. TBag talks about the game being tied and then realizes that the Phillies might win and by that time it was too late. He was just so loud and annoying...just not enjoyable. Man I miss Harry.

[JD]

You're STILL complaining about McCarthy? Wow.

[JD]

Meanwhile, maybe the Phils can sign Broxton.

[Dukes]

Ha Ha, Old Phan...only because I switched ro radio and then just went online and heard his call. It was just so bad. I'll stop now.

[Sophist]

Franzke, LA >>>>>>>>>>>>> TMac, Wheels

[JD]

I'd almost rather hear people talk about Howard's contract than T-Mac. Almost.

[kilbillrain]

more from wiki...

Personal life
Broxton and his wife, Elizabeth, married in January 2006.[5][6] The couple had their first child, a son named Jonathan Brooks,[7] on June 11, 2009.[8] Broxton is currently seeing a psychologist to treat recurring dreams of Phillies players getting walk off hits against him. He has been able to pitch through these treatments because real life is a lot of the same.

[awh]

Old Phan, not "McCarthy"........"TBag".

[Dukes]

Old Phan: Why, are you a tmac fan?

[bay_area_phan]

I'm incredulous. For all my pessimism, I do not walk out on games. But I did start doing other stuff when the score was 9-2. Then I started paying attention again in the 8th -- except I thought it was the 9th. When Ibanez made the last out of the inning, I left, thinking they had just lost. Unbelievable.

[awh]

bap, I guess you're not a true phan.

[awh]

Last 20 games: 16 - 4.

[kbless]

Watching from Baltimore, where the Ravens just played their first preseason game. There's a Philly oriented bar around the block from me, where I can always catch the Phils/Eagles/Flyers etc.... The bar is packed with Ravens fans, and there is one TV in the corner showing the Phils. My brother and I literally quieted the whole bar when the ball left Chooch's bat. Everyone was staring at us like we were insane. One or two other guys were going nuts as well. Dear Baltimore, this is what a pennant race feels like.

[kilbillrain]

anybody know where i can lisen Scott's call? Or see a replay of the MLB broadcast w/ Bob C?

[Sophist]

killbrain - someone posted it on tindeck dot com. You have to search for "tlsn" and it shows up as "ruiz walkoff"

[Sophist]

or just search for "ruiz walkoff"

[awh]

.293 .385 .520 .905

The above line has been produced by that washed up LF who plays for the Giants now.

I sure hope he doesn't come back to haunt the Phils.

[phillyBlunt]

Franzke call:
http://tindeck.com/listen/tlsn

A little underwhelming just on it's own. But that's really only in the shadow of the epic HoF call...

[Sophist]

phillyBlunt, compared to TMac and Wheels call of the Ruiz walkoff, the Franzke call is Jack Buck 88 World Series good.

[vegas]

season=over :)

[The Truth Injection]

I do like Franzke as an announcer better than TMac, but Wheels is better to listen to than LA. Not even close.

[denny b.]

What we are learning....

-Besides Mariano Rivera, there aren't many lights out closers in baseball. Broxton literally looked scared to death tonight. He didn't want to throw his best pitch. He wanted to nibble. He faced 5 guys and they all reached base.

-The Phils are now scoring runs without the long ball. They have gotten back to running again and have shown an ability to string hits together and keep innings alive with walks/patience at the plate. Hope this continues even when Utley and Howard return. If they could ever get their leadoff hitter going, look out.

-Biggest series of the year starts on Tuesday. The Phils truthfully have a 2 way to go to make the playoffs. The division is the simplist way to get in. But just in case the Braves play out of their minds the rest of the year, getting ahead of San Francisco/San Diego (whoever doesn't win the west) would be nice. Taking 2 out of 3 from SF next week, gets that ball rolling.

-Why would anyone leave a Phillies game early? Some of the best memories of Phils games in the past 4 or 5 years, are of 9th inning/extra inning wins. How many more times do we have to be reminded that this team, no matter who is in uniform, plays 27 outs? Its truly what seperates them from about any other team in baseball.

-Yes the schedule has been favorable, but to think the Phils have now won 16 of their last 20 games and done it without Utley and mostly without Howard and Victorino is amazing. The culture of winning means so much. You plug a Ross Gload in or a Mike Sweeney in or a Wilson Valdez in or a Domonic Brown in, and it doesn't seem to matter. They put the Phillie uniform on and they become Chase Utley or Ryan Howard or Shane Victorino. You plug in a starting pitcher from AA or AAA, and they seem to pitch better in the majors then they do in the minors. Its amazing to watch.

[The Truth Injection]

Also, after now listening to Franzke's call of the final play- for one night TMac had the better call.

[bay_area_phan]

awh: Um, I don't think one could seriously question my fanhood. I made an honest, albeit stupid, mistake. I thought the 8th was the 9th & that the game ended with Ibanez's out.

Quite honestly, I doubt they would have come back if I had been here so, in a way, I'm glad I left.

[kilbillrain]

Is it me or does Joe T need a serious fitting by Kramer for the "Bro"?

[Sophist]

TTI - You're nuts. "How about that!" after failing to notice that Benny was on Werth's heals the whole way ("The Phils are gonna tie this game... the Phils may win this game"), and then a Wheels and TMac discussion of fan interference while the team mobbed Ruiz.

I think you're going to find yourself alone on that judgment, even though it wasn't Franzke's finest call.

denny, yeah, no closer is perfect. Rivera is the closest thing to perfect and he blew a save a few nights ago and nearly blew one the following night against the Rangers. Broxton is still the 4th/5th best in baseball.

[awh]

bap, in addition to being a casual fan, you also display narcissistic tendencies.

Do you really think YOUR not watching the team had anything at all to do with the comeback?

Do you really think that YOU had an effect on the game?

I sure hope not.

[awh]

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, Papelbon had his 6th blown save this season.

Does that not tie him with Lidge? :)

[awh]

TTI, actually, I thought Costas on MLB Network had the best call of Ruiz's hit.

Franzke was #2.

TBag was a distant, distant second.

[Ryan]

Anyone have a link to Costas call?

[awh]

dennyb, the people who leave early are probably the more casual baseball fans, the ones who weren't there in the 90's when the team sucked, and the ones who will disappear if they ever hit the skids again.

The die hards are the ones who stay.

[awh]

"TBag was a distant, distant second."

Ouch. How about a "distant 3rd".

[Thump Bump]

Wow, Schneider looks a lot like Thome in that pic.

I just checked the box score from the 8/21/1990 game, I was surprised to see Broxton pitched the ninth that day too.

[awh]

I was wr*ng. Lidge has only baked the poodle 4 times this season. Papelbon has baked the poodle twice more.

[JD]

I haven't heard Costas' call yet, but I'm sure it's the best one. T-Whatever's was better than Franzke's. Not that it matters, since the end result is what matters most.

[bay_area_phan]

awh: Someone put a bug up your butt tonight. Heaven forbid I make a joke about my own effect on the outcome of the game, on a blog where we believe in the Beerleaguer Reverse Jinx, where you're not allowed to talk about a no-hitter in progress, and where none other than you, yourself, threatened me with actual violence just a few hours ago, for saying that halladay would probably be the next one to get injured.

[JD]

I saw the clip from the Philly feed, and the best part was the little kid that screamed in his friend's ear, and the friend (or maybe brother) says "That wasn't funny!"

[awh]

Geez, bap, don't you ever get you chops busted in teh Frisco area? :)

[GBrettfan]

Thank you for the Franzke link, phillyBlunt. I love listening to the radio calls. I'm missing all the games right now, so it's great to get informed by this site and the news sites, but the Franzke call puts the cherry on top.

Speaking of getting informed, I'm wondering how many of the Dodgers' 9 runs were Joe Blanton's fault, and who gave up the rest? Also, I thought I read that in the KK game, the BP was also terrible. Feedback from those in the know would be appreciated!

[aksmith]

1. Yeah, that woman behind the whammy kid was smoking.

2. That was a great ending. I actually left to do some errands and only started watching again in the 8th inning. I don't think I missed anything of value.

3. Chooch has become everything we had ever hoped and more.

4. When are the players going to stop mobbing each other after big wins? Brad Lidge. Kendry Morales. Chris Coghlan. How many more are going to get injured in dog piles and bear hugs and pie in the face stupidity before they simply high five each other and act like they've won a game before? I feared for Chooch's safety out there at second base. He looked like he wanted to run to the bullpen to avoid the onslaught, then decided to take it like a man with a guaranteed three year contract. He looked more anxious than Bobby Abreu approaching the right field wall. Thank goodness he kept his helmet on. The guy already had one concussion this year. I'll never understand why anyone would flip his helmet off when being charged by his teammates. Enough of the childish overenthusiasm. They need to start acting like multimillionaires who have a career to protect.

[aksmith]

Seems they've fixed the Broxton Wikipedia page. But the factual part is actually pretty damning without the other stuff:

2008 season

On July 19, 2008, Saito was placed on DL and Broxton inherited the closer role for the remainder of the season. He allowed a pinch hit two run homer to Matt Stairs of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 8th inning of Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS. [4]
2009 World Baseball Classic

Broxton was a member of the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic during March 2009.
2009 season

In his first season as the full-time closer for the Dodgers, Broxton was selected to the National League All-Star team. However, he was unable to play in the Game due to injury. His final regular season record was 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA, 36 saves and 114 strikeouts. Despite his accomplished season, he suffered a costly blown save in Game 4 of the 2009 National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies when he walked Matt Stairs, hit Carlos Ruiz with a pitch and then allowed a two out/two run walk off hit by Jimmy Rollins.
2010 season

In a crucial game against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 12th, blew a 3 run lead by hitting the first batter, walking the next two, allowing a single, and then a game-ending double by Carlos Ruiz. He was promptly mauled by angry Dodger fans upon leaving the stadium.

[BloodStripes]

Mets closer KO Rod was placed on the restricted list Thursday for two days without pay. So won't be available for the opener. With Hamels and the flyin' Phils it shouldn't matter anyway.

[EastFallowfield]

MLB Network highlights include the Costas live calls.

[EastFallowfield]

.

[GM-Carson]

Wow, just wow. That game was awesome. Well, actually it sucked for the first 7.5 innings, but after that it was awesome.

[EastFallowfield]

Hopefully it wasn't too crushing a defeat for LA, seeing how they have 4 with Atlanta next.

[Matt]

game's not over

Posted by: Matt | Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 09:17 PM

just sayin'

[Bruce Ruffin]

I WAS SICK LAST NIGHT -- was in bed by 9:30 PM agonizing how the Phils would overcome another loss in the face of probably another Braves win.

Then, I'm listening to NPR this morning, and the lugubrious announcer sez "... and if you blinked (that hurts, I have conjunctivitis!) you missed it. Phil's win 10 - 9..."

Damn.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Had 'em all the way. ho hum

[EastFallowfield]

Radio Calls in both english and espanol...

[gobaystars!]

Someone mention burrell coming back and haunting the Phillies. While he has turned his career around, I would hardly say that it is making the Phillies look foolish for not signing him. After all he was so awful that he was released. Should the Phillies have sat through 1 1/2 awful seasons for 2 productive months?

[phanatic's brother]

My 11 yr old says " I dont know dad " in the middle of the 8th. He and I sat up and watched the glorious final 2.
Think our pen has trouble(yes I do too). How bout LA bullpen.

Does Chooch have a walk off double, HE DOES !

[Sophist]

I'm hangover this morning and I didn't have anything to drink last night.

gobaystars - Who knows what Burrell would have done on the Phils, but I would not say he's made the Phils look foolish. He's been terrible for all but two weeks since the WFC.

[Sophist]

Burrell 2009: .221/.315/.367 -- at no point was his season OPS over .750

Burrell 2010, 24 games TAM: .202/.292/.333
Burrell 2010, first 22 SF: .338/.405/.615
Burrell 2010, next 24 SF: .203/.333/.344
Burrell 2010, last 7 games: .440/.484/.960

1 season + 50 games of sub .700 OPS from LF; 29 stellar games.

I root for the Giants since I think they'll pass the Padres anyway, but the Phils look pretty smart passing on Burrell here.