Saturday Major League Capsule.
PHILADELPHIA 5, TAMPA BAY 4
PHILADELPHIA The Philadelphia Phillies hit three home runs, but it was a 45-foot single that eventually brought the win.
Carlos Ruiz hit an infield single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game Three of the World Series.
Jamie Moyer pitched 6 1/3 strong innings for Philadelphia, which took a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Rays pitching and defense let them down in the bottom of the ninth, beginning when lefthander J.P. Howell (0-1) hit Eric Bruntlett leading off the frame.
Righthander Grant Balfour came on to face Shane Victorino and unleashed a wild pitch, allowing Bruntlett to take second. Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro recovered the ball and tried to get the out at second, but his throw sailed into center field, allowing Bruntlett to advance to third.
Rays manager Joe Maddon elected to intentionally walk Victorino and pinch hitter Greg Dobbs, bringing Ruiz to the plate. On a 2-2 pitch, Ruiz hit a squibber down the third base line to score Bruntlett with the winning run.
J.C. Romero (1-0) picked up the win after retiring all four batters he faced.
Tampa Bay had pulled even in the eighth against righthander Ryan Madson. B.J. Upton led off with an infield single and, after Carlos Pena struck out, stole second.
Upton then took off for third. Catcher Ruiz fired down to third baseman Pedro Feliz, but his throw hit Upton in the foot and bounced into foul territory, allowing Upton to score.
Rain delayed the start of the game by 91 minutes, with the first pitch not coming until 10:07 p.m. EDT – the latest first pitch in World Series history.
The delay did not seem to affect Moyer, who set down 12 of the first 14 batters he faced and struck out five. The 45-year-old lefthander allowed three runs and five hits.
A 22-year veteran, Moyer was making his first career appearance in the World Series, becoming the second-oldest pitcher after 46-year-old Jack Quinn in 1929 to start in the Fall Classic.
Chase Utley gave Moyer a lead with which to work in the first inning. Jimmy Rollins led off with single and moved to second when Jayson Werth walked. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Rollins came home when Utley grounded out to first.
The Rays responded by manufacturing their own run in the bottom of the frame, with Carl Crawford doubling, stealing third and scoring on Gabe Gross sacrifice fly.
Ruiz wasted little time putting the Phillies back in front. Facing Matt Garza with two outs and none on in the second, he blasted a 1-0 offering into the left field seats.
Solo homers became a trend for Philadelphia in the sixth, when Utley led off by reaching down for a 1-2 pitch around his knees and driving it deep into the stands in right field for his second homer of the World Series and third of the postseason.
Ryan Howard followed, launching a 2-2 pitch to nearly the same spot in the stands for back-to-back homers. It was the first postseason blast for Howard, who led the major leagues with 48 in the regular season.
Moyer had allowed one run through the first six innings before being victimized by a bad call at first base to open the seventh. Crawford dropped down a bunt along the first base line that Moyer fielded and flipped out of his glove to first baseman Howard as he was falling to the ground.
Howard grabbed the ball with his bare hand before Crawford reached the bag, but first base umpire Tom Hallion called the runner safe. Navarro followed with a double to put runners on second and third with none out, and both scored on groundouts.
