2008 National League Championship Series

Background

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the series as NL East Champions with a 92–70 record, featuring a lineup led by center fielder Shane Victorino (.293 batting average), first baseman Ryan Howard (48 home runs, 146 RBIs), and second baseman Chase Utley (113 runs scored). Howard won the Josh Gibson Award for the National League, and Utley earned his third consecutive Silver Slugger Award.

Pitching was anchored by left-handed starter Cole Hamels (227 innings pitched), left-hander Jamie Moyer (16 wins), and right-handed reliever Brad Lidge (41 saves). The Los Angeles Dodgers, NL West Champions at 84–78, acquired left fielder Manny Ramirez on July 31, after which he hit .396 with 17 home runs in 53 games. The Dodgers clinched the division with four days left in the regular season and swept the Cubs in the NLDS.

Game summaries

Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park featured Derek Lowe against Cole Hamels. Manny Ramirez drove in a run with a first-inning double, and Blake DeWitt added a sacrifice fly in the fourth for a 2–0 Dodgers lead. In the sixth, a throwing error by Rafael Furcal put Shane Victorino on second, and Chase Utley hit a game-tying two-run home run. Pat Burrell followed with a solo homer to put the Phillies ahead 3–2, and Brad Lidge closed with a perfect ninth for the save.

In Game 2, Phillies starter Brett Myers went 3-for-3 with three RBIs as the offense chased Chad Billingsley in the third inning. The Phillies scored four runs in both the second and third innings, building an 8–2 lead. Ramirez hit a three-run home run in the fourth to cut the deficit to 8–5, but no further scoring occurred. In the seventh, Victorino made a leaping catch at the left-center field wall to rob Casey Blake of a potential two-run double.

Four Phillies relievers combined for four scoreless innings, and Lidge remained perfect in save opportunities. Earlier that day, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel learned of his mother's death; after the game, Victorino learned his grandmother had died the same day.