Phinally!

Raise the banner. Raise the flag. Raise the trophy. The 25 year Philadelphia drought is officially over! The Philadelphia Phillies are World Series Champions! The Phillies have their second World Championship in 125 years of existence.

Words can not be expressed. Excitement, happiness, relieved. It is like Christmas, New Years, the 4th of July, a birthday, and more all mixed into one. Whether it was screaming, jumping, or crying tears of joy, everybody celebrated this wonderful moment in Philadelphia.

As Citizen's Bank Park is not your typical ballpark, this was not your typical World Series. However, the Phillies will take it anyway they can.

Game 5 was suspended due to rain. Tied at 2 in the middle of the 6th inning, 46 hours later, the game continued. Despite the long wait, the fans were into the game. Nobody was sitting in the seats.

For the last 3.5 innings, the Phillies came out firing. Geoff Jenkins led off the 6th inning with a pinch hit double. He would eventually score and the Phillies had a 3-2 lead.

However, the Rays weren't going down quietly. Rocco Baldelli hit a solo homerun off Ryan Madson to tie the game.

Like any World Championship team, the Phillies were resilient. Pat Burrell got his first hit of the World Series, a double, and possibly the last hit of his Philadelphia Phillies career. Eric Bruntlett pinch ran for Burrell. Pedro Feliz hit an RBI single to score Bruntlett from second. That proved to be the winning run.

Like every game during the 2008 season, the 9th inning was Brad Lidge time. With 1 out, and a runner on second, Ben Zobrist hit a line drive to right field. Thankfully, it hung up there in time for Jayson Werth to make the catch. Two strikes to Eric Hinske, and it ended like this:

"One strike away, nothing-and-two the count to Hinske. Fans on their feet,
Brad Lidge stretches . . . the pitch . . . swing and a miss! Struck him out!
...The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball!" -Harry
Kalas

Lidge went down to his knees with his arms up in the air. Ruiz hugged him, and Ryan Howard tackled him to start the dog pile. Lidge remained perfect in save oppurtunities.

The Rays had a great run. Nobody expected them to even have a winning season, and they were in the World Series. They had their best season in franchise history, and with the young talent they have, they'll be back in the Fall Classic. But this year is Philadelphia's year.

While 9=8, '80= '08. 45= 54.

Cole Hamels was named the series MVP. Hamels pitched 13 innings posting a 2.77 ERA with 8 strikeouts.

Champagne popped in the clubhouse. Fans poured onto the streets of Philadelphia. World Champions. That feels so food to say. It was worth the wait. Any championship would be great, but it wouldn't be quite the same if another sports team in Phiadelphia broke the "curse." Start the parade tomorrow!