Let's all thank Josh Edgin for serving up that Chase Utley grand slam, which is one of the greatest things a human being can see with their eyes.
While packing for a trip earlier today, I found my Phillies tiara, which I thought I'd lost. Tonight, I am wearing that tiara while recapping this game for you. That's what this game deserves -- my very favorite piece of game attire, a ridiculous dress-up tiara meant for children.
Tonight's game was all Phillies. If the Phils hadn't needed someone to swing the bat against, the Mets could have taken the night off. (All things considered, perhaps they did.) Jimmy Rollins was the first to cause trouble for Dillon Gee, hitting his 14th homer of the year off of Gee in the third inning. Grady Sizemore hit his own solo shot in the fourth inning, his first as Phillie. The score was 2-0 until the seventh inning, when Gee was replaced by Josh Edgin after loading the bases. Then Chase Utley came up, and it was all over. He hit a monster grand slam off of Edgin, causing women to faint all over the greater Philadelphia area, and in fact the world.
The offense was great, but in reality this game was all Cole Hamels. He is pitching phenomenally right now, dominating the Mets over eight shutout innings. Dominating. They did have six hits against him, but no one made it past second base all night. Hamels also struck out eight and walked zero. He was just fabulous tonight, as he's been recently. Watching him pitch so well now, nearly six years after he was World Series MVP, makes me indescribably happy. Hamels is the real thing, and he's OUR thing.
If you're wondering where the rest of Mets are in all of this, don't. They mustered so little against Cole Hamels that the Mets broadcast booth spent the majority of the game loving on Hamels himself. They complimented his pitching style, his mental toughness, his ability to bounce back, his bunting ability, his athleticism, and probably more, but it was hard to keep track since they were seriously talking about him that much. They seemed genuinely thrilled that Hamels was pitching so well at Citi Field, something he hasn't done consistently in his career.
Cole Hamels: Mets broadcaster approved. Get on board, world.
Source: FanGraphs