While Wilson Valdez's pitching performance stole the headlines and quickly jumped into the hearts of fans in attendance as the most memorable takeaway from the wild 19 inning victory on Thursday morning at Citizens Bank Park, so many guys contributed to the victory.
Raul Ibanez may have gotten the game-winner, but this was a team effort.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest keys to this game was the yeoman's effort put in by Danys Baez out of the bullpen. He threw 5 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, while upping his pitch count to a remarkable 73. Charlie Manuel joked after the game that he sure got the most out of him.
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Ryan Howard hit a home run in the 10th to keep this thing going. Jimmy Rollins made sick defensive play after sick defensive play, showing off the cannon he still possesses.
Then there was Chooch. Not only did Carlos Ruiz catch two whole baseball games worth of pitches, but he also transitioned to third base once Wilson Valdez took over pitching duties. In one of the more hustle plays of the evening, Chooch went after a foul ball down the third base line like whether or not he caught it decided the fate of the entire world, not just a baseball game.
A remarkable hustle effort from Carlos Ruiz, just one memorable play in a game that had dozens of them.
Photos by US Presswire