Game 5 of the World Series resumed on Wednesday night after nearly a 46-hour delay, and a little more than an hour later the Phillies defeated the Rays 4-3 to win the World Series. The Phillies didn't waste any time, scoring in the bottom of the sixth inning, just a few minutes after the game was resumed, on an RBI single by Jayson Werth to shallow center. Rocco Baldelli answered quickly for the Rays, hitting a solo home run off Ryan Madson in the top of the seven, but Philadelphia answered back just as quickly in the bottom of the inning. Pat Burrell led off the inning with a double, and Pedro Feliz then singled home Eric Bruntlett, who ran for Burrell, to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Philadelphia reliever J.C. Romero recorded four outs before closer Brad Lidge came on in the top of the ninth. Lidge got Evan Longoria to pop out to Chase Utley behind second base for the first out of the inning, with the crowd at Citizens Bank Park waving their white towels in anticipation. Dioner Navarro then singled to right to put the tying run on the base pads with Ben Zobrist, pitch-hitting for Baldelli, coming up to bat. Fernando Perez, running for Navarro, stole second before Zobrist lined out to right. Perez was forced to stay at second on the play, and manager Joe Maddon sent Eric Hinske to the plate to hit for Jason Bartlett with Tampa Bay down to their last out. Lidge then struck Hinske out to win the game and the World Series for the Phillies and the city of Philadelphia.

The Tampa Bay Rays evened up the World Series on Thursday night with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. James Shields, who started for the Rays, went 5 2/3 innings. He scattered seven hits and walked two but didn't allow a run. Tampa Bay got to Philadelphia's Brett Myers early, scoring two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI ground outs by Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria. B.J. Upton, who absolutely dominated in the ALCS against Boston, hit an RBI single in the second to push Tampa's lead to 3-0. Shortstop Jason Bartlett got to Myers, as well, hitting a sacrifice bunt to the mound that scored Cliff Floyd and gave the Rays a 4-0 advantage in the fourth inning. The Phillies, who out-hit the Rays 9-7 in the loss, got their first run on a pitch-hit home run by Eric Bruntlett in the top of the eighth inning. A fielding error by outfielder Jayson Werth in the first, and another by catcher Carlos Ruiz in the fifth inning, allowed the Rays to keep innings alive. David Price, who gave up the homer to Bruntlett in the eighth, remained on the mound to pitch in the ninth inning. Ruiz led off the inning with a double to left off Price, but Jimmy Rollins continued his recent postseason struggles with a pop-up to short for the first out of the inning. Werth then reached on a fielding error by Price, with Ruiz scoring on the play. Price rallied to strike out Chase Utley for the second out of the inning, with Ryan Howard on deck. Howard grounded out to second to end the game, allowing Tampa Bay to even the series at a game apiece heading into the weekend. Game 3 will be Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia with Jamie Moyer facing off against Matt Garza.

The Philadelphia Phillies took Game 1 of the World Series over the Rays, 3-2, in Tampa Bay on Wednesday night. Cole Hamels pitched beautifully, throwing seven strong innings. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. Chase Utley gave the Phillies an early lead on a two-run home run in the top half of the first inning. Carlos Ruiz added another run for Philadelphia with an RBI ground out in the fourth, and the NL Champions never looked back. Carl Crawford hit a solo shot to put Tampa Bay on the board in the bottom of the fourth, and Akinori Iwamura drove in the team's second run with a double in the fifth that scored Jason Bartlett. Zeros were put up on the board for the remainder of the game, with closer Brad Lidge coming on to retire the Rays 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.

The Rays and Red Sox combined to set a new record for home runs in a league championship series on Sunday night in Game 7. Boston's Dustin Pedroia hit a solo shot in the first inning to move the 2008 ALCS into a tie with the 2004 NLCS (Houston-St. Louis). Tampa Bay's Willy Aybar then added a solo jack in the seventh to set a new Major League record for home runs in a LCS. The Rays and Red Sox combined to hit 26 home runs in their seven-game series, which Tampa Bay won on Sunday night. Both B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria hit four home runs in this year's ALCS while Carlos Pena and Pedroia each had three.

The Rays defeated the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS, 3-1, on Sunday night to advance to their first-ever World Series. Matt Garza started for Tampa Bay, and pitched seven strong innings of one-run baseball. He struck out nine, walked three, and gave up just two hits. Garza was named the 2008 ALCS MVP. After Alex Cora reached in the eighth inning on an error by shortstop Jason Bartlett to start the inning, Tampa manager Joe Maddon used Dan Wheeler, J.P. Howell, Chad Bradford, and David Price to get out of the inning unscathed. Price then remained on the mound in the top of ninth to preserve the win for the Rays, sending them to their first World Series in a season of firsts for Tampa Bay. Dustin Pedroia put Boston on the board in the first inning with a solo shot off Garza, and Jon Lester was in complete control through the game's first three innings. The Rays rallied in the fourth, though, as Evan Longoria hit an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. Rocco Baldelli then hit an RBI single in the fifth to give the Rays a 2-1 lead. Lester pitched seven innings, struck out eight, and walked none. However, he wasn't able to get out of the game before Willy Aybar hit a solo home run in the seventh, pushing Tampa Bay's lead to 3-1 heading into the eighth inning. Boston loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, but a combination of five pitchers retired the Sox without a single run coming across the plate. After Hideki Okajima retired the Rays in order, Price trotted back out onto the mound for Tampa Bay with the Sox down to their last three outs. Price walked Jason Bay on eight pitches but struck out Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek to move the Rays to within one out of the World Series. Jed Lowrie came to the plate, pinch-hitting for Cora, and grounded out to second to end Boston's season. The Rays will host the Phillies on Wednesday in Game 1 of the World Series.

Until Games 2, 3 and 4 of the ALCS, the Tampa Bay Rays had never hit 10 home runs over three consecutive games in their history. Cliff Floyd, Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton homered in Game 2. Rocco Baldelli, Longoria, Carlos Pena and Upton homered in Game 3. Willy Aybar, Longoria and Pena all homered in Game 4.

The Tampa Bay Rays thumped the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park for the second-straight night on their way to a 3-1 lead in the ALCS. Tampa's power surge continued, as they hit three home runs on Tuesday night. Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and Willy Aybar all went long in the team's Game 4 victory. Andy Sonnanstine pitched terrifically, going 7 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on just six hits. He struck out two, while walking only one batter. Tim Wakefield wasn't nearly as lucky. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings, having allowed five runs on six hits. Justin Masterson came on in relief, and pitched 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball. However, the Rays weren't done scoring and the Red Sox couldn't get much going against Sonnanstine. Manny Delcarmen struggled on the mound for Boston as well. He surrendered five runs on two hits and three walks. At that point it was 11-1 in favor of Tampa Bay. After pushing their advantage to 13-2 with a pair of runs off Mike Timlin, Sonnanstine began to crack in the bottom of the eighth and Rays manager Joe Maddon opted to go into the bullpen. Edwin Jackson, a starter during the regular season, struggled initially, but the Rays triumphed nonetheless. Jackson walked Coco Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury with one out in the ninth, but then struck out Jed Lowrie to push the Sox down to their last out. J.D. Drew then promptly struck out to end the game. Carl Crawford was one of many stars for the Rays, going 5-for-5 with three runs and a pair of RBIs. Aybar went 4-for-5 with one run scored and five RBIs thanks to his two-run bomb in the third inning. The Rays lead the ALCS 3-1 with Game 5 on Thursday at Fenway Park. Daisuke Matsuzaka will take the mound for the Red Sox against James Shields as Boston looks to remain alive.

The Red Sox and Rays have tied a MLB postseason record for home runs in a game with seven on Saturday night. Boston and Tampa Bay were battling in Game 2 of the ALCS, with the Red Sox leading the series 1-0 after a close win on Friday night. Jason Bay hit the seventh homer of the game in the top of the fifth off Grant Balfour. Evan Longoria hit a two-run shot off Josh Beckett in the bottom of the first; B.J. Upton added a solo shot in the thir; and Cliff Floyd hit a one-run homer in the fourth for the Rays. Dustin Pedroia hit a solo shot off Scott Kazmir in the second, and then Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Bay hit homers in the fifth to bring the game's total to seven with 4 1/2 innings left to play. Boston tied another postseason record on their own with the trio of homers in the fifth.

Phillies pitcher Brett Myers led his team to a 8-5 win over the Dodgers with his bat on Friday night to give Philadelphia a quick 2-0 lead in the NLCS. Myers pitched five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks. However, he struck out six batters and went 3-for-3 at the plate. He had three RBIs and scored twice to help lead Philadelphia over Los Angeles for the second-straight game. Just as they did in Game 1, the Dodgers got on the board in the top of the first inning, but the Phillies answered quickly and knocked starting pitcher Chad Billingsley around. Billingsley lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out five batters, but wasn't able to help himself with his bat like Myers did. Carlos Ruiz doubled to center to score Greg Dobbs to kick off the bottom of the second, and Myers gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead on an RBI single that brought Ruiz home. Shane Victorino added another two runs on a single, pushing Philadelphia's lead to 4-1 after two explosive innings. James Loney trimmed the lead to two runs in the third on an RBI single that scored Russell Martin, but Myers worked out of trouble before Los Angeles could do anymore damage. In the bottom of the third, Myers came to the plate for the second time and hit a single to right that scored Jayson Werth and Dobbs, making it 6-2. Brett's hitting exhibition made him only the third pitcher in Major League history to record at least three RBIs in a postseason game (Tom Glavine and Steve Carlton). His three hits on Friday night were just one fewer than the four he hit over the entire 2008 regular season. Victorino then tripled to score Ruiz and Myers, extending the lead to 8-2 after three lengthy innings. The offensive onslaught continued in the top of the fourth, as Manny Ramirez hit a three-run homer to bring the Dodgers within three runs. However, zeros went up on the board for the remainder of the game. James McDonald, Clayton Kershaw and Cory Wade came on for the Dodgers to keep the Phillies in check in the later innings. Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge came in to record his fourth save of the postseason, walking Ramirez to start the ninth. Lidge struck out Andre Ethier, with Ramirez moving to second on fielder's indifference. Loney then worked a 3-0 count, but Lidge fought back to make the count full before walking Loney to put two men on with one out. Lidge then struck out Matt Kemp to move the Phillies to within one out of a victory with Nomar Garciaparra coming to the plate. Garciaparra struck out swinging to end the game. Lidge has recorded a save in four of the team's five postseason wins. Game 3 will be Sunday in Los Angeles as the Dodgers look to avoid falling into the dreaded 0-3 postseason hole.

The Phillies struck first in the NLCS on Thursday night, defeating the Dodgers 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park. Manny Ramirez remained hot, hitting an RBI double in the top of the first to give Los Angeles a quick 1-0 lead, but Cole Hamels remained composed and pitched into the seventh inning. Blake DeWitt added a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to push the lead to 2-0, but the Dodgers wouldn't score again. Hamels pitched seven innings, 105 pitches, allowing two earned runs on six hits. He struck out eight batters and walked a pair. Derek Lowe was nearly perfect through five innings, but Philadelphia broke through in the bottom of the sixth to take control of Game One. Shane Victorino reached second on an error by Rafael Furcal, that should have been an out, and Chase Utley tied the game with a two-run home run to center that appeared to rattle Lowe. Later in the inning, Pat Burrell gave the Phillies their first lead of the game on a solo shot. Lowe went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked just one. After Ryan Madson bridged the gap to closer Brad Lidge perfectly, Lidge came on to record yet another postseason save, his third in the team's four wins. Lidge struck out DeWitt to end the game, after getting Matt Kemp and Casey Blake to fly out to center field. Game Two will be Friday afternoon in Philadelphia.