Ben Shpigel and David Waldstein provided updates and analysis during Game 5 of the Dodgers-Phillies National League Championship Series.



PHILADELPHIA — Unsatisfied by their last championship and determined to repeat recent history, the Philadelphia Phillies took another step in their quest to win the World Series again.

The Phillies have been in existence since 1883, the longest tenure of any professional sports team in one city, with one name. But it took them until Wednesday night to earn a rare distinction. With an emphatic 10-4 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, the Phillies have now won consecutive National League pennants for the first time in their 126-year history, and their seventh over all.

It is also the second year in a row the Phillies beat the Dodgers in five games. Their next appointment is with the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Angels and the Yankees, who lead that series three games to one.

The Phillies relied on the long ball to win this game. Jayson Werth hit two of them, a three-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the seventh. Shane Victorino added a two-run shot in the sixth, and Pedro Feliz hit a solo home run for the Phillies, who needed only eight hits to score their runs against shaky Dodgers pitching. The Dodgers issued four walks and hit three batters, and four of those free passes were converted into runs. The Phillies scored their final run on a wild pitch by Ronald Belisario.

Phillies closer Brad Lidge got the final out as Ronnie Belliard flied out to center fielder Shane Victorino, igniting a celebration both on the field and in the stands, where 46,214 deliriously happy fans, most of whom were wearing red, waved white handkerchiefs and cheered their team’s return to the World Series as the Dodgers filed quietly into the clubhouse.

The Dodgers had the best record in the National League, but the season came to a disappointing end, particularly for Manager Joe Torre, who has led two teams to 14 consecutive playoff appearances, but hasn’t won the World Series since 2000 with the Yankees. — DW

Victorino just barely missed his second home run. The ball was ruled a double because of fan interference. Victorino seemed to have slightly injured something — perhaps his hand — on the swing, but he’s still in the game. Rollins just scored the 10th run on a wild pitch. The Phillies have two more runs than hits.

The entire left-field bleachers were chanting “Take a shower” at Ramirez, but surprisingly, he seemed completely oblivious. — DW

Ryan Madson gets out of the eighth. That’s clutch pitching, because three different Dodgers came to the plate with a chance to draw the Dodgers to a run behind with one swing off the bat. But Loney fouled out, Martin struck out swinging, and Blake grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

The Phillies need only three more outs and Brad Lidge is warming up hard in the bullpen. It’s not a save situation, but Manuel would love to have Lidge on the mound for the final out and the celebration. It would be another confidence boost in a nice postseason for the closer, who came into the postseason as a rather large question mark. — DW

How about this? The potential tying run is on deck. Just minutes after we declared this game over, the Dodgers have the bases loaded with nobody out in the eighth. Oops, one out as Loney fouls out. It’s 9-4 and Russell Martin is up with Casey Blake on deck.

Some fans in front of the press box were chanting “Take a shower” at Manny Ramirez, who came to the plate with two runners on base in the eighth. Ramirez walked and Matt Kemp hit an R.B.I. single to center. — DW

Werth goes deep again. This time he straightened it out and hit it to center off Hong-Chih Kuo. It is the seventh home run of the game and only the first to center. This may not be the most provocative thought written in this space tonight, but suffice it to say this game is over. The Phillie Phanatic seems to be very confident right now. It’s 9-3 as we enter the eighth. — DW

Get those showers ready. Shane Victorino just launched the first pitch he saw from Clayton Kershaw in the sixth inning to reawaken the crowd and give the Phillies an 8-3 lead. With two outs, Kershaw hit Jimmy Rollins with a pitch — the third Phillie to be hit — and Victorino made him pay.

That’s the sixth home run of the game. The first four were to right field. The last two have been to left. If the Yankees are indeed the team the Phillies play in the World Series — barring a nearly impossible comeback by the Dodgers, of course — it will be scary to see what the Yankees sluggers can do in this ballpark.

Amazingly, the Phillies have eight runs on only five hits.

Chan Ho Park is pitching for the Phillies in the seventh. — DW

The pace of this game has slowed. They’ve been playing for almost two and a half hours and it’s only the top of the sixth. As a result, the atmosphere in the park has quieted considerably, even with the Phillies poised to win the pennant. Fans are sitting in their seats waiting for things to happen. They showed a little life just now as Chad Durbin set the Dodgers down in order. Only nine outs to go. — DW

Ramirez just hit a weak roller off the handle of his bat and was thrown out at first without much effort. So the rally dies a weak death. Ramirez, who took a foul ball off his left shin on the second pitch of the at-bat and was in considerable pain, initially seemed to think the ball he hit fair was in fact foul. When he realized it was fair, he ran three-quarters speed three quarters of the way down the line as Durbin fielded the ball, then jogged the rest of the way to first. Ramirez may have been in pain, but it doesn’t look good in the face of elimination. Phillies still lead, 6-3. — DW

A huge at-bat coming up. Manny Ramirez is coming to the plate as the potential tying run, with Furcal on second and Ronnie Belliard on first with two outs. Manuel took out the left-hander J.A. Happ and is bringing in the right-hander Chad Durbin. Manny is 2 for 8 with a home run and three walks against Durbin. — DW

Interesting move by Charlie Manuel here: Not that he’s pulled Hamels — who showed poor body language after giving up the homer to Orlando Hudson and the double to Rafael Furcal — but that he chose the left-hander J.A. Happ to face a right-handed-heavy top of the Dodgers’ lineup. Manuel clearly feels more comfortable with Happ, a rookie, than with the other potential long man, the right-hander Chad Durbin. — BS

Orlando Hudson, pinch-hitting for Sherrill, just answered the previous question. If his last at-bat is any indication, the Dodgers are going to battle. Hudson, whose optimism and positive outlook are generally uncontainable, just curled a 2-1 pitch around the foul pole in left. The Dodgers close the gap to 6-3. — DW

George Sherrill hit Victorino with a pitch on a 3-2 count to force in a run. It’s now 6-2, Phillies, heading into the fifth. Padilla was charged with all six runs in just 55 pitches over three-plus innings. That’s a run every 9.17 pitches. Not an enviable ratio. The question now is, do the Dodgers keep battling, or do they start just hacking away with one foot on that plane back to L.A.? — DW

Not only is Hamels pitching decently, he’s also handling the bat well here in the fourth. He just laid down a perfect sacrifice on a 3-2 pitch to push Ibanez and Ruiz over to second and third for the next batter, Rollins. On a 3-1 pitch, Hamels squared and then pulled back the bat for a called strike on a slightly high pitch. He told the plate umpire, Tom Hallion, that he pulled it back, and when he was told that it was a called strike, he didn’t argue. Hamels wants those pitches called strikes for him, too, especially since the Phillies already have their runs.

Troncoso just hit Jimmy Rollins with a pitch, so the bases are loaded. Torre’s bringing in the left-hander George Sherrill. If Shane Victorino gets a hit, Manny is going straight to the showers. — DW

The Phillies are piling on. Raul Ibanez just ripped a double to the gap in right-center, scoring Werth, who had singled to left, to make the score 5-2, and that’s all for Padilla. The former Phillie just didn’t have it tonight, and the Dodgers are going to the right-hander Ramon Troncoso. Padilla received a huge sarcastic cheer as he walked off. Phillies fans can smell another pennant. — DW

Clayton Kershaw, the presumed Game 6 starter for the Dodgers, was loosening in the bullpen. Perhaps that was the motivation Padilla needed because he just recorded his first 1-2-3 inning. In fact, it was his first inning without a home run. Kershaw is sitting down again. Torre said Tuesday it would be “all hands on deck,” baseball’s terminology for any pitcher being available to pitch out of the bullpen.

Ramirez is leading off the top of the fourth inning. He looks very clean from here. — DW

Padilla did it again. Pedro Feliz just hit the fourth home run of the game, also to right field. This came after the Dodgers had cut the deficit to one on Loney’s homer. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers already have action in their bullpen. 4-2, Phillies. — DW

The Dodgers got one back as James Loney led off the second inning with a solo home run to right, where all three homers have landed. Funny, no discernible wind in that — or any — direction. So the Dodgers have two home runs to the Phillies’ one, but Philadelphia leads, 3-2. There’s a perfect demonstration of why walks hurt so much.

When Werth homered, Torre sat motionless in the Dodgers dugout with a very sour expression. I’ve definitely seen that look on his face recently. Oh yes, it was during batting practice, when he was talking to the former Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson. Nelson always had that effect on Torre. — DW

What’s the worst thing a pitcher can do after his team stakes him to a lead? Give it right back. Vicente Padilla did that and then some, surrendering a three-run homer to Jayson Werth with two outs in the bottom of the first to make the score 3-1.

Padilla got the first two outs without much problem but then completely lost the strike zone. He walked Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, and then fell behind on Werth, 3-0, bringing the fans to their feet waving their hankies and chanting “Beat L.A.” as if it were the 1984 N.B.A. finals in Boston.

Padilla regained some of his control to get it to a full count, but Werth then sent a 3-2 pitch into the stands in right field. The crowd went crazy. — DW

The Dodgers look as if they came to play. Andre Ethier just clubbed a solo home run to give them a 1-0 lead and silence the crowd. Ramirez followed with a single to right, but Hamels struck out Matt Kemp to end the inning. For Hamels, it was the fourth home run he’s allowed in the postseason. — DW

First pitch was 8:07 on the dot and the temperature is a balmy 63 degrees. Wow, it’s actually baseball weather. Hamels is off to a good start, striking out Rafael Furcal. Ronnie Belliard is up, with Andre Ethier on deck. Manny Ramirez is taking a bath. — DW

Preview

PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers and the Phillies are about to take the field for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park, where the pennant could be decided in the next few hours.

There are no surprises in the lineup, as the Dodgers send out the former Phillies right-hander Vicente Padilla, who is looking to forestall a Philadelphia celebration and send the series back to Los Angeles for a Game 6. Cole Hamels, the Phillies’ struggling left-hander, goes for the home team.

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The national anthem has been sung, the infield is groomed and ready, and Hamels will throw the first pitch in a matter of moments.

Dodgers Manager Joe Torre is relaxed and ready for the game. Torre, who once played for The Boss, went to see another Boss, Bruce Springsteen, here in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Torre was asked if Springsteen played his song “No Surrender.”

“He did sing ‘No Surrender,'” Torre said, adding: “‘Glory Days,’ too. Don’t forget that.” — David Waldstein

Here are the lineups for Game 5:

Dodgers

1. Rafael Furcal, SS

2. Ronnie Belliard, 2B

3. Andre Ethier, RF

4. Manny Ramirez, LF

5. Matt Kemp, CF

6. James Loney, 1B

7. Russell Martin, C

8. Casey Blake, 3B

9. Vicente Padilla, RHP

Phillies

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Shane Victorino, CF

3. Chase Utley, 2B

4. Ryan Howard, 1B

5. Jayson Werth, RF

6. Raul Ibanez, LF

7. Pedro Feliz, 3B

8. Carlos Ruiz, C

9. Cole Hamels, LHP