Six Parallels Between 2008 World Champion Phillies, 2018 Postseason

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Monday marked the 10-year anniversary since the Philadelphia Phillies captured their second World Series championship in franchise history.

For sure, Phillies fans will never forget closer Brad Lidge dropping to his knees —  to celebrate with teammate and friend, catcher Carlos Ruiz — after striking out the Tampa Bay Rays' Eric Hinske on his iconic slider. Doing to capped off Lidge's magical and perfect season, going 48 for 48 in save opportunities.

What may be not as memorable, however, were all the significant accomplishments the 2008 Phillies collected during their magical postseason run. Some of those accomplishments were so rare even, that they were not matched or bested until fittingly one decade later among teams in the 2018 postseason.

1. Pitcher With Multi-Hit Postseason Game

Oct. 13, 2018: Milwaukee Brewers LHP Wade Miley collected a single and double against Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. Doing so, Miley became the first pitcher with a multi-hit postseason game in the League Championship Series or World Series since Phillies RHP Brett Myers, also against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the 2008 NLCS (h/t @SlangsOnSports).

2. Most Strikeouts Against Brewers in Postseason

Oct. 15, 2018: Los Angeles Dodgers rookie RHP Walker Buehler — selected 14 picks after Cornelius Randolph in the first round of the 2015 draft — struck out eight Brewers batters, albeit receiving a losing decision in Game 3 of the NLCS. Doing so, Buehler recorded the most strikeouts of Brewers batters in a postseason game since Phillies LHP Cole Hamels in Game 1 of the 2008 NLDS (9) (h/t @Dave_Heller).

3. Clinching the Pennant First

Oct. 18, 2018: The Boston Red Sox became the first team to clinch their ticket to the World Series, with a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series on Thursday, Oct. 18. Since 2006, the 2018 Red Sox and 2008 Phillies are the only teams to clinch their World Series berth first to go on to win the championship (h/t @SlangsOnSports).

4. Multiple Leadoff Home Runs in Postseason

Oct. 19, 2018: First baseman David Freese's leadoff home run in Game 6 of the NLCS, following Joc Pederson's leadoff home run to open the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. The 2018 Dodgers are the third team in postseason history with multiple leadoff home runs in a single postseason, with the others being the 2012 San Francisco Giants and 2008 Phillies (h/t @SlangsOnSports).

5. Homering in First World Series At-Bat

Oct. 23, 2018: After playing 13 seasons and 1,687 career regular season games, three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards winner Matt Kemp finally appeared in his first World Series game. In Game 1 of the Fall Classic in his first at-bat, Kemp homered against perennial Cy Young candidate Chris Sale in the top of the second inning. The previous two players to homer in their first World Series at-bat are the Dodgers' Chris Taylor in 2017, and the Phillies' Chase Utley in 2008 (h/t @kightower).

6. Team to Beat

Oct. 29, 2018: The Red Sox captured their ninth World Series championship in franchise history, defeating the Dodgers in Game 5, 5-1. The club finished 11-3 in the postseason and collected the second-most victories among World Series-winning teams in MLB history (119), only bested by the 1998 New York Yankees (125). The 2008 Phillies were the last team to lose three or fewer games and win the World Series, prior to the 2018 Red Sox (h/t @ByTimReynolds).