“I wanted to do cartwheels," Phillips said. "I thought about doing Pedro Cerrano and carrying my bat around the bases. I was trying to keep it classy.”
Cerrano is a character in the movie, Major League.
a Teammate called out from across room “You didn’t even know it was out.”
Phillips laughs. “It was a laser. I knew I hit it hard, but I thought it might hit the wall. I knew I got some height under it.”
Before he saved the day it was beginning to look like another disappointing Reds loss that spoiled the first half of the season.
For one night at least it seemed like the magic of 2010 was back.
“I don’t think the magic ever left, Dusty Baker said. "We just weren’t executing. To get a walkoff is huge. Them coming back, us coming back – that was a playoff atmosphere tonight. We’ve got to find a way to pick those runners up. We’ve got to improve on that.”
Johnny Cueto turned in another quality start and Chris Heisey hit two home runs but it wasn't enough to beat Jake Westbrook and the division leading St. Louis Cardinals until Phillips became a super hero.
Phillips saved the Reds from another disappointing one run loss by hitting a game winning, game ending, two-run home run with Zack Cozart playing the able sidekick by scoring in front to Phillips.
The Reds inability to hit with the bases loaded and some bad luck kept the Cardinals in the game. In contrast St. Louis scored three runs in an inning by making outs count.
The Reds offense through six innings was Heisey's two solo home runs of Westbrook. Cueto made them stand up for six frames but the lead slipped away in the seventh.
Albert Pujols and Matt Holiday blooped a pair of singles in front of Fred Lewis in left field. Cueto lost Lance Berkman with a walk to load the bases with no outs. Cueto did his best to work out of it. David Freese hit a slow ground ball to Brandon Phillips, who charged it but only had a play at first base. Yadier Molina beat a pitch into the ground that made thirdbaseman, Scott Rolen leave his feet. He had only one play and that was to first as the tying run scored. Brandon Phillps dropped a ground ball that would have ended the inning off the bat of Skip Schumaker. Pinch hitter Tony Cruz singled to give St. Louis the lead
.“Usually, it’s a bloop and a blast, but that was two bloops," Baker said. "Those balls fell into no-man’s land. Then they get another broken-bat hit and you’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’”
This could be a turning point so early in the second half of the season with 69 games left.
“We really needed it. Now, we’re three back instead of five. All of these games are two-game games. Our guys just kept fighting and believing. I’m glad Brandon came through,” Baker said.
The Reds already wasted a bases loaded, one out chance to score in the sixth but Fred Lewis struck out looking and Ramon Hernandez bounced out to Freese at third.
The Reds regained the lead in the seventh but bad luck and a lack of clutch hitting hurt them again. Drew Stubbs walked to open the inning while batting for Cueto off Mitchel Boggs. Heisey hit a two-hopper to Freese but the thirdbaseman threw the ball away to put runners on first and third with no outs. Zack Cozart got his first career RBI with an infield single into the hole at shortstop. Joey Votto ripped a double to the right centerfield gap off Trever Miller but the ball bounced into the stands to put the Reds up a run but kept Cozart from scoring.
Aroldis Chapman started the eighth inning against lefthanded hitting Colby Rasmus. Chapman went to a full count and walked him. The Cuban lefthander fell behind Pujols 2-0. Pujols blasted his 19th home run to put the Cardinals back in control.
Tony La Russa used every player he had but backup catcher Gerald Laird. He emptied his entire bullpen with newly crowned closer Fernando Salas starting the ninth facing Heisey.
This time it was the Reds doing the disappointing rather than being the disappointed.
"We had a lot of spirit and energy into the game. We just got beat. It was disappointing," Cardinal manager Tony La Russa said.
Salas saved 16 games in 18 chances coming into the game.
Heisey struck out swinging. Cozart hit his third single of the game. Votto lined to right.
Phillips lined a 1-0 pitch into the left field seats to save the day.
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