Jimmy Rollins had barely pulled the trigger on a game-ending double play in the Philadelphia Phillies pennant-clinching 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday when the emotions of an entire city erupted.
For two people in Citizens Bank Park, the emotions were especially profound.
“That’s when I started crying,” said Joan Moyer, mother of winning Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer. “I had a (rally) towel, and I was bawling in that.”
Jim Moyer, Jamie’s father, wasn’t crying, but he was immensely proud. The young boy who so eagerly waited for his father in the driveway holding a pair of baseball gloves had grown into quite a Major League pitcher.
For the second time in as many years, Moyer – Souderton’s famous native son - had notched the win that clinched the National League East title for the Phillies.
“It’s just as exciting,” said his father. “He’s a year older, and he’s still doing as well if not better (than ever). His college coach said, ‘He gets better every year.’
“People ask me, “What do you think he’ll do when he’s done?’ I tell them, ‘I don’t know. This is all he ever did.’ He likes to help the team.”
In Saturday’s masterpiece, Moyer allowed just six hits and one run in six glittering innings of work as the Phillies clinched the National League East title for the second year in a row.
Could Moyer have imagined a script that would have him winning the pennant-clinching game for his childhood team?
“Of course you dream of this,” he said. “Did I think it would ever happen with the Phillies? Probably one side of me did when I was little.
“As I got older, the drive and desire was more apparent. I didn’t care who it was with, but it would be an opportunity. Now that it is here with this organization – I enjoy it, I relish it, and it’s a huge honor.”
Saturday’s masterpiece vaulted the Phillies southpaw into some elite company. In this his 24th professional season, Moyer won 16 games for the Phillies, tying Hall of Famer Phil Niekro for most wins by a pitcher 45 years or older.
“I would never have imagined it, but it’s not just me,” he said of his accomplishment “The team has played very well behind me. We’ve gotten some timely hitting and we score runs, which is important in this game.
“Without my teammates, the number 16 wouldn’t be beside my name, and I will always respect and appreciate their efforts.”
Moyer has always had a deep respect for the game of baseball, and when he steps between the white lines, he knows only one way to play – all out. That fact was evidenced by his diving attempt to field a bunt down the first base line in Saturday’s win.
Moyer didn’t get the out, but the effort was nothing short of remarkable for a professional athlete of any age.
“I’m out there competing, and you react to plays,” he said. “You don’t think about plays because if you think about it, it’s already passed you by.
“I got beat on a ball from a left-handed hitter a couple of weeks ago – kind of the same way. I’m 0-for-2 in catching those little suckers, but you know, it’s all part of the game.
“If I need to cover first or back up a base, that’s what I need to do. I have responsibilities on the field. You just try and take care of what you can do.”
True to form, Moyer did his job in Saturday’s win, and the bullpen closed it out.
When the final out was recorded, Jamie’s two oldest sons – wearing Phillies uniforms – dashed onto the field with their dad, and this year his parents joined the post-game celebration on the field, which included chants of “Jamie Moyer. Jamie Moyer.”
Jim took Jamie’s youngest son – five-year-old McCabe – with him into the locker room, and as much as Moyer loves baseball, he loves his family even more. The fact that Jamie’s wife Karen and their seven children flew in from Washington for the game made Saturday’s win that much sweeter.
“The little ones probably don’t understand quite what’s going on, but the older ones – they do understand, and they get it, and they see the time and effort we put into this and the excitement that comes with it,” Moyer said. “These are life experiences you can’t recreate.
“You can’t go to the travel agency and find them. You can’t go to the computer and find them. You dream about it in the backyard playing wiffle ball or playing baseball on the local baseball diamond. You can lay in bed and dream about it, but until you live it and it’s real life – that’s what it’s all about, and we want our kids to be around it.
“It’s a very positive situation. They’re blossoming baseball players themselves, and they see the work and dedication that goes into it by my teammates. They’re at spring training, and they’re around during the season. Why shouldn’t they be around this? We’re just fortunate they all could be here.”
Moyer is scheduled to start game three in the Phillies best-of-five series against the Milwaukee Brewers. He is hoping for a better outcome than last year when the Phillies were swept by a red hot Colorado Rockies squad.
“We have been fortunate enough to win a lot of games in the last two years and get into the playoffs, Moyer said. “Last year’s experience left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths, and hopefully, they can still taste it a little bit, and it pushes them and drives them a little bit more.
“It’s been exciting to be in this situation and play with this group of guys. They play the game the right way, and they come to the ball park to play.”
They undoubtedly take their cue from Moyer, who has played a sport he loves “the right way” since the first day he picked up a baseball.
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