Phillies call on postseason homer hero Matt Stairs to throw out first pitch Friday
The former slugger hit one of the most memorable home runs in franchise history in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS.
Seeking more positive postseason mojo, the Phillies will call upon the author of one of the most dramatic home runs in National League Championship Series history to throw the ceremonial first pitch Friday night.
Matt Stairs, come on down.
Stairs, who ripped a pinch-hit two-run homer into the night — as Joe Buck memorably described it — at Dodger Stadium in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS, will perform the first-pitch honors before Game 3 against the San Diego Padres, the Phillies announced Thursday.
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It’s the continuation of a theme so far in the postseason. Shane Victorino and Pat Burrell, also members of the Phillies’ 2008 World Series championship team, threw first pitches before Games 3 and 4 of the divisional round last week against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies won both games.
Stairs, 54, was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in an August 2008 waiver trade. He went 5-for-17 (.294) with two homers down the stretch that season before his crowning moment against the Dodgers. The eighth-inning homer provided the winning margin in a 7-5 victory. The Phillies closed out the series one game later.
Kyle Schwarber drew comparisons to Stairs after hitting a 488-foot homer into the second deck in Petco Park in Game 1 of the NLCS on Tuesday night. Like Stairs, Schwarber has a compact left-handed stroke and prodigious power.