Phillies silenced a big postseason bat

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Here's a candidate for biggest at-bat of Game 1 of the World Series (mid-game division): Bottom of the fifth, two outs, one on. Tampa Bay had just moved within a run. Was this the big move? Centerfielder B.J. Upton, used to being the hero, was up for the Rays.

In his first swing, you saw how the 24-year-old had seven home runs in the postseason. It was a Ryan Howard swing, a let's-get-the-lead cut.

Fouled off behind him.

After that first-pitch fastball from Cole Hamels, Upton passed on a high change-up. He fouled back another Hamels change.

Upton protected the plate, fouling the next pitch into the stands behind Tampa Bay's dugout - and Howard reached into those stands and grabbed it for the out.

"He made his pitches," Upton said later, crediting Hamels, crediting the Phillies for the 3-2 victory. "It's just good baseball. You have to tip your hat."

On this day, Upton will be remembered for lesser feats. In his first two at-bats, he grounded into double plays. He couldn't have legged out either play, but then he didn't try. Replays showed him getting out the box slow. The first one was especially obvious.

Asked about it, Upton gave a "here-we-go-again" smile and said the first was a "tailor-made double play."

Rays manager Joe Maddon probably is not going to bench Upton for not hustling during the World Series, as he did in the regular season. He knows Upton is one of the great budding talents in the game. In the second inning, Upton threw out Shane Victorino at the plate as he tried to score on a sacrifice fly. Two on, no out had turned into no runs.

That would have been a bigger plot line if Tampa's batters had gotten to Hamels or the bullpen. Upton had his chance against Ryan Madson in the eighth. The power-vs.-power portion of the at-bat went to Madson. Upton swung big at a 96 m.p.h. fastball and fouled it off his leg. He took a bigger swing at a 97 m.p.h. pitch, down the middle, and he missed it. The count eventually went to 2-2, but Madson already had him, eventually getting Upton to miss a breaking ball.

The phenom, the Rays' leader in on-base percentage this season, spun his helmet toward the plate and put his cap over his Mohawk. He jogged to center field, a bit player this time.