Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Philadelphia Phillies are back in the World Series, punching their ticket with a dramatic victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the NLCS.
That 4-3 victory was courtesy of a mammoth, eight-inning bomb by Bryce Harper that put the ball over left centerfield and the Phillies into the Fall Classic.
The Phillies are back in the World Series for the first time since 2009 and will face the Houston Astros. They won the World Series title in 2008, with skipper Charlie Manuel at the helm.
Game 1 of the World Series is Friday at 8 p.m. at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Fox. Game 2 is Saturday at 8 p.m. at Minute Maid Park as well.
Back in 2008, the Phillies clinched the World Series title in a 4-3, rain-delayed Game 5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 29, securing the series 4-1.
J.C. Romero got the win and Brad Lidge got the save in front of 45,950 Phillies Phaithful at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils scored two runs in the first and a run each in the sixth and seventh innings. Shane Victorino had two RBI, and Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz one a piece. Geoff Jenkins and Pat Burrell doubled.
But where are the key players from the team’s last championship now?
Here’s a look at what some of your World Series-winning team is doing today:
Charlie Manuel, manager
After a nine-year run with the Phillies where he won 780 games, Manuel, one of the most successful managers in the team’s history, was fired in 2013. He returned to the Phillies in 2019 as hitting coach and currently is the senior advisor to the general manager of the club. The affable skipper remains popular in the area where he has owned a home in Camden County. He resides in Winter Haven, Florida, but is regularly in the area and attends some games. Manuel, 78, appears on podcasts and radio shows talking baseball and the Phillies.
Joe Blanton, P
In addition to the Phillies, the pitcher played for multiple other MLB teams, including the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and more. Blanton hit his first Major League homer in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series. He also got the win in Game 4, going six innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Blanton retired in 2014 while with Oakland, but returned to pitch for the majors for several teams from 2015 to 2017. He and his wife, LeeAndra, and their children live in St. Helena, California, where they own a 3-acre vineyard.
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Pat Burrell, LF
The outfielder won two World Series titles, one with the Phillies in 2008 and in 2010 with the San Francisco Giants. Burrell, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1998, made his major league debut with the Phillies in May of 2000 and appeared in his last MLB game with the Giants on Sept. 28, 2011. During his career, he played for the Phillies, Rays and Giants. After going hitless in his first 14 at-bats in the 2008 World Series, Burrell doubled in Game 5. Burrell was replaced by pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett, who scored the winning run. Burrell, 46, is currently a hitting coach for the San Jose Giants, the Padres’ farm team.
Pedro Feliz, 3B
The third-baseman played several seasons in San Francisco before signing a two-year deal in Philly in 2008. He gave the Phillies the biggest RBI of his career, sending the series-clinching run in on a base hit. Feliz, 47, left Philadelphia a year later and played for three more MLB teams, including the Padres, before returning to minor-league ball. His last at-bats came with the Camden Riversharks in the 2012 season.
Cole Hamels, P
The 2008 World Series MVP had a 2.77 ERA in the World Series that year, pitching 13 innings, allowing 10 hits, striking out eight and allowing four earned runs. He started two games, earning one victory. He made five postseason starts in 2008, going 4–0 with a 1.80 ERA. The lefty played with the Phillies from 2006 to 2015 before being traded to the Texas Rangers in July of 2015. He played several seasons there and with the Chicago Cubs as well as a short stint with the Atlanta Braves in 2020. He is currently a free agent after sitting out the last two seasons with an injury. Hamels, 38, married Heidi Strobel in 2006 and the pair have four children. The Hamels built a home in Branson, Missouri, where Strobel was raised and donated the home, valued at $10 million, to Camp Barnabas, a camp for children with special needs.
Ryan Howard, 1B
The first baseman and slugger spent his entire MLB career with the Phillies, playing from 2004 to 20016. He’s the fastest player in baseball history to reach 100 home runs, then 200 home runs. He hit .286 in the 2008 World Series, with six RBI, three home runs and three runs scored. Howard is an entrepreneur and investor, including being a part-owner of Colbie’s Southern Kissed Chicken. One opened within the last few years in Mount Holly in South Jersey, and one is on the Citizens Bank Park concourse. Howard, 42, married former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader Krystle Campbell in 2012. The pair have three daughters and Howard has an older son.
Brad Lidge, P
Lidge played 11 MLB seasons with the Houston Astros, Phillies and Washington Nationals. As a relief pitcher, he saved 225 games during his career. He signed a three-year contract extension with the Phillies in July of 2008. In September of 2008, he became the first closer in Phillies history to be perfect in regular season saves. He converted 41 in as many opportunities, helping to secure the National League East division title. He also saved Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, making him 7-for-7 in postseason saves. He retired as a member of the Phillies organization after signing a ceremonial one-day contract in August of 2013. Lidge, 45, resides in Colorado with his wife and two children and pursues an interest in archaeology and religious studies by taking online courses.
Brett Myers, P
The Jacksonville, Florida, native played 12 Major League Baseball seasons with the Phillies, Astros, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians, then the Indians. He pitched seven innings in the 2008 World Series, allowing seven hits and four runs, going 0-1. The right hander was a Phillies’ first-round pick (12th overall) in the 1999 MLB Draft out of Englewood High in Florida and made his big league debut on July 24, 2002. Myers, 42, is now a Southern rock/country music artist and has recorded several albums. He lives in Florida with his wife and their four children.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
The Oakland, California, native was the heart and soul of the Phillies and is still one of the franchise’s most popular players. The shortstop, nicknamed “J-Roll,” played for the Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and White Sox and won four Golden Glove awards. He played with the Phillies from 2000 to 2014. In the 2008 World Series, he had five hits, including two doubles, and scored four runs. On December 19, 2014, Rollins, the Phillies’ all-time hits leader, was traded to the Dodgers for two minor league pitchers. Rollins, 43, has dabbled in the marijuana industry and is now a special advisor to the president of baseball operations for the Phillies.
J.C. Romero, P
Romero made his last MLB appearance with the Baltimore Orioles in August of 2012. The native of Puerto Rico played for multiple teams, including the Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Angels, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals. He signed with the Phillies in June of 2007 and finished the season with a 1.81 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched. He was the winning pitcher of series-clinching Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. He also was credited with the Game 3 win. The 46-year-old has done color commentary for the Phillies radio broadcast team in the past and has been a pitching coach in Alabama.
Carlos Ruiz, C
Nicknamed “Chooch,” the catcher played for the Phillies, Dodgers and Seattle Mariners. Chooch hit .375 in that 2008 World Series with six hits, three RBI, one home run and two runs scored. He knocked in the game-winning run in the 9th inning of Game 3. He was traded from the Phillies to the Dodgers in 2016 before ending his career with the Mariners in 2017. The 43-year-old resides in his native Panama where he spends time with his family and also on his horse farm and runs a construction company.
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Matt Stairs, DH
A journeyman outfielder, Stairs played with 10 MLB clubs before coming to Philly as a 40 year old in 2008. His prowess as a pinch-hitter was important for the Phillies and he was a key part of the team’s 2008 championship and the 2009 run. Stairs’ home run on April 12, 2009, was the last dinger called by famed Phillies’ announcer Harry Kalas, who died the next day. Stairs put in work for two more MLB teams after leaving the Phils and then returned to the club as a hitting coach in the 2016 season. He now lives in Canada, where he was born, and coaches youth baseball and hockey
Chase Utley, 2B
The six-time All-Star second baseman is another franchise all-time favorite for his heart, clutch play and toughness. Utley played in the majors for 16 seasons, most with the Phillies where he was a team leader. He scored five runs, had four RBI, three hits and two homers in the 2008 World Series. His seven career World Series home runs are the most for a second baseman. Utley, 43, moved to England with his family over the summer to work as MLB’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Shane Victorino, CF
The center fielder, nicknamed “The Flyin’ Hawaiian,” often came up with huge hits and big defensive plays in his time with the San Diego Padres, Phillies, Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Angels. He won three Gold Glove Awards (four overall) with the Phillies and was named to two MLB All-Star Games. In the 2008 NLCS, he hit a game-tying two-run home run in Game 4 against the Dodgers. In the 2008 NLDS in Game 2 against Milwaukee, Victorino hit a grand slam off CC Sabathia in the bottom of the second inning. He also won a World Series crown in 2013 with Boston. The 41 year old helps run The Shane Victorino Foundation.
Jayson Werth, RF
After fighting his way into the regular lineup in the regular season, the right fielder played a big role in the Phils capturing the title. He batted .444 in the series’ five games and knocked a two-run dinger into the stands in Game 4. Werth played pro baseball for another decade before retiring and now runs a 500-acre organic farm in Illinois.
