Geoff Jenkins provided the spark with a leadoff double and Brad Lidge ended it with another perfect outing as Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay 4-3 Wednesday to clinch their first World Series title in 28 years.
Pedro Feliz knocked in the go-ahead run in the seventh for Philadelphia who had to endure an unprecedented mid-game weather delay that lasted two days before taking the series four games to one.
Phillies closing pitcher Lidge remained perfect on the season by striking out Rays' pinch hitter Eric Hinske for the final out.
Lidge dropped to his knees and raised both arms as he was mobbed on the pitchers' mound by his teammates at Citizens Bank Park. Lidge was a perfect 48-for-48 in save opportunities this season.
Phillies centre fielder Shane Victorino said the victory was worth the wait.
"This is great. I can't believe it," Victorino said. "We came through so much adversity."
It is the second World Series championship for the title-starved city of Philadelphia and the first major sports championship for the city since the National Basketball Association 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 finals.
In one of the wackiest World Series in history, the teams slogged through 5 1/2 innings on a waterlogged field on Monday before officials suspended the game because of bad weather.
Game five resumed exactly 46 hours later on a cool, windy night in front of a crowd of 45,900, but there was none of the driving rain that made the field unplayable two nights earlier.
"The layoff didn't hurt either team," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "We came out with the same intensity."
The loss for Tampa Bay ended one of the most impressive turnarounds in American sports history as they were trying to go from last in the majors to World Series champions in one season.
With the win, National League teams have now won four of the last 11 World Series.
Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels didn't throw a pitch Wednesday but he was named World Series Most Valuable Player.
Hamels pitched six solid innings before the suspension of play on Monday, striking out three and allowing two runs.
"That was the worst weather I have ever pitched in in my life, and I thought I made the best of it," said Hamels who like each of his Philly teammates earned about 300,000 dollars in World Series bonus money.
Pinch hitter Jenkins got the Phillies going in the first at-bat of the resumed game by belting a double to the centre field that Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli had trouble fielding off the wall.
Jayson Werth then hit a bloop single to shallow centre field off the glove of Japan's Akinori Iwamura to make it 3-2 as the Phillies wasted no time regaining the lead they lost moments before Monday's controversial game was suspended in the sixth inning. Jenkins was inserted into the lineup by Manuel to pinch hit for Hamels.
Manuel was managing in the series with a heavy heart after the death of his mother earlier this month.
"My mom would be very happy," Manuel said. "She would be laughing and giggling and telling me how good my team was."
Rays' outfielder Baldelli blasted a line drive solo home run off Phillies reliever Ryan Madson in the top of the seventh Wednesday to level the game 3-3.
A couple of batters later, Chase Utley combined with catcher Carlos Ruiz to throw out Jason Bartlett at home and end the top of the seventh and prevent the Rays from tacking on any more runs.
Utley fielded a infield hit then instead of throwing to first noticed Bartlett trying to steal home and one-hopped a throw to Ruiz to get Bartlett in plenty of time.
Eric Bruntlett scored the final run of the game on Feliz's single to centre field in the seventh inning to restore the Phillies one run lead at 4-3.
Copyright 2008  AFP Global Edition
