The Philadelphia Phillies' 2009 season was the 127th season in the history of the franchise. The team, managed by Charlie Manuel, began their sixth season at Citizens Bank Park and defense of their 2008 World Series championship on April 5. After collecting a third straight National League East championship, the Phillies won their second consecutive National League (NL) pennant for the first time in franchise history; however they were defeated by the New York Yankees in the World Series.
The Phillies posted a second consecutive winning April to open the season with an 11–9 record, but the month was marred by the death of legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas. After opening the month of May against the rival New York Mets, the Phillies met President Barack Obama to celebrate their World Series victory the previous season and had two rookie pitchers win consecutive starts for the first time since 2007. Starting pitcher Jamie Moyer earned his 250th career win during the month, while first baseman Ryan Howard and outfielder Raúl Ibañez became the first Phillies teammates to hit 10 home runs in the same month. Echoing their strong run in the middle of the 2008 season, the Phillies compiled a 16–4 record in late May and early June, which was countered by weakness during interleague play in late June.
After the team's largest victory of the season (22–1 over the Cincinnati Reds) in early July, five Phillies—Howard, Ibáñez, second baseman Chase Utley, and outfielders Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth—were selected to the All-Star team. July was the team's best showing of the season, as they compiled their first 20-win month since the 2001 season. The Phillies traded for starting pitcher Cliff Lee at the end of the month to bolster their starting rotation, who won his first five starts with the team, and signed free-agent pitcher Pedro Martínez. In August, Eric Bruntlett turned the first game-ending unassisted triple play in NL history and the second in team history. The following month, the team clinched its third consecutive division championship on September 30, becoming the first Phillies team to make a third straight playoff appearance since the 1976–1978 Phillies.
Philadelphia defeated the Colorado Rockies in the NL Division Series, 3–1, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series (NLCS) for the second consecutive year, 4–1. Howard was named the most valuable player of the NLCS. The Phillies were defeated by the Yankees in the World Series, 4–2.
Statistical leaders in batting for the team included Victorino (batting average, .292), Howard (home runs, 45; runs batted in, 141), and Utley (runs scored, 112). For his season accomplishments, Utley won his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger Award. Pitching leaders included right-handed starting pitcher Joe Blanton (innings pitched, ), left-handed starter (win–loss record, 12–4), and closer Brad Lidge (saves, 31). Victorino and shortstop Jimmy Rollins also won Gold Glove Awards for their defense.
Offseason
Departures On November 4, 2008, following the World Series, the Phillies released third base coach Steve Smith. He had been with the team for two years. The Phillies were expected to have the remaining coaches to return for the 2009 season. However, bench coach Jimy Williams opted not to return to the Phillies, notifying the team on November 10. Charlie Manuel had expected Williams to return for the 2009 season and was surprised that he declined. However, Williams left the team on good terms, and Manuel stated that he was welcome to come back to the Phillies if he changed his mind. Left fielder Pat Burrell became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season, signing with the Tampa Bay Rays, whom the Phillies had defeated in the World Series, on January 5. The team did not tender an offer to Burrell following eight seasons. The Phillies also released outfielder So Taguchi on November 5. Taguchi had served as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for the Phillies in 2008. Eric Bruntlett replaced Taguchi for the latter half of the 2008 season. Relief pitcher Tom Gordon also filed for free agency, ultimately signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Arrivals
On November 3, the Phillies named Rubén Amaro, Jr. to be the general manager after Pat Gillick retired at the end of a three-year contract. Amaro previously had a long history with the Phillies, serving as a bat boy in the 1980s, a player in the 1990s, and as assistant general manager for the Phillies from 1998 until his appointment as general manager. Gillick remained with the Phillies as an advisor. On November 13, Sam Perlozzo joined the Phillies as third base coach and fielding/infield coach after spending 2008 in the same role for the Seattle Mariners. Perlozzo previously served as the third base coach for the New York Mets, the Cincinnati Reds, and as third base coach, bench coach, and manager for the Baltimore Orioles. Another former manager, Pete Mackanin, was named the team's new bench coach on November 21; he had been interim manager for the Reds when Jerry Narron was fired in Cincinnati in 2007. On November 28, the Phillies signed Mike Koplove Koplove, a right-handed relief pitcher, was optioned to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs at the end of spring training. On December 16, Raúl Ibañez agreed to play left field for the Phillies in a three-year, $31.5 million deal. South Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park officially signed a one-year contract to join the Phillies on January 6, after agreeing to a deal in principle in December. Park was originally signed as an insurance policy for the bullpen, as reliever J. C. Romero was assigned a fifty-game suspension after violating the MLB drug policy, but won the fifth starter's job in spring training.
Retentions Left-handed reliever Scott Eyre re-signed with the Phillies after becoming a vital part of the bullpen during the stretch run. The Phillies re-signed left-handed starter Jamie Moyer on December 15 after lengthy negotiations. The 46-year-old Moyer was inked to a two-year contract to return to the Phillies and kept a key part of the Phillies' postseason rotation intact. The team also avoided salary arbitration with first baseman Ryan Howard's three-year contract.
Injuries
On November 20, second baseman Chase Utley had hip surgery and was scheduled to be out for four-to-six months. However, on December 15, Utley said in a press conference that he could be ready for Opening Night. Just under four months later, Utley made his first pre-season game appearance in an intersquad game March 14, and his first appearance in actual game competition the next day against the St. Louis Cardinals. Third baseman Pedro Feliz also had surgery on his back to repair a herniated disc on the same day as Utley. Feliz officially returned to spring training action on March 13. During spring training, starting pitcher Cole Hamels left training camp on March 16 and flew to Philadelphia to have his left elbow examined by Dr. Michael Ciccotti. Hamels had felt tightness between innings and after he finished pitching. "This will obviously set me back a couple of days, and I don't think that should be a big deal", said Hamels. However, the injury threw his Opening Night start into doubt, even though Ciccotti found no structural damage in his arm; Brett Myers was announced as Hamels' replacement to start Opening Night.
Spring training On November 13, the Phillies announced their spring training schedule. In addition to their Grapefruit League games, the Phillies played two games against two World Baseball Classic teams. The Phillies defeated Canada (with Phillie Matt Stairs) on March 4, 9–2, and lost to the U.S. (with Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino) on March 5, 9–6. The team broke camp April 2 and headed north to play two "On Deck Series" games on April 3 and 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park; they split the series, winning 3–2 and losing 9–7.
The Phillies finished the preseason with a record of 13–19, 10 games behind the Grapefruit League-leading New York Yankees. Ryan Howard led all players in spring training with 10 home runs. The team set spring training attendance records for Bright House Field. They set a single-game record with 10,335 people in attendance on March 15 for a game against the Cardinals. The Phillies set the franchise's total spring training attendance record for Bright House Field, with 133,620 attending.
Regular season
April
The Phillies began their 2009 season in front of a sold-out crowd of 44,532 at Citizens Bank Park on April 5, playing against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies, originally scheduled to play in the afternoon of April 6, earned the distinction of playing the opening game of the entire 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) season after winning the 2008 World Series. They lost the opener 4–1 to the division-rival Braves, whose new ace, Derek Lowe, pitched eight shutout innings. The Phillies lost the next game, and were in danger of losing the following night and dropping to 0–3 before scoring eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 12–11 comeback win. The Phillies lost their first game in Denver, but came from behind again in their next two games to take the second series from the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals in the opener of their third series, just hours after the death of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas, but lost the third scheduled game of the series after the second was cancelled due to poor weather. In their series against the San Diego Padres, the Phillies dropped the first two games as well; during the second game, closer Brad Lidge blew his first save with Philadelphia, breaking his streak of 47 consecutive saves extending back to 2007. The Phillies won the Sunday afternoon matinee against the Padres, 5–4, on a walk-off home run by Ibáñez after trailing the entire game.
The Phillies' offense benefited from rest due to the postponement of the final game of the Padres' series, as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of their mid-week series, 11–4. The next two games did not go as smoothly, as the Phillies were shut out through eight innings in the second game and nearly no-hit by Brewers starter Dave Bush in the third game. Phillies starter Cole Hamels was hit by a line drive in the fourth inning and exited the game; before departing, he had retired nine of the ten batters he faced. Hitting the road for a series against the division-leading Florida Marlins, the Phillies were shut out through eight innings in the first game of the series before scoring seven runs in the top of the ninth against power-throwing closer Matt Lindstrom, winning the game, 7–3 on Shane Victorino's first career regular season grand slam. The following night's game offered another come-from-behind win, as they trailed in the ninth again to win in extra innings, 6–4, and the 13–2 victory on April 26 capped the team's first series sweep. Hosting Washington for their second series against the Nationals, the Phillies fell behind in the seventh inning before a grand slam by Ibáñez capped their 13–11 victory; combined with Ryan Howard's game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning, this was only the fourth time in Phillies history that teammates hit grand slams in the same game. The Phillies split the remaining two games of the series with Washington, finishing with an April record of 11–9, their second consecutive winning April.
May