Rays' Phillips a ball of joy after epic win: 'Man, baseball is fun'
The only at-bat of the night for Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips was the biggest of his career, and he came through.
Initially, his ninth-inning single looked like it merely tied the game, but an error and a bad relay helped the Rays walk off the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 to tie the World Series at two games apiece.
A joyful Phillips could hardly believe it.
"Once I saw Randy slip, I was like 'Aw, shoot, at least we tied it up,' and then he missed the ball," Phillips said. "I don't know what happened but then he scored. The next thing I know, I'm airplane-ing around the outfield and I get dogpiled and here I am."
"I'm still trying to catch my breath." - @Brett_Phillips8 on NTT #BallparkCam after getting the game-winning hit!#MLBTonight | @RaysBaseball | #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/ApSwHBiIP9
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 25, 2020
"I can't even tell you what happened," he said. "I just know we won. It's a blessing. ... Honestly, this is next to my wedding day, getting married, this is the most excited I've ever been. I just feel so blessed."
Phillips was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in late August in exchange for minor leaguer Lucius Fox. Since the trade, he struggled mightily, batting .150 in 17 regular season games and hadn't registered a hit since Sept. 25.
He was left off the Rays' ALCS roster and hadn't had a plate appearance through the first three games of the World Series.
"What a great team effort on this win. It took almost 28 guys," Phillips added, according to Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press. "That's what special about this team. Just all come together, our one goal is to win. We don't rely on one guy. It takes everyone, and man, baseball is fun."