Bring on the Dodgers! The Phillies are going back to the NLCS

(AP Photo)

The Phillies are going back to the NLCS!

In a game that was a roller coaster of emotions, the Phillies pulled out a thrilling 5-4 Game 4 victory over the Rockies to win the NLDS and move on to a rematch with the Dodgers in the NLCS.

The Phillies proved once again that you can never count them out, even when down by two runs and down to their final out. With the Phils trailing 4-2 in the 9th, Ryan Howard hit a clutch double to bring in a pair of runs and Jayson Werth followed with a single to bring Howard home and give the Phillies the lead. After another nail-biting bottom of the 9th with the Phillies bullpen, Scott Eyre and Brad Lidge managed to close the door and clinch the series for the Phils.

Of course, the game would have been a lot less interesting had the Phillies not given up 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Cliff Lee, who pitched a marvelous game, ran into some trouble in the 8th and allowed two runners on base, the second one getting on after a botched play by Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Madson entered the game after that and the Rockies offense woke up, getting clutch hits from Jason Giambi and Yorvit Torrealba to give the Rockies a huge 2 run lead.

None of what happened earlier mattered, though, as the Phillies proved once again that no deficit is too great. Tonight's game is exactly why they are the World Champs: they never give up. The confidence they showed with their backs against the wall, when they were down to their final out, even their final strike, was simply amazing.

Bring on the Dodgers! While some of the names have changed, the Phillies now get to face off against the team they shoved aside in the NLCS last year. With the magic they continue to pull out, a return trip to the World Series seems like a pretty solid bet. GO PHILLIES!