My Next Card From NOW

For just the second time ever, I forked over $10 in order to get only 1 baseball card. Topps is probably smiling right now as the count the money made by me and other Red Sox fans from what they made off this card, but I really don't care.

In a season that's been historic, a word I don't use lightly, the Boston Red Sox have had a lion's share of memorable moments. From 6 grand slams in April, a 4-game series sweep of the Yankees, Bogaerts' hitting a walk-off grand slam, and merely the names J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale, and Mookie Betts.

So when they were going into the 3rd game of the Braves series a couple weeks ago having already won the first 2, it seemed like they weren't going to have any of these moments. After all, Alex Cora rested nearly every star player and put some of the September call-ups to work.

One of those players was Brandon Phillips, a former perennial All-Star and Gold Glove award winner with the Cincinnati Reds.

After going down 7-1 to Atlanta in the 5th and taking that lead with them into the 8th, it looked certain that Boston wouldn't pull off a sweep. But if there's one thing this team has taught me, it's that you never say never.

They tied the game in the top of the 8th but lost the lead again in the bottom of the 8th inning due to a Freddie Freeman home run. 

With 2 outs in the top of the 9th and a man on first base, Brandon Phillips stepped to the plate. If you haven't seen what happened next, take a look right here.

In his very first game as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Brandon Phillips, #0, made history and won the game for Boston by a final score of 9-8. The more you look at the video, the more you realize how powerful this swing was. He appears to almost fall back as he slams the ball well over 400 feet off of Braves closer A.J. Minter who has posed a threat all season with his 65 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched.

Better yet, this was Phillip's first game of 2018. The Red Sox picked him up in June. He spent time in Triple-A Pawtucket and even with the Single-A Lowell Spinners. He reportedly had multiple opportunities to opt-out, but he chose not to. He stayed with a team knowing full well he could never play in the majors for, and he was fine with that. 

His patience proved to be a strong attribute as Phillips was able to add his name to the long list of players who have made a difference for the Sox this season. While other players spent all year accomplishing this, Phillips was able to do it in one swing. When you think about it, it's truly remarkable.