PHILADELPHIA — When he finally emerged from the postgame showers, Shane Victorino acted like he was surprised to see a media crowd gathered around his locker. 

"Two thumbs up, everyone," the Phillies center fielder said while lifting a Philadelphia UFC shirt over his head. "That's all you need to know. No broke, no fracture."

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Score and situation: Phillies 8, Yankees 6  New York leads series 3-2

Leading lad: Chase Utley, is there anything you can't do? Utley homered twice, giving him five in the Series to tie Reggie Jackson's 32-year-old record. Reggie can still be Mr. October however; three of Utley's homers have come in November. Utley also has seven career homers in the World Series; only Duke Snider, with 11, has more in a career among NL players. Utley is hitting .333 in the series, but has yet to single. His other hit in 18 at-bats was a double.

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PHILADELPHIA — Andy Pettitte has helped the Yankees to plenty of playoff wins with his arm over the years, becoming the most victorious playoff pitcher in the process. 

But it wasn't until Saturday night's Game 3 that the old lefty from Texas helped New York's cause with his bat, hitting a tying RBI single off Cole Hamels in the fifth inning of the Yankees' 8-5 win over the Phillies.

The hit and ensuing run that Pettitte scored on a Johnny Damon double put the pitcher in line for his 17th postseason victory. His one knock was one more than Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez had combined.

Said Pettitte after the game:

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NEW YORK — The New York Post photographer wore the hesitant look of a man who normally wouldn't be doing something like this were it not for the fact he worked for a tabloid newspaper and his boss would fire him if he did not. And so there he stood silently during several questions about Jimmy Rollins' guarantee, through a couple on Charlie Manuel and even through a couple on the very newspaper he was holding in his hand.

Finally, there was a lull in the questioning of Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino and the photog could not put it off any longer. Raising his camera in one hand and the cover with the picture of Victorino dressed as a cheerleader with the other, he spit out a quick request that sounded both sheepish and prematurely regretful.

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Score and situation: Phillies 10, Dodgers 4, Philadelphia wins NLCS 4-1

Leading lads: From Paul Bako to Jayson Werth, each member of the Phillies deserves a piece of the extended ovation they're experiencing right now at Citizens Bank Park. In a time when it's tougher than ever to keep a title team together to win another division flag and then fight through two tough playoff rounds, the Phillies are in a spot to defend their World Series title. They're the first team to do so since the '01 Yankees and the first NL squad since the '96 Braves. If they actually win the thing, they'll be the first NL repeat winners since The Big Red Machine.

So here's a big hand for the power of Ryan Howard, the all-around games of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley and the still underrated star qualities of Shane Victorino and Werth.

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In the wake of Philly's 11-0 domination of Los Angeles, we take a look at what's coming off the keyboards of the bloggers and bards in both cities.

Bill Lyon, Philadelphia Inquirer: "At 8:06 in the East last night, Clifton Phifer Lee, of the Benton, Ark., Lee, a man given to raging superstitions, runs to the mound and, as is his habit to begin each inning, tenderly rakes the dirt with his cleats, windmills both arms three vigorous times, turns to face second base, and fires a phantom pitch there. And then, ritual complete, he turns around and sets about turning the Los Angeles Dodgers around. Also, inside out. And every which way but loose. Cliff Lee pitches like a man late for a date. Get the ball. Throw the ball. Swing and miss. Next."

Bill Baer, Crasburn Alley: "Curt Schilling, October 21, 1993. Cole Hamels, October 1, 2008. Who are the only pitchers to throw at least eight innings and allow zero runs in a post-season game for the Philadelphia Phillies? Add Cliff Lee to that list. Going by game score, and assuming my calculations are correct, Lee's start tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers was tied for the best among the trio: * Schilling, 1993: 80 game score * Hamels, 2008: 86 * Lee, 2009: 86."

Jason Weitzel, Beerleaguer: "After watching Cliff Lee slice and dice the Dodgers during last night's 'what to do' and 'what not to do' pitching demonstration, I think it's safe to say the Phillies' made out okay in their deal for Lee, who's been even better than NLCS and World Series MVP Cole Hamels was at this time last postseason. Chaired by Amaro, the Phillies' war room is on an unbelievable hot streak when it comes to plucking talent from the open market, including a flier on three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez, whose seven shutout frames Friday should have set up a series sweep tonight."

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Score and situation: Phillies 11, Dodgers 0, Philadelphia leads series, 2-1

Leading lads: About the only nit I can pick with the Phillies after is that their dominating win made the job of a blogger or reporter a lot harder than it should be. After all, exactly what or who do you lead your articles or takes with?

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When appropriate, Big League Stew reviews a key decision during the playoffs to see if the right one was made.

The Turning Point: Dodgers manager Joe Torre stuck with rookie left-hander Clayton Kershaw for six batters after Carlos Ruiz put the Phillies ahead with a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The sixth man, Ryan Howard, hit a two-run double to make it 5-1 Phillies before Torre changed pitchers. Kershaw, at 21 the youngest starting pitcher in league championship series history, allowed five runs, four hits and five walks — along with a record three wild pitches in the fifth alone. Philadelphia beat the Dodgers 8-6 to take Game 1 of the NLCS.

The Question: Did Torre err by not acting sooner on Kershaw, perhaps after he walked pitcher Cole Hamels? Like Grady Little sticking with Pedro Martinez during Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, might the decision to stick with with Kershaw hang around Torre's neck?

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Real, live postseason baseball resumes tonight when the Phillies and Dodgers, ol' pals from four NLCS meetings past, reacquaint themselves in Los Angeles. In anticipation of the Senior Circuit showdown, two Big League Stewards take a look at the series ahead. 

'Duk: Aloha, Mr. Brown! It doesn't seem like a year has passed, but here we are again, downloading pictures of celebrities at Dodger Stadium and seeing how many Fs we can change to Phs. Yes, we're set for another Dodgers-Phillies showdown in the National League Championship Series and I think we can only hope it ends up capturing our imagination for a few more games than it did last year.

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As the NLCS prepares to kick off Thursday night in LA, Big League Stew takes a look at five early storylines.

1. Which Manny will show up?:At this point, I expect that half of the Stew's readership will chime in and finish that question with "Yeah, the Manny with fertility drugs or the one without?"

Excellent take folks, but I've moved past that and am currently wondering whether the Dodgers will see the Manny from NLDS Games 1 and 2 (1-for-8) or the Manny from the clinching Game 3 against the Cardinals (3-for-5, two doubles, two RBIs)?

With the emergence of Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp as productive hitters, Los Angeles doesn't need to solely look to Ramirez like it did during last year's NLCS (when he hit .533/.682/1.067 with two doubles, two homers and seven RBIs).

However, if the Dodgers want  to unseat the defending champs, Man-Ram will definitely have to recreate more than just the "fight" from last fall.

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