2009 National League Division Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Los Angeles Dodgers (3) Joe Torre 95–67, .586, GA: 3 St. Louis Cardinals (0) Tony La Russa 91–71, .562, GA:7+1⁄2
Dates	October 7 – 10
Television	TBS
TV announcers	Dick Stockton,Bob Brenly
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Jon Sciambi,Aaron Boone
Umpires	Dana DeMuth Brian O'Nora Mike Everitt Jeff Nelson Ed Rapuano Tony Randazzo
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Philadelphia Phillies (3) Charlie Manuel 93–69, .574, GA: 6 Colorado Rockies (1) Jim Tracy 92–70, .568, GB: 3
Dates	October 7 – 12
Television	TBS
TV announcers	Brian Anderson,Joe Simpson andDavid Aldridge
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Chris Berman andRick Sutcliffe (in Philadelphia) Gary Thorne andChris Singleton (in Denver)
Umpires	Gerry Davis Bob Davidson Jerry Meals Ron Kulpa Angel Hernandez Tim Timmons
← 2008 NLDS 2010 →

The2009National League Division Series (NLDS) consisted of two concurrentbest-of-five game series on theNational League side in Major League Baseball’s2009 postseason that determined the participating teams in the2009 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The NLDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and ended on Monday, October 12.TBS televised all games in the United States.^[1] The matchups were:

• (1)Los Angeles Dodgers (West Division champions, 95–67) vs. (3)St. Louis Cardinals (Central Division champions, 91–71): Dodgers win series, 3–0.
• (2)Philadelphia Phillies (East Division champions, 93–69) vs. (4)Colorado Rockies (Wild Card qualifier, 92–70): Phillies win series, 3–1.^[2]

This marked the second postseason meeting between the Phillies and Rockies in three seasons; the Rockies swept the Phillies in the2007 NLDS. The Dodgers and Cardinals last met in the postseason during the2004 NLDS, which the Cardinals won 3–1.

The Dodgers and Phillies won their respective series—the Dodgers three games to none and the Phillies three games to one. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers in the NLCS by a series score of 4–1, and lost the2009 World Series to the American League championNew York Yankees, 4–2.

Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.

Philadelphia won the series, 3–1.

Neither team'sstarting pitcher was particularly effective in the series opener; however, neither team's offense was able to capitalize, as this game set an MLB postseason record for runnersleft on base combined between the two teams, with 30.^[10] Los Angeles starterRandy Wolfloaded the bases with noouts in the first inning, but allowed just one run onRyan Ludwick's one-out single. In the bottom half of the inning, St. Louis starterChris Carpenter gave up a two-runhome run toMatt Kemp, giving the Dodgers a lead they would never relinquish. In the third, they put runners on first and second on a walk and hit-by-pitch beforeCasey Blake's RBI single put them up 3–1. The Cardinals cut the lead back to one in the fourth whenColby Rasmus drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a groundout and scored onSkip Schumaker's double. In the fifth,Rafael Furcal's sacrifice fly with runners on second and third made it 4–2 Dodgers. Next inning,Kyle McClellan hitRussell Martin with a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another run, charged toDennys Reyes, for the Dodgers. In the top of the ninth,Jonathan Broxton allowed a one-out single toRyan Ludwick, who scored onMark DeRosa's two-out double, before striking outRick Ankiel looking to end the game and give the Dodgers a 1–0 series lead.

Los Angeles sluggerManny Ramirez was held to 1-for-4 with onewalk, while St. Louis sluggerAlbert Pujols was 0-for-3 with twointentional walks. The game ran 3:54 which made it the longest nine-inning postseason game in history: however, the record was broken four days later by the Rockies and Phillies.

In an amazing pitching duel, Game 2 was dominated by Cardinals pitcherAdam Wainwright and Dodgers phenomClayton Kershaw, who was pitching in his first careerpostseason start. In the second inning,Matt Holliday hit a home run to put the Cardinals ahead 1–0, but Dodger sluggerAndre Ethier hit his first career post-season homer to tie it up 1–1 in the bottom of the fourth, the first hit Wainwright allowed. Wainwright dominated throughout his start, retiring the first 11 hitters he faced, while Kershaw kept pitching in and out of trouble. In the seventh inning, a double byColby Rasmus with no outs scoredMark DeRosa to put St. Louis ahead 2–1, but Rasmus was thrown out at third base, which ended up being a huge play. At the time, it seemed to be enough to allow Wainwright to pitch to victory; in the eighth inning, however, he pitched into a bases-loaded jam. With two outs, Game 1 heroMatt Kemp grounded out toAlbert Pujols to end the threat, and going into the ninth inning, Cardinal closerRyan Franklin was brought in with one out. After retiringManny Ramirez, Dodger first basemanJames Loney hit a fly ball to Holliday, who lost the ball in the lights and it hit off his belly,^[11] allowing Loney to reach second on the error. After a walk toCasey Blake, mid-season acquisitionRonnie Belliard hit a clutch two-out single to scorepinch runnerJuan Pierre to tie the game, and afterRussell Martin walked to load the bases, veteranpinch hitterMark Loretta, who was 0-for-15 career against Franklin, hit a walk-off single to center field to score Blake and the Dodgers won the game in dramatic fashion, spoiling the gem by Wainwright and sending the series to St. Louis with a 2–0 LA advantage.

The Dodgers swept the Cardinals 3–0, and went on to go face the Phillies in aNLCS rematch.Vicente Padilla silenced the Cardinals' bats again by pitching dominantly, allowing no runs on four hits through seven innings. The 47,296 attendance was the largest crowd to see a game atBusch Stadium since it opened in 2006. In the top of the first,Matt Kemp singled with one out offJoel Piñeiro and scored onManny Ramirez's two-out double. In the third,Andre Ethier's two-run home run made it 3–0 Dodgers. Next inning,Ronnie Belliard hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a groundout, and scored onRafael Furcal's two-out single. In the seventh, Ethier tripled with two outs offJohn Smoltz and scored on Ramirez's single. The Cardinals scored their only run of the game in the eighth whenJulio Lugo walked offGeorge Sherrill, stole second and scored onAlbert Pujols's single offJonathan Broxton. Broxton pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the series for the Dodgers.

2009 NLDS(3–0):Los Angeles Dodgers overSt. Louis Cardinals

Amidst strong, swirling winds atCitizens Bank Park, the Phillies cruised to a 5–1 victory behind a dominating performance fromCliff Lee. Philadelphia broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth whenJayson Werth drew a leadoff walk and scored on anRBI double byRaúl Ibañez, who scored two batters later on a single fromCarlos Ruiz. Rockies starterUbaldo Jiménez ran into more trouble in the sixth, giving up a leadoff single toChase Utley, who stole second, then an RBI double toJayson Werth and an RBI triple toRyan Howard.Joe Beimel relieved Jimenez and allowed an RBI single to Ibanez. Lee, meanwhile, retired 16 straight Colorado batters from the second inning into the seventh, picking up thecomplete game win in his first career postseason start. Lee was one strike away from completing ashutout, butTroy Tulowitzki lined a two-out, two-strike double in the top of the ninth to score Carlos Gonzalez from first to plate the Rockies' only run.

ActorKevin Bacon and his brother Michael sang thenational anthem before the game.

2008 NLCS and World Series MVPCole Hamels faced Rockies' starterAaron Cook in Game 2. In the top of the first inning, the Rockies scored the first run of the game whenTodd Helton hit a ball up the first base line that was misplayed by Hamels allowing Carlos Gonzalez to score from third. Rockies' catcherYorvit Torrealba then hit a two-run home run off Hamels in the fourth inning after he had not hit a home run since May 6. In the next inning,Dexter Fowler's sacrifice fly with runners on second and third made it 4–0 Rockies. Hamels was then told his wife, who was 9 months pregnant, was going into labor and he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Phillies would then fight back in the sixth inning. After consecutive hits byShane Victorino andChase Utley put runners on first and second with nobody out,Ryan Howard hit a line-drive double into the right field corner making the score 4–1.Jose Contreras relieved Cook asRaúl Ibañez hit a one-out single to center field scoring two runs to cut the score to 4–3.Pedro Feliz's single then loaded the bases, butCarlos Ruiz grounded into a double play, ending the threat. Charlie Manuel would use potential Game 3 starters Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ in the seventh inning, with Happ only throwing four pitches and leaving with an injury after being hit on the leg by a ball. The Rockies loaded the bases before Fowler's sacrifice fly offScott Eyre made it 5–3 Rockies.Jayson Werth hit a home run in the eighth inning offRafael Betancourt to once again close the Rockies lead to 1, butHuston Street retired Shane Victorino with two runners on base with two outs in the ninth inning to send the series to Colorado tied 1–1.

Game 3 was originally scheduled for October 10 at 9:37 p.m. Eastern, but was postponed due to snowy weather in the Denver area. The city received two inches of snow by Saturday morning, and forecasts called for a game-time temperature of 26 °F (−3 °C). The October 10 low was 17 °F (−8 °C), breaking a record set in 1905. This normally would not have been a problem due to Coors Field's underground heating system, and the Rockies have played in freezing conditions before. However, MLB began giving serious thought to postponing the game after hearing that the temperature would barely make it above freezing, and reports of icy roads and numerous accidents clinched the decision. This pushed Game 4 back to October 12, with Game 5, if necessary, to be played the next day in Philadelphia with no travel day.

The temperature at game time (10:07 pm Eastern; 8:07 pm local) was 35 °F (2 °C) and it dropped over the course of the game, which ended after midnight local time. At 4:06, this was the longest nine-inning postseason game ever (breaking a record set four days earlier by the Dodgers and Cardinals.)

Chase Utley's two-out home run offJason Hammel made it 1–0 Phillies in the first, but in the bottom half,Todd Helton's RBI groundout after back-to-back leadoff singles offJ. A. Happ tied the score. After a single and strikeout,Garrett Atkins's RBI single put the Rockies up 2–1. In the third, Helton drew a leadoff walk and scored on Atkins's double to make it 3–1 Rockies, but in the fourth, a leadoff walk and single was followed byRyan Howard's RBI single. Hammel then walked two to load the bases and force in another run to tie the game. After a double play,Carlos Ruiz's RBI single put the Phillies up 4–3, butCarlos Gonzalez's home run in the bottom of the inning offJoe Blanton tied the game. In the sixth, back-to-back one-out walks offJose Contreras were followed by Ruiz's RBI single that put the Phillies up 5–4. In the bottom of the seventh,Scott Eyre allowed a leadoff double and subsequent single before being relieved byRyan Madson, who allowed a one-out sacrifice fly toTroy Tulowitzki to tie the game. In the ninth,Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly with two on offHuston Street put the Phillies up 6–5.Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless bottom half despite allowing two walks to give the Phillies a 2–1 series lead.

Game 4 was originally scheduled to start on Game 3's date and start time, but due to the Saturday postponement was pushed back to Monday with first pitch at 4:07 Mountain Time.

With an extra day of rest, both teams pitched their aces in a rematch of Game 1. The Phillies quickly struck in the first, as the second batter of the game, Shane Victorino, hit a home run into the Rockies bullpen. Jimenez would settle down, virtually matching the Phillies' Cliff Lee the rest of the way, his only other run coming on a Jayson Werth homer in the sixth. Lee wasn't as dominant as he was in Game 1, but held the Rockies at bay until the sixth when he walked Todd Helton on four pitches and Troy Tulowitzki doubled him home to cut the lead to 2–1. He got out of it by gettingGarrett Atkins to line out to third, and Tulowitzki was doubled off second.

Jimenez pitched seven innings before giving way to Franklin Morales. The Phillies would load the bases in the eighth with one out off Morales, but Rafael Betancourt would get a pop out and strikeout to keep Philadelphia from adding to their lead. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Lee walked Dexter Fowler. Helton then bounced what looked like a tailor-made double play ground ball to Chase Utley. Fowler, to avoid running into him, jumped and hurdled over Utley, whose throw to second was wide and an error. Lee was pulled and a double switch was made, Ryan Madson in to pitch, Ben Francisco in left field. Tulowitzki promptly stepped up and hit a shallow fly to left that Francisco made a diving catch on to rob the Rockies of the potential tying run. Jason Giambi pinch hit, and on the first pitch punched a game-tying single to left. Yorvit Torrealba followed by hitting a two-run double over the head of Victorino, giving the Rockies their first lead. Madson then intentionally walkedSeth Smith and threw a wild pitch to advance both runners, but gotClint Barmes to ground out to end the inning.

In the ninth Colorado again turned to Street, the losing pitcher in Game 3 to send the series back to Philadelphia for a Game 5. This time he opened the inning by striking out pinch hitter Greg Dobbs, prompting Ryan Howard to tell his teammates to "get me to the plate, boys." Jimmy Rollins, though, as he did the previous night, singled. After Victorino bounced into a fielder's choice that saw Rollins forced out at second, Utley stepped up and went down 2–2 in the count. He would, however, work a walk to bring go-ahead run Ryan Howard to the plate. On a 2–1 pitch, Howard belted a double to the wall in right field, tying the game. Werth followed with a bloop single to shallow right on a 2–2 pitch as the Phillies matched the Rockies' three-run rally with one of their own to retake the lead.

Colorado would threaten again in the ninth against Scott Eyre. With one out, Carlos Gonzalez singled, tying him with Dante Bichette for the club record for hits in the Division Series at ten. Following a Fowler lineout, Helton singled up middle. Brad Lidge was again summoned from the bullpen and faced Tulowitzki in a rematch of the previous night's final at-bat. Having looked at two sliders, and barely checked his swing on another, Lidge threw Tulowitzki a 2–2 slider. This time Tulowitzki could not check his swing, striking out to end the game, and sending the Phillies to the NLCS with a three-games-to-one series victory. It also marked the first time in Division Series history that all four series winners clinched on the road, as the Dodgers, Angels and Yankees all had completed sweeps on the road previously.

2009 NLDS(3–1):Philadelphia Phillies overColorado Rockies

• LAD vs. STL at Baseball-Reference
• COL vs. PHI at Baseball-Reference
• LAD vs. STL at ESPN
• COL vs. PHI at ESPN

• 2009 Major League Baseball season
• National League Division Series
• Philadelphia Phillies postseason
• St. Louis Cardinals postseason
• Los Angeles Dodgers postseason
• Colorado Rockies postseason
• 2009 in sports in Pennsylvania
• 2009 in sports in Missouri
• 2009 in sports in Los Angeles
• 2009 in sports in Colorado
• 2000s in Denver
• 2009 in Philadelphia
• 2000s in St. Louis
• October 2009 sports events in the United States

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from November 2013