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Playoffs
MLB

R-Phils Head to Playoffs for First Time Since 2009

By
September 5, 2011
New Page 1

The Reading Phillies are going back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. With a 6-2 win on Monday in Binghamton, NY, the R-Phils clinched the Eastern League Eastern Division Wild Card and will now move on to face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Reading (74-68) won for the fifth-straight game, and will enter the postseason as the hottest team in the Eastern League.

The R-Phils wrapped-up their regular season home schedule on Saturday, August 27 with a split of their doubleheader against Portland. With that split, Reading hit the road and went on to face the Akron Aeros for four games, and the Binghamton Mets for four games.

After splitting the four-game set with the Aeros in Akron, it was on to Binghamton to face the Mets. At the time, the B-Mets were the hottest team in the league, but Reading immediately cooled them off with a 4-2 victory in game one.

The R-Phils continued to play great baseball, taking game two by a score of 6-5 on Saturday, and game three by a score of 5-4 on Sunday. But, even with the outstanding play by Reading, things would come down to the final game of the season, courtesy of a New Britain team which continued to play well down the stretch.

On the final day of the regular season, however, Reading just needed to win, and did not have to worry about what the Rock Cats would do. And, with RHP Tyson Brummett on the hill, Reading did what they had to do.

Brummett tossed six effective innings, Brent Clevlen homered for the second-straight day, and the R-Phils earned a four-game sweep of the B-Mets with a 6-2 win on Monday. Brummett improved to 4-8 with a 4.52 ERA on the season.

Matt Rizzotti paced the offense, providing a spark from the fifth spot in the order. The New York native ripped three hits, including two doubles and three RBIs, and helped lead Reading to the playoffs. Rizzotti finished the season with a .294 batting average and a career-high in home runs (24), and RBIs (84).

Michael Spidale went 2-5 and finished the regular season with the third-best batting average in the league. Spidale hit an impressive .326 this year. Carlos Rivero finished the season with a team-high 36 doubles - ranking third-best in Reading Phillies single-season franchise history. He finished three behind David Doster and Greg Jacobs, who hold the single-season record with 39.

Here is a look at the Eastern League playoff schedule:

Eastern Division Championship Series (Best of Five)
- Game One: Thursday, September 8th (R-Phils at Fisher Cats)
- Game Two: Friday, September 9th (R-Phils at Fisher Cats)
- Game Three: Saturday, September 10th (Fisher Cats at R-Phils)
- Game Four: Sunday, September 11th (Fisher Cats at R-Phils) * if necessary
- Game Five: Monday, September 12th (R-Phils at Fisher Cats) * if necessary

Harrisburg won the Western Division and will face the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The Senators were the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the Eastern League, and will take on the Squirrels, who clinched a spot with a win on the final game of the regular season. Richmond beat Altoona 2-1 in a rain-shortened game on Monday.

Western Division Championship Series (Best of Five)
- Game One: Friday, September 9th (Senators at Squirrels)
- Game Two: Saturday, September 10th (Senators at Squirrels)
- Game Three: Sunday, September 11th (Squirrels at Senators)
- Game Four: Monday, September 12th (Squirrels at Senators) * if necessary
- Game Five: Tuesday, September 13th (Squirrels at Senators) * if necessary

Fans can follow all of the postseason action on readingphillies.com, as well as the R-Phils Facebook and Twitter pages. Also, check out R-Phils PR/Media Relations Director Tommy Viola for all of the latest news. Follow Viola on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/Tommy_the_V.

Also, every R-Phils playoff game will be carried on ESPN Radio 1240 AM WIOV and readingphillies.com. The voice of the R-Phils Brian Seltzer will have the call for all of the action. Fans can expect a pre-game show, as well as all of the play-by-play for each game.

Get your 2011 R-Phils playoff tickets by phone at 610-370-BALL, online at www.readingphillies.com, or in-person at the brand-new R-Phils ticket office located at FirstEnergy Stadium. Fans can also add the all-you-can eat deck buffet wristband to any order for only $12. Get your 2012 R-Phils Season Ticket or Mini-Plan now and get as many tickets as you want for all Baseballtown All Star Classic events before they go on-sale to anyone else.