PHILADELPHIA – Jimmy Rollins took a big swing, stood at home plate and watched the ball soar into the seats. Before he even reached first base, the dugout had already emptied and his teammates were waiting for him.
Rollins hit the first game-ending homer of his career, a two-run shot with one out in the ninth inning Wednesday night that lifted the Philadelphia Phillies over the Cleveland Indians 7-6.
“I never saw a crowd like that coming around third base,” Rollins said. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought about sliding.”
Rollins was mobbed by his teammates and got a knuckle noogie on his shaved head from manager Charlie Manuel. Then he took a shaving cream pie to the face from Shane Victorino while doing an interview.
“It felt good,” Rollins said. “It was one of those moments.”
Trailing 6-5, the Phillies rallied against Kerry Wood (1-3). Brian Schneider led off with a walk and pinch-runner Wilson Valdez advanced to second on a groundout.
Rollins then hit a liner inside the right-field foul pole to win it. The 2007 NL MVP was 0-for-8 since returning from his second stint on the disabled list. He’s played in only 14 games this season because of a calf injury.
“He said, ‘I got one, didn’t I?”‘ Manuel said. “He was very happy about it.”
Schneider and Jayson Werth added solo homers for the Phillies.
Shin-soo Choo hit two two-run homers for the Indians.
“I talked to the hitting coach before the game because I hadn’t hit a homer in two weeks,” Choo said. “The balls fly out of here.”
The Indians went ahead 6-5 in the ninth off J.C. Romero (1-0). With runners at second and third and the infield drawn in, Carlos Santana hit a hard one-hopper to shortstop. Rollins made a diving backhanded stop, but the throw home from his knees skipped past Schneider for an error and Trevor Crowe scored standing.
The two-time NL champion Phillies are 6-3 since a 5-14 skid. Cleveland, which has the second-worst record in the AL, has lost four straight.
Neither starter pitched well. Jake Westbrook gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings for the Indians. Philadelphia’s Kyle Kendrick allowed four earned runs and six hits in four-plus innings.
“I wasn’t good,” Kendrick said. “I fell behind hitters. I didn’t do my job. It’s frustrating.”
The Phillies tied it at 1 when Schneider hit reliever Frank Herrmann’s first pitch into the seats in right-center leading off the bottom of the seventh. It was the catcher’s first homer with the Phillies.
Choo put the Indians ahead 5-4 with his second homer in the fifth after Raul Ibanez hit a two-run double to give Philadelphia its first lead in the fourth.
Crowe reached on second baseman Chase Utley’s fielding error before Choo hit an opposite-field drive to left-center. Santana followed with a double to chase Kendrick. But Santana was thrown out trying to score on Ibanez’s perfect one-hop strike to the plate after Jhonny Peralta singled to left.
The Phillies had runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth when pitcher Tony Sipp picked Victorino off first. Victorino got caught in a rundown while Ryan Howard broke toward the plate. He charged into Santana, who made the tag and sidestepped the big slugger.
Choo drove an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to put Cleveland ahead 2-0 in the first.
Werth hit his 13th homer to tie it at 2 in the second.
Notable
Victorino was caught trying to steal second base in the second, ending Philadelphia’s string of 18 consecutive steals.
• Choo has four career multihomer games, including two this season. … Phillies LHP J.A. Happ gave up three runs in five innings in a rehab start at Double-A Reading.
• A crowd of 44,510 was the 76th consecutive sellout at Citizens Bank Park.
TODAY
• WHO: Cleveland at Philadelphia
• TIME: 1:05 p.m.
• WHERE: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
• PITCHERS: Carmona (6-5, 3.31 ERA) vs. Blanton (2-5, 6.96)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM
