PHILADELPHIA – Raul Ibanez hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
Roy Halladay pitched seven strong innings, Carlos Ruiz hit a tying homer and the Phillies increased their lead to 3 1/2 games over the Braves in the National League East. The victory was manager Charlie Manuel’s 600th career win with the team.
Despite heavy rain throughout the day and a delay of 1 hour, 54 minutes at the start, the game was played straight through without any stoppage after the first pitch. The teams were set to start after a 90-minute delay, but the rain began falling harder and umpires instructed the grounds crew to put the tarp back on the field.
Ibanez lined a 2-0 pitch from Scott Proctor (1-3) over the right-field wall to end it after Braves center fielder Jordan Schafer robbed Ryan Howard of extra bases leading off the inning with a diving catch on a drive to left-center.
These teams battled for the NL East title last year, with the Phillies overcoming a seven-game deficit on July 22 to win their fourth consecutive division crown. The Braves were 4 1/2 games up at the All-Star break and finished six games back but earned a wild-card berth.