james murray's List: my sports

• In advancing to the World Series for the second consecutive season, the Phillies have ridden a postseason run of success never before seen from a National League club.
• After their NL Championship Series clincher over the Dodgers on Wednesday night, the Phillies have 16 victories in their past 20 postseason games -- the most wins in a 20-game span by an NL team.
• Dating back to the Game 4 clincher of the 2008 NL Division Series, the Phillies have lost only once in each of the subsequent four postseason series for those 16 wins in 20 postseason contests.
• The last time a team was on a postseason roll like this, the Yankees were building the first two of their three consecutive titles in the late 1990s. The Yankees won 22 of 25 games -- including one run of 17 of 20 -- en route to World Series titles in 1998 and '99 before losing four games in the first two series in 2000 on the way to their third title.

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• For the first time in nine playoff games, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard did not to get a hit or an RBI on Wednesday night.

    

               

    He did pick up another trophy, though. Howard was named the Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series after the Phillies wrapped up the pennant with a 10-4 victory over the Dodgers at Citizen's Bank Park.
• Howard had a relatively quiet night on Wednesday, going 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. But he did plenty before this game, including setting a Major League record with at least one RBI in eight straight games over one postseason.
• Howard was 5-for-15 with five runs scored, two home runs and eight RBIs. Only four players in League Championship Series history have driven in more than eight runs in an LCS of five games or les
• Howard also has 14 RBIs in nine games this postseason. With the World Series on the horizon, Howard has a shot at the all-time postseason record of 19, set in 1997 by Sandy Alomar Jr., for the Indians and since tied by Scott Spiezio for the Angels in 2002 and David Ortiz for the Red Sox in 2004

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• They made more history in the final game of the National League Championship Series. With a first-inning walk, second baseman Chase Utley reached base in his 25th consecutive postseason game, tying Boog Powell's record that stood for 38 years. 

   The Phillies scored 35 runs in the series, the most in a five-game LCS. And Los Angeles and Philadelphia combined for seven home runs Wednesday, tying an LCS single-game record.  
• Shane Victorino just missed a home run in the eighth inning -- the umpires awarded Victorino a double after ruling that a fan reached over the fence to touch the ball -- or else they would have had the record books to themselves.