PHILADELPHIA — The championship banner that’ll hang above Ashburn Alley and those shiny rings they’ll soon receive will be a constant reminder that the Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Series champions. Once Brett Myers throws the first pitch tonight against the Atlanta Braves in the 2009 major league opener, last year won’t matter anymore.
“It’s time for us to go out there and defend our title, and play the game,” center fielder Shane Victorino said. “I’m not going to look back at ’08 once I get the season started on Sunday. You have to move forward. You’re definitely going to be talked about as the world champs, and we want to go out there and keep winning.”
Since the first day of spring training, players have stressed the importance of focusing on this season instead of reflecting on their magical run last October. The goal is to repeat. That’s no easy feat, considering it hasn’t been done this decade.
The New York Yankees were the last team to win consecutive championships, capturing three straight titles from 1998-2000. The Cincinnati Reds were the last NL team to win two in a row in 1975-76.
Myers will be opposed by Derek Lowe, who was lured away from the Dodgers by a $60 million, four-year contract. Lowe was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA last year. The Phillies beat him in Game 1 of the NLCS and he had a no-decision in Philadelphia’s victory in Game 4.
Lowe anchors an overhauled rotation that includes newcomers Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami. Atlanta has missed the playoffs three straight years after winning an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles. The Phillies were 14-4 against the Braves last year, including 9-0 in Atlanta.
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