The towels were no longer waved with the same vigor. The shouts in the stands turned into murmurs.
The paid crowd of 56,800 fans at Dodger Stadium on Monday night immediately understood the implications of the ball that Matt Stairs had just driven halfway up the right-field pavilion.
The Dodgers were pushed to the brink of elimination. Mannywood might be about to close its doors, perhaps forever.
Stairs' two-run home run against closer Jonathan Broxton completed a two-homer, four-run eighth inning for the Philadelphia Phillies, who stormed back from two runs down to claim a 7-5 victory in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series and shoved the Dodgers to within a game of the end of their season.
The series, which the Phillies lead, 3-1, will resume Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
"Must-win situation," first baseman James Loney said.
"We have nothing to lose now," third baseman Casey Blake said.
The game was the first won by the Phillies at Dodger Stadium this season in six tries.
"This was the biggest game we've won so far," Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel said.
Blake admitted that he thought the Dodgers were about to head into Game 5 tied at two games apiece, after they took a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning when he hit a solo home run and Juan Pierre doubled and scored on a throwing error by Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.
Then the unthinkable unfolded. A Dodgers bullpen that was the backbone of the team for most of the season faltered.
Hong-Chih Kuo, who finished a perfect seventh inning by blowing away Chase Utley with a 97-mph fastball, gave up a single to Howard to start the eighth and was pulled from the game by Manager Joe Torre.
Cory Wade, who had been charged with only one run in his first five postseason games, retired Pat Burrell but then gave up a two-run homer to Shane Victorino, a line drive into the Phillies' bullpen in right that tied the score, 5-5. After Wade gave up a two-out single to Carlos Ruiz, he was replaced by Broxton.
The left-handed Stairs, who was acquired by the Phillies from Toronto in a waiver deal on Aug. 30, was sent up to pinch-hit by Manuel. Left-handed batters hit .270 against Broxton in the regular season.
With the count 3-1, Broxton tried to throw a fastball away, but it stayed over the plate.
Home run.
Phillies up, 7-5.
"It kind of took the wind out," Loney said.
