Jubilant Phillies eager to end painful wait

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For one night, the long suffering of the Philadelphia Phillies was washed away in celebratory champagne and beer.

The Phillies are headed back to the World Series for the first time since 1993, the rarest of occasion for a team with just six National League pennants in a 125-year history.

Following the 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday which earned a 4-1 triumph in the National League Championship Series, Philadelphia rejoiced like a team who had been competing against much more than just the Dodgers.

"This franchise has a long history," teary-eyed pitcher Jamie Moyer told Reuters. "And with a lot of history comes some good and some bad."

And in the long and arduous journey of the Phillies, it seems that sometimes even the good has ended up bad.

Philadelphia's 1993 appearance in the World Series is remembered by the Phillies for all the wrong reasons.

Toronto first baseman Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run that gave the Blue Jays a championship.

What followed was a 13-year playoff drought that was only halted last season when the Phillies were swept by the Colorado Rockies in the National League Divisional Series.

"When you look back ... you see where we've come and where we're at," said left fielder Pat Burrell, the team's longest tenured player who has been with the club since 2000. "It's a hell of a feeling."

MOYER REMEMBERS

Only the 45-year-old Moyer has been around long enough to remember the franchise's lone championship in 1980.

Moyer recalls attending the championship parade.

"Just seeing the celebration was special - I was just a fan then," he said.

"For me, it's just exciting to be a part of the games now. It's special for the organization, the ownership and the fans who have supported the Phillies all this time."

The start of the season did not augur well for the Phillies.

Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, two of the team's top hitters and the last two National League MVPs respectively, started the post-season slumping, combining to go just 13-for-60 with three total RBIs over the first eight games.

But somehow, Philadelphia found a way.

"It's about everybody stepping up," said Shane Victorino, who has contributed a franchise-best 11 RBIs in the playoffs.

"I said from the beginning of the year and all year long, it takes 25 guys to win."

(Editing by Miles Evans)