2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 7
Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Raiders, the Eagles flew to FedExField for a Week 7 NFC East duel with the Washington Redskins on Monday night. Philadelphia took flight in the first quarter with wide receiver DeSean Jackson's 67-yard touchdown run and linebacker Will Witherspoon (recently acquired from the Rams) returning an interception 9 yards for a touchdown.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 7
In the second quarter, the Eagles increased their lead with a 47-yard field goal from kicker David Akers. The Redskins would get on the board with quarterback Jason Campbell completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Devin Thomas, yet Philadelphia answered with Akers nailing a 44-yard field goal and quarterback Donovan McNabb completing a 57-yard touchdown pass to Jackson. Washington would close out the half with a 47-yard field goal from kicker Shaun Suisham.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 7
In the third quarter, both defenses fought back and forth and the period ended with no points.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 7
In the fourth and final quarter, Jason Campbell completed a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Fred Davis for the only score of the second half.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 7
The Eagles defense held on and, with the win, Philadelphia improved to 4–2.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 8
This game was originally scheduled to have been a 4:15 PM start; however the NFL moved this game to 1 PM in order to accommodate the Philadelphia Phillies hosting Game 4 of that year's World Series.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 8
Coming off their Monday night road win over the Redskins, the Eagles went home for a Week 8 NFC East duel with the New York Giants with the division lead on the line.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 8
Philadelphia came out soaring in the first quarter as fullback Leonard Weaver got a 41-yard touchdown run, followed by quarterback Donovan McNabb hooking up with tight end Brent Celek on a 17-yard touchdown pass (with a blocked PAT). In the second quarter, the Eagles increased their lead as kicker David Akers nailed a 30-yard field goal. The Giants would get on the board as quarterback Eli Manning found tight end Kevin Boss on an 18-yard touchdown pass, yet Philadelphia kept their momentum going as McNabb completed a 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson and a 23-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 8
The Eagles would increase their lead in the third quarter as Akers booted a 35-yard field goal, yet New York attempted to rally as kicker Lawrence Tynes made a 42-yard field goal and running back Ahmad Bradshaw got a 1-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia pulled away with a 66-yard touchdown run by rookie running back LeSean McCoy.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 8
With the win, not only did the Eagles improve to 5–2, but they would take over as the leader of the NFC East.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 9
Coming off their win over the Giants, the Eagles stayed at home for a Week 9 Sunday night divisional duel with the Dallas Cowboys with the lead in the NFC East on the line.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 9
Philadelphia would trail in the first quarter as Cowboys running back Tashard Choice picked up a 2-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would respond in the second quarter with a 45-yard and a 48-yard field goal from kicker David Akers, but Dallas would answer with kicker Nick Folk nailing a 22-yard field goal.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 9
In the third quarter, Philadelphia would take the lead as quarterback Donovan McNabb found tight end Brent Celek on an 11-yard touchdown pass. However, the Cowboys struck back in the fourth quarter with Folk's 33-yard field goal and quarterback Tony Romo's 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin. The Eagles tried to get a comeback, but could only muster up a 52-yard field goal from Akers.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 10
Hoping to rebound from their tough Sunday night loss to the Cowboys, the Eagles flew to Qualcomm Stadium for a Week 10 interconference duel with the San Diego Chargers. Philadelphia would trail in the first quarter as Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to fullback Mike Tolbert. San Diego would add onto their lead in the second quarter with running back LaDainian Tomlinson's 3-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would get on the board with kicker David Akers getting an 18-yard and a 25-yard field goal.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 10
In the third quarter, the Chargers went back to work as Tomlinson got a 20-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia would try to stay close as Akers nailed a 25-yard field goal, but San Diego kept their attack going as Rivers hooked up with wide receiver Legedu Naanee on a 20-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles' offense would finally get going in the fourth quarter as quarterback Donovan McNabb completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek. However, the Chargers would prove to be too much to handle as kicker Nate Kaeding booted a 29-yard field goal.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 11
Following two consecutive losses to Dallas and San Diego, Philadelphia went to Chicago to take on the Chicago Bears, who were 4–5, on Sunday Night Football. The Eagles dominated the first quarter as Philadelphia took a two score lead on a 25-yard field goal by David Akers and a 13-yard touchdown from Donovan McNabb to Jason Avant on a wide receiver screen pass.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 11
Down 10–0 at the start of the second quarter, Chicago drove within one point as Bears kicker Robbie Gould successfully made a 45-yard field goal, as well as a pair of 28-yard field goals, to make the score 10–9 at the half.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 11
In the second half, the Bears took the lead as Robbie Gould kicked his fourth field goal, a 49-yarder that put Chicago up 12–10. However, it took only 30 seconds for the Eagles to take the lead as Donovan McNabb passed to DeSean Jackson for a 48-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 17–12 lead. Ironically, the 48-yard touchdown catch was the shortest touchdown scored by Jackson thus far in the season.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 11
Chicago again took the lead in the third quarter as struggling quarterback Jay Cutler, who had already missed several wide open targets in the game, passed to tight end Kellen Davis for a 15-yard score. The Bears converted the 2-point conversion attempt as running back Matt Forte scored on the pass from Cutler to put the Bears back on top 20–17.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 11
In the fourth quarter, both defenses fought back and forth but the only points of the final period were scored by Eagles running back LeSean McCoy on a 10-yard, game-winning touchdown run to put the Eagles up 24–20, the game's final score.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 11
With the win, the Eagles improved to 6–4. Ironically, the Eagles win came by the same score (24–20) in the same city (Chicago) at the same time and venue (Sunday Night Football on NBC) as when they had lost in week 4 of the 2008 season.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 12
In the second meeting of the year with the Washington Redskins, the Eagles tried an onside kick to start the game. This backfired when the Redskins running back Quinton Ganther recovered the kick and returned it 25 yards to the Eagles 24-yard line. Four plays later, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell ran for a two-yard touchdown to score the game's first touchdown, as the Redskins took the lead 7–0. After a holding penalty on Eagles tight end Brent Celek, the Eagles had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by kicker David Akers.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 12
On the following drive by the Eagles, quarterback Donovan McNabb found wide receiver DeSean Jackson wide open in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown to bring the Eagles up 10–7. On the ensuing drive by the Redskins, Campbell threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss to take the lead 14–10.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 12
Late in the second quarter, after both teams punting the ball away after three unsuccessful drives, Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted a Jason Campbell pass that was intended for Santana Moss. The Eagles could not convert a third down with 10 to go, and David Akers kicked a 24-yard field goal to get the Eagles within a point of the Redskins, 14–13. The Redskins received the ball again and Campbell threw a second straight interception to Samuel, who returned it for 17 yards. The Eagles ended the first half with a second straight field goal to take the lead 16–14.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 12
The Eagles got the ball to start the second half, but the drive ended with a Sav Rocca punt. Jason Campbell threw a 10-yard touchdown to tight end Fred Davis to take the lead once again, 21–16.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 12
After two straight punts for each team, the Eagles got the ball back in the fourth quarter and Donovan McNabb threw an intended pass to Reggie Brown, but the pass was intercepted by Redskins cornerback Justin Tryon. The Redskins scored on a 25-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham, to increase their lead 24–16. The Eagles started their drive on their own 10-yard line after a penalty on the kick return by Dimitri Patterson. The Eagles went 90 yards to score on an Eldra Buckley one-yard touchdown run.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 12
Since they were losing by two points, the Eagles decided to go for a two-point conversion. The two-point conversion was successful after rookie running back LeSean McCoy ran in the end zone on a shovel pass from McNabb. The score was tied, 24–24. The Redskins could not score on the next drive, and therefore had to punt to the Eagles. The Eagles scored on a 32-yard field goal by David Akers to take the lead, 27–24. The Eagles got the ball back on downs, and kneeled the ball to run out the clock and win 27–24.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 13
Following back to back wins against Chicago and Washington, the Eagles traveled to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Falcons who were 6–5. While the Falcons were without quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner due to injury, as well as a pair of offensive linemen, the Eagles came into the game without explosive wideout DeSean Jackson, linebacker Akeem Jordan, or nickel corner Joselio Hanson, who had been suspended by the league for violating its substance abuse policy.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 13
In the first quarter, Eagles kicker David Akers scored on a 33-yard field goal and fullback Leonard Weaver, who would go on to make an outstanding one-handed, 59-yard catch-and-run, and finish the game with 100 total yards, caught an under thrown ball by Donovan McNabb in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown that put the Eagles up 10–0.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 13
Atlanta's backup quarterback Chris Redman struggled all game and backup running backs Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling seemed, in most cases, unable to find holes, and both offenses struggled in the second quarter, the only score coming on another 33-yard field goal by David Akers.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 13
The Eagles dominated the third quarter as quarterback Michael Vick, in his return to Atlanta, ran in a five-yard score to put the Eagles up 20–0, his first touchdown of the year. It kept getting worse for Atlanta as Chris Redman, who had had pass after pass batted at the line during the game, was intercepted by cornerback Sheldon Brown, who returned the interception 83 yards for a score.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 13
Philly went up 34–0 in the fourth quarter as Michael Vick, coming in as a relief player for Donovan McNabb, tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek. The Eagles defense seemed to be en route to their first shutout since 1996, but the Falcons scored with one second left on the clock on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Redman to wide receiver Roddy White.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 13
The Eagles third consecutive win left them 8–4, heading into a pivotal Sunday Night matchup against their division rival New York Giants.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 14
The winner of this Sunday Night showdown would assume first place in the NFC East (the Eagles outright, the Giants on tiebreakers). With two games against opponents with losing records approaching, it was crucial for the Giants to escape this one with a win.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 14
The Eagles started things off right away, putting 14 points on the board before the Giants had run their fifth play from scrimmage. McNabb connected with Celek for a touchdown, and Sheldon Brown returned a Brandon Jacobs fumble for six points on the ensuing drive. In the second quarter, Nicks caught the longest reception of his short career for a 68-yard touchdown.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 14
After DeSean Jackson responded by returning a Jeff Feagles punt 72 yards for a touchdown, the Giants were able to send Bradshaw into the end zone from the 3. Eagles backup quarterback Michael Vick was able to sneak in one more rushing touchdown before halftime. Jacobs opened the scoring in the second half with a 1-yard rush. After the teams traded turnovers, Manning got the ball into Hixon's hands for a 61-yard touchdown. But the Eagles responded on the very next play with a 60-yard touchdown to Jackson.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 14
Jackson's 176 receiving yards amounted to the best individual receiving performance against the Giants since 2002. The Eagles struck again in the fourth quarter, this time on a run by fullback Leonard Weaver and a two-point conversion pass to Jason Avant. The Giants put another touchdown on the board (courtesy of Boss) in the last two minutes of the game, and got the ball back with 28 seconds left. But defensive end Darren Howard sacked Manning and forced a fumble, sealing the Eagles' first sweep of the Giants since 2004.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 14
The Eagles scored 85 points against the Giants this year, the most they have scored versus the Giants in a single season in franchise history. The Eagles have improved to 9–4 with many hopes of making it into the playoffs.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 15
After taking control of the NFC East in New York, the Eagles came back home to face a 6–7 49ers team who were coming off of a 15-point win against the Cardinals.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 15
Upon receiving the opening kickoff, the Eagles' first possession began from the 50-yard line after a great return of 48 yards by Quintin Demps. With excellent field position to start, the Eagles would march through 49ers territory and score the game's first touchdown to cap off a 5-play, 50-yard drive on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to DeSean Jackson. The 49ers responded within 3 minutes with a 51-yard field goal by Joe Nedney to cut the Eagles' lead down to 7–3.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 15
Before the end of the 1st quarter, both teams turned the ball over once: 49ers QB Alex Smith was picked off at the Philadelphia 32-yard line by Quintin Mikell and, during a later possession, the Eagles were stopped on 4th down at their own 29-yard line after RB Leonard Weaver failed to convert on 4th and 1.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 15
On the very first play of the second quarter, with the 49ers threatening to score, tight end Delanie Walker's fumble was recovered by Eagles' cornerback Asante Samuel at the Philadelphia 6-yard line. The Eagles turned it into 13 more points, coming off of an 8-yard touchdown run by McNabb and two short David Akers field goals. The Eagles took a commanding 20–3 lead into halftime.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 15
In the third quarter, San Francisco held the Eagles scoreless while managing 10 points of their own to trim the deficit to 7. Joe Nedney nailed another field goal, this time from 25 yards, and Alex Smith connected with Josh Morgan on a 12-yard touchdown pass as the Eagles took a 20–13 lead into the 4th. From there, the 49ers would not score again and the Eagles would put the game away with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by LeSean McCoy. The Eagles won the game 27–13.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 15
With the win, the Eagles improved to 10–4 and remained atop the division, holding a 1-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles also clinched a playoff berth, the 8th of the Andy Reid/ Donovan Mcnabb era.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
NFC East leaders for the second straight week, the 10–4 Eagles remained home for an interconference matchup with the 8–6 Denver Broncos.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
The Eagles jumped out to an early 10–0 lead in the 1st quarter, recovering from a quick turnover on their first possession. Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb was sacked, losing the ball in the process. The loose ball was picked up by Denver's Darrell Reid. The Philadelphia defense was able to keep the Broncos from turning it into any points, forcing a punt, and scored on their next possession with a 2-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson. Soon after, David Akers' 39 yard field goal pushed the Eagles' lead to 10, closing the first quarter.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
Denver answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Orton to wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, capping off a 12-play, 70-yard drive on their very first possession of the second period. Up 10–7, the Eagles immediately responded on the following drive as Donovan McNabb hit his tight end Brent Celek for a 47-yard passing touchdown. The Eagles forced another punt, David Akers added 3 more points on his second field goal of the day, and the Eagles' halftime lead stood at 13.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
Now down 20–7, the Broncos started the second half strong, forcing another Eagles turnover on the second play of the third quarter. McNabb was intercepted by Champ Bailey, setting up a 33-yard field goal by Matt Prater to reduce the lead to 10. Philadelphia's next possession gave them their largest lead of the game after Donovan McNabb found Jason Avant for his third passing touchdown of the day. Kyle Orton was then intercepted by Asante Samuel, and the Broncos' hopes of a comeback were fading away.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
However, Denver forced a 3-and-out, scored on another passing touchdown to Jabar Gaffney, and recovered the fumble by Macho Harris on the following kickoff. Orton found Knowshon Moreno for his third passing touchdown of the day, and, within two minutes, the Eagles' 17-point lead was down to 3. In the fourth, Matt Prater succeeded on a 46-yard field goal attempt and the game was tied at 27 with just over 6 minutes to go.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
After offensive possessions for each team, both ending in punts, the Eagles got the ball back with 1:41 remaining to set up a 28-yard field goal by David Akers, leaving the Broncos with 7 seconds of game time. Time ran out on the ensuing kickoff, and the Eagles held on to win by a score of 30–27.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 16
The victory, their sixth consecutive, boosted Philadelphia's record to 11–4, setting up a decisive Week 17 game with the Cowboys for the division title.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 17
In the final game of the regular season, the first-place Eagles battled the second-place Cowboys in Dallas, with the winner crowned as NFC East champs.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 17
The game began with Dallas driving 80 yards down the field in 9 plays for the touchdown. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo completed a 10-yard pass to tight end Jason Witten, giving the Cowboys the early 7–0 lead. The Eagles' first drive, in comparison, ended in a quick 3-and-out, giving the ball back to the Cowboys. On the next drive, Romo, looking for Patrick Crayton, was picked off by the Eagles' Joselio Hanson deep in Philadelphia territory.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 17
The Eagles, continuing their drive into the second quarter, were able to reach the Cowboys' 39-yard line, but elected to punt on 4th down rather than kick the long field goal. Tony Romo led Dallas back down the field and the possession finished with a 14-yard touchdown reception by Patrick Crayton. Still scoreless, the Eagles made a furious attempt to respond, moving the ball all the way to the 14-yard line of the Cowboys only for Donovan McNabb to fumble. Dallas DE Jay Ratliff scooped it up, eventually resulting in a 44-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham to end the half with a 17–0 Cowboys lead.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 17
To open the second half, the Eagles drove down the field into field goal range and once again came up empty. The 53-yard try by David Akers was wide left, and the Cowboys took over on their own 43. Both teams each punted twice until the Cowboys struck again, this time on a 2-play possession capped off by running back Felix Jones. Jones ran it in from 49 yards out and put Dallas up by 24 with under 6 minutes left in the third quarter. This would be the last time either team put up any points, and the game ended with a final score of 24–0. This would be Philadelphia's first loss since Week 10 and their first time being held scoreless in a regular season game since Week 13 of 2005.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular-season results, Week 17
With the loss, the Eagles placed second in the NFC East, as the Cowboys won the division title by means of a tiebreaker. The loss also resulted in the Eagles failing to clinch the #2 seed (and a first-round bye) in the NFC and instead slipped all the way down to the #6 seed in the NFC, setting up a rematch on Wild Card weekend.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason, Wild Card Game
Entering the postseason as the NFC's #6 seed, the Eagles began their playoff at Cowboys Stadium for the third meeting against their hated rival, the #3 Dallas Cowboys, in a rematch of their Week 17 defeat.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason, Wild Card Game
After a scoreless first quarter, the Cowboys would strike first in the second quarter with quarterback Tony Romo's 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Phillips. Philadelphia would answer with quarterback Michael Vick hooking up with rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a 76-yard touchdown, but Dallas would start to pull away as running back Tashard Choice got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys would pile on their lead with kicker Shaun Suisham's 25-yard field goal, Romo's 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin, and Suisham's 48-yard field goal.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason, Wild Card Game
Dallas would add onto their lead in the third quarter as running back Felix Jones scored on a 73-yard touchdown run. The Eagles tried to mount a comeback drive in the fourth quarter as quarterback Donovan McNabb found wide receiver DeSean Jackson, but the Cowboys would prevent any further attempts.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason, Wild Card Game
With the loss, Philadelphia was eliminated, ending its season with an overall record of 11–6.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason, Wild Card Game
This would be Donovan McNabb's last game as an Eagle.


2009 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason, Wild Card Game
This was the first time since 1996 the Eagles failed to win their opening playoff game.


2009 Philadelphia International Championship
The 2009 Philadelphia International Championship was the 25th running of the cycling race, which took place on June 7, 2009. It was won by Team Columbia–High Road's André Greipel.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies' 2009 season was the 127th season in the history of the franchise. The team, managed by Charlie Manuel, began their sixth season at Citizens Bank Park and defense of their 2008 World Series championship on April 5. After collecting a third straight Eastern Division championship, the Phillies won their second consecutive National League pennant for the first time in franchise history; however they were defeated by the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Phillies posted a second consecutive winning April to open the season with an 11–9 record, but the month was marred by the death of legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas. After opening the month of May against the rival New York Mets, the Phillies met President Barack Obama to celebrate their World Series victory the previous season, and had two rookie pitchers win consecutive starts for the first time since 2007.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
Starting pitcher Jamie Moyer earned his 250th career win during the month, while first baseman Ryan Howard and outfielder Raúl Ibañez became the first Phillies teammates to hit 10 home runs in the same month. Echoing their strong run in the middle of the 2008 season, the Phillies compiled a 16–4 record in late May and early June, which was countered by weakness during interleague play in late June.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
After the team's largest victory of the season (22–1 over the Cincinnati Reds) in early July, five Phillies—Howard, Ibáñez, second baseman Chase Utley, and outfielders Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth—were selected to the All-Star team. July was the team's best showing of the season, as they compiled their first 20-win month since the 2001 season. The Phillies traded for starting pitcher Cliff Lee at the end of the month to bolster their starting rotation, who won his first five starts with the team, and signed free-agent pitcher Pedro Martínez.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
In August, Eric Bruntlett turned the first game-ending unassisted triple play in National League history, and the second in team history. The following month, the team clinched its third consecutive division championship on September 30, becoming the first Phillies team to make a third straight playoff appearance since the 1976–1978 Phillies.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
Philadelphia defeated the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series (NLDS), 3–1, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) for the second consecutive year, 4–1. Howard was named the most valuable player of the NLCS. The Phillies were defeated by the Yankees in the World Series, four games to two.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season
Statistical leaders in batting for the 2009 team included Victorino (batting average, .292), Howard (home runs, 45; runs batted in, 141), and Utley (runs scored, 112). For his season accomplishments, Utley won his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger Award. Pitching leaders included right-handed starting pitcher Joe Blanton (innings pitched, 195+1⁄3), left-handed starter J. A. Happ (win–loss record, 12–4), and relief pitcher Brad Lidge (saves, 31). Victorino and shortstop Jimmy Rollins also won Rawlings Gold Glove Awards for their play in the field.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Departures
On November 4, following the World Series, the Phillies released third base coach Steve Smith. Smith had been with the team for two years. The Phillies were expected to have the remaining coaches to return for the 2009 season. However, bench coach Jimy Williams opted not to return to the Phillies for the 2009 season, notifying the team on November 10. Charlie Manuel had expected Williams to return for the 2009 season, and was surprised that he declined.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Departures
However, Williams left the team on good terms, and Manuel stated that he was welcome to come back to the Phillies if he changed his mind. Left fielder Pat Burrell became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season, signing with the Tampa Bay Rays, whom the Phillies had defeated in the World Series, on January 5. The team did not tender an offer to Burrell following eight seasons. The Phillies also released outfielder So Taguchi on November 5. Taguchi had served as a pinch-hitter for the Phillies in 2008, and also replaced Burrell in left field some games. Eric Bruntlett replaced Taguchi for the latter half of the 2008 season. Relief pitcher Tom Gordon also filed for free agency, ultimately signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Arrivals
On November 3, the Phillies named Rubén Amaro, Jr. to be the general manager after Pat Gillick retired at the end of a three-year contract. Amaro previously had a long history with the Phillies, serving as a bat boy in the 1980s, a player in the 1990s, and as assistant general manager for the Phillies from 1998 until his appointment as general manager. Gillick remained with the Phillies as an advisor. On November 13, Sam Perlozzo joined the Phillies as third base coach and fielding/infield coach after spending the 2008 season in the same position for the Seattle Mariners.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Arrivals
Perlozzo previously served as the third base coach for the New York Mets, the Cincinnati Reds, and as third base coach, bench coach, and manager for the Baltimore Orioles. Another former manager, Pete Mackanin, was named the team's new bench coach on November 21; he had been interim manager for the Reds when Jerry Narron was fired in Cincinnati in 2007. On November 28, the Phillies signed Mike Koplove Koplove, a right-handed relief pitcher, was optioned to the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs at the end of spring training.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Arrivals
On December 16, Raúl Ibañez agreed to play left field for the Phillies in a 3-year, $31.5 million deal. South Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park officially signed a one-year contract to join the Phillies on January 6, after agreeing to a deal in principle in December. Park was originally signed as an insurance policy for the bullpen, as reliever J. C. Romero was assigned a fifty-game suspension after violating the Major League Baseball drug policy, but won the fifth starter's job in Spring training.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Retentions
Left-handed reliever Scott Eyre re-signed with the Phillies after becoming a vital part of the bullpen during the stretch run. The Phillies re-signed left-handed starter Jamie Moyer on December 15 after lengthy negotiations. The 46-year-old Moyer was inked to a two-year contract to return to the world champions and kept a key part of the Phillies' postseason rotation intact. The team also avoided salary arbitration with first baseman Ryan Howard's three-year contract.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Injuries
On November 20, second baseman Chase Utley had hip surgery and was scheduled to be out for four to six months. However, on December 15, Utley said in a press conference that he could be ready for Opening Night. Just under four months later, Utley made his first pre-season game appearance in an intersquad game March 14, and his first appearance in actual game competition the next day against the St. Louis Cardinals. Third baseman Pedro Feliz also had surgery on his back to repair a herniated disc on the same day as Utley.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Injuries
Feliz officially returned to spring training action on March 13. During spring training, starting pitcher Cole Hamels left training camp on March 16 and flew to Philadelphia to have his left elbow examined by Dr. Michael Ciccotti. Hamels felt tightness in between innings and after he was done pitching for the day. "This will obviously set me back a couple of days, and I don’t think that should be a big deal", said Hamels. However, the injury threw his Opening Day start against the Braves into doubt, even though Ciccotti found no structural damage in his arm; Brett Myers was announced as Hamels' replacement to start Opening Night.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Spring training
On November 13, the Phillies announced their spring training schedule. In addition to their Grapefruit League games, the Phillies played two games against two of the World Baseball Classic teams. The Phillies defeated Team Canada (with Phillie Matt Stairs) on March 4, 9–2, and lost to Team USA (with Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino) on March 5, 9–6. The team broke camp April 2 and headed north to play two "On Deck Series" games on April 3 and 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park; they split the series, winning 3–2 and losing 9–7.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Spring training
The Phillies finished the 2009 preseason with a record of 13–19, 10 games behind the Grapefruit League-leading New York Yankees. Ryan Howard led all players in Spring Training with 10 home runs. The team set spring training attendance-records for Bright House Field in 2009. They set a single-game record with 10,335 people in attendance on March 15 for a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies set the franchise's total spring training attendance record for Bright House Field, with 133,620 attending in 2009.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, April
The Phillies began their 2009 season in front of a sold-out crowd of 44,532 at Citizens Bank Park on April 5, playing against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies, originally scheduled to play in the afternoon of April 6, earned the distinction of playing the opening game of the entire 2009 Major League Baseball season after winning the 2008 World Series. They lost the opener 4–1 to the division-rival Braves, whose new ace, Derek Lowe, pitched eight shutout innings.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, April
The Phillies lost the next game, and were in danger of losing the following night and dropping to 0–3 before scoring eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 12–11 come-from-behind win. The Phillies lost their first game in Denver, but came from behind again in their next two games to take the second series from the Colorado Rockies.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, April
The Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals in the opener of their third series, just hours after the death of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas, but lost the third scheduled game of the series after the second was cancelled due to weather. In their series against the San Diego Padres, the Phillies dropped the first two games as well; during the second game, closer Brad Lidge blew his first save in a Phillies uniform, breaking his streak of 47 consecutive saves extending back to the 2007 regular season. The Phillies won the Sunday afternoon matinee against the Padres, 5–4, on a walk-off home run by Ibáñez after trailing the entire game.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, April
The Phillies' offense benefited from rest due to the postponement of the final game of the Padres' series, as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of their mid-week series, 11–4. The next two games did not go as smoothly, as the Phillies were shut out through eight innings in the second game and nearly no-hit by Brewers starter Dave Bush in the third game. Phillies starter Cole Hamels was hit by a line drive in the fourth inning and exited the game; before departing, he had retired nine out of the ten batters he faced.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, April
Hitting the road for a series against the division-leading Florida Marlins, the Phillies were shut out through eight innings in the first game of the series, only to score seven runs in the top of the ninth against power-throwing closer Matt Lindstrom, winning the game, 7–3, thanks to Shane Victorino's first career regular season grand slam. The following night's game offered another come-from-behind win for the Phillies, as they trailed in the ninth again to win in extra innings, 6–4, and the 13–2 victory on April 26 capped the team's first series sweep.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, April
Hosting Washington for their second series against the Nationals, the Phillies fell behind in the seventh inning before a grand slam by Ibáñez capped their 13–11 victory; combined with Ryan Howard's game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning, this was only the fourth time in Phillies history that teammates hit grand slams in the same game. The Phillies split the remaining two games of the series with Washington, finishing with an April record of 11–9, their second consecutive winning April.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, May
The Phillies opened May against the division-rival New York Mets, losing the opening game of the month, 7–4. Back-to-back walks in the tenth inning of the Saturday afternoon game gave the Phillies their first win of the season over the Mets. After a rainout, the Phillies opened their first series in St. Louis with the Cardinals.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, May
They won the first game of the series on Howard's second grand slam in as many weeks after a pitchers' duel between starters Kyle Lohse and Joe Blanton and completed the two-game series sweep with a 10–7 victory on May 5, capped by a Jayson Werth three-run home run and a 4-for-5 performance from Victorino. The Phillies' brief stop in New York was marred by a two-game series sweep; Phillies hitters were shut down by Mets starters Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey, and closer Francisco Rodríguez recorded saves in both games of the series. The following series was barely better, as the Phillies dropped two games to the Braves.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, May
On May 12, Werth stole four bases, including home plate, tying a Phillies record and leading to a 5–3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers; however, the series result was the same as the previous one, as the Phillies dropped two games in the set to Los Angeles. Carrying a .500 winning percentage south from Philadelphia to Washington, the team visited the White House and was congratulated by President Barack Obama for their championship the previous season. The visit had been postponed from April 14 due to Kalas' death.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, May
After meeting the President, the Phillies opened the series with a second consecutive extra-inning game, defeating the Nationals in 12 innings. Because pitcher J. A. Happ had to enter Friday night's game in relief, the Phillies called up right-handed starting pitcher Andrew Carpenter from Reading to start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader (a make-up of the postponement from April 15). Carpenter earned his first major league win in the rain-shortened second game after Myers earned the win in the afternoon game.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, May
Though Sunday's starter Park only pitched 11⁄3 innings, the Phillies swept the series with the Nationals with an 8–6 come-from-behind win, with new call-up Sergio Escalona earning his first major league win. This marked the first time since the 2007 season that rookies had won back-to-back starts for the Phillies (Hamels and Kyle Kendrick). The Phillies took two of three games in each of their next two series with the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees to finish their road trip with an 8–2 record.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, May
Though they lost two games against Florida, the final series of the month against Washington resulted in a second straight series sweep, as the Phillies defeated the Nationals in three consecutive games to finish the month with a 17–11 record; the last game of the series was Moyer's 250th career victory. With strong offensive performances in May, Howard and Ibáñez became the first pair of Phillies to hit 10 home runs in the same month.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, June
The month of June saw the continuation of the Phillies' hot streak; from May 15 to June 4, the team compiled a 16–4 record, culminating with a three-game sweep of the Padres on the Phillies' first trip to the West Coast. In that series, rookie Antonio Bastardo made his major league debut, striking out five batters and allowing one earned run in six innings of work to earn his first career victory. Traveling north to Los Angeles for a rematch of the previous year's playoff series, the Phillies managed a split despite the bullpen's struggles.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, June
Lidge blew two saves in consecutive nights, taking the loss in the first game and allowing the game-tying home run in the other. The series was bookended by the team's first shutout of the season, a complete game by Hamels, and a second consecutive strong performance from Bastardo, who pitched five innings and allowed only two runs in a game that ended with a final score of 7–2. The final stop on the road trip was Citi Field, where the Phillies faced off against the Mets. All three games were close, with two one-run wins in the series and two extra-inning victories for the Phillies, won by home runs from Utley and Ibáñez on June 10 and 11.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, June
The team's strong stretch did not continue, however, as the Phillies entered the second period of interleague play with five consecutive series against the American League East. While they managed a single win against the Boston Red Sox, it was followed by a six-game losing streak wherein the Phillies were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles; Philadelphia was outscored 38–19 over the two series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, June
The team showed promise in the first game of their World Series rematch series with the Tampa Bay Rays, winning 10–1, but were defeated in the last two games of the series and lost a fourth straight game to Toronto on June 26. However, the Phillies were able to exact a modicum of revenge for both their 1993 World Series defeat and the first series sweep by the Jays by winning the last two games. Happ played the role of stopper by pitching his first career complete-game shutout, and Moyer followed by earning his 252nd victory in the following game. To close the month, the Phillies lost the opener of their next series with the Braves to finish the month with a 10–16 record.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
Struggles continued for the Phillies to open July, as the Braves completed a three-game series sweep in the first two days of the month; however, a face-off with the Mets over the Independence Day weekend revitalized the team's fortunes. The Phillies swept their northern rivals as the Mets managed only three runs in three games. During the series, the team's 2009 All-Stars were announced: Utley and Ibáñez were elected as starters, and Howard was named as a reserve, one of four first basemen selected to the National League squad.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
It was also announced that Victorino was one of the five "Final Vote" candidates. Though the Phillies had played much better on the road to this point in the season, home-field advantage paid off the next night, as the offense chased Reds starter Johnny Cueto after 2⁄3 of an inning by scoring nine runs; the team went on to score 10 in the first inning and 22 in the entire game.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
Every Phillies starter had at least one hit, Werth hit an eighth-inning grand slam off of Reds infielder Paul Janish, and Rollins and Victorino, at the top of the order, combined to go 7-for-9 with three doubles, a home run, nine runs scored, and five RBIs between them. Though closer Lidge suffered a tough loss on July 7, sacrificing a run in the ninth inning to earn his fourth of the season, the Phillies bounced back with a dramatic ninth-inning win the following night.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
Victorino hit a walk-off single to drive in Pedro Feliz and solidify his victory in the All-Star Final Vote, which was announced the next day. Werth was named to replace the New York Mets' Carlos Beltrán on the All-Star roster due to injury; Victorino replaced Beltrán as the starter in center field.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
After the All-Star break—during which the American League defeated the National League, 4–3—Moyer, Ryan Madson, and J. C. Romero combined for a one-hit, complete-game shutout of the Marlins in the first game back, extending the Phillies' winning streak to six games, and their record to 10–3 in the month of July. The streak was extended to eight straight games as the Phillies swept Florida in three games of the series (one game was postponed due to weather). Happ raised his record to 7–0 on the season with another seven-inning shutout performance.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
The streak continued as the Phillies opened a series at home against the Chicago Cubs; Chad Durbin earned his first save in 11 months by pitching three scoreless innings of relief. Werth's three-run home run in the 13th inning the next night gave the Phillies a walk-off win for their tenth consecutive, but Chicago ended the season-high streak with a 10–5 defeat on July 22. The Phillies won three of their next four, and bolstered their rotation by trading for Cliff Lee.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, July
The 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner came from the Cleveland Indians along with outfielder Ben Francisco on July 29; the Phillies gave up four minor leaguers—catcher Lou Marson, infielders Jason Donald and pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp. Lee and Francisco joined the Phillies in San Francisco after the Phillies' series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and both started the final game in July. Lee pitched a complete-game four-hitter on July 31, allowing one run over nine innings of work. The Phillies finished July with a 20–7 record, their first 20-win month since May 2001.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
The Phillies opened the month of August with three straight losses, but the stopper's role again fell to the rookie Happ, who pitched his second shutout of the season—and the second of his career—against the Rockies on August 5. He earned the team's 60th win of the season while allowing four hits and striking out ten batters for the first time in his career.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
In accordance with his 8–2 record and strong performances, Amaro announced that Happ would remain in the Phillies' starting rotation despite the team's acquisitions of Lee and Pedro Martínez; rumors regarding Happ's status had been rampant since Martínez' signing and during the trade season when Happ was rumored to be the centerpiece of a potential trade for the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay. New pitcher Lee stifled the Rockies the following day to win the series for the Phillies with a second consecutive strong performance, allowing one run over seven innings and allowing only six hits.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
In the following series with Florida, however, the Phillies struggled. The Marlins swept all three games of the series, which included Victorino's first career ejection on several close calls by umpire Ed Rapuano, and a crucial error by Victorino's center field replacement, Werth, in the final game of the series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
Moyer pitched against the Marlins in that game, a team against which he had prior success in his career (13–3, 2.87 ERA in 1001⁄3 innings pitched), and allowed two earned runs on eleven singles through five innings; however, with a rotation-high 5.47 ERA, the Phillies demoted Moyer to the bullpen to allow Martínez to start. Francisco hit his second Phillies home run against the Cubs on August 11; it came in the 12th inning and scored the game-winning run for the Phillies.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
It became the first win of a three-game series sweep, which Lee closed out with a third straight dominant performance (eight innings pitched, one run allowed, eight strikeouts). The Phillies took two of three games from the Braves in their next series, and completed a three-game homestand against the Diamondbacks with a complete game from Lee, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and eight innings of three-run baseball from Blanton.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
Martínez faced off against his former club on August 23, with the series tied 1–1. Mets starter Óliver Pérez allowed six runs in the first inning and was pulled in the middle of Martínez' first at-bat, down in the count 3–0. Ángel Pagán led off the Mets' first with an inside-the-park home run after the ball became lodged underneath the outfield wall. Martínez pitched six innings, allowing four runs, but the score was 9–6 by the end of the eighth inning.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
Lidge allowed another run to score and had runners on first and second, thanks in part to a booted base hit and an error by Eric Bruntlett. The Mets had no outs and Jeff Francoeur was at the plate representing the go-ahead run. Francoeur hit a line drive over the second base bag, where Bruntlett caught it, stepped on second base, and tagged Daniel Murphy coming from first, completing the 15th unassisted triple play in baseball's modern era and the second in Phillies history (Mickey Morandini) in a game called "the league's quirkiest of the season".


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
The Phillies closed the series with a 6–2 win behind Lee's eighth straight victory (seven innings pitched, no earned runs). With a win on August 26, the Phillies claimed victory in the year's series over the Pirates; however, the Bucs won two games in a three-night set wherein the game-winning run was scored in the eighth inning or later each night.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, August
Andrew McCutchen hit a game-winning two-run home run off of Lidge in the ninth inning of the opener; Howard hit a game-winning three-run shot for the Phillies in the top of the tenth on August 26 after the Pirates tied it in the ninth on a Brandon Moss home run. Garrett Jones set a Pirates rookie record with his 15th home run off of Happ in the eighth inning of the series finale. The Phillies closed the month by taking two of three games from the Braves. For his 11 home run performance in August, Howard won the National League Player of the Month award.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
The Phillies opened the month by taking two of a three-game series against the Giants, besting Jonathan Sánchez, who threw a no-hitter earlier in the 2009 season, and Tim Lincecum, who won the 2008 NL Cy Young Award. This was followed by a trip to Texas for a four-game series against the Houston Astros; the Phillies were unable to muster much offense during the series and were swept.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
On September 8, in the first game of the series against the Washington Nationals, Ibañez and Utley each hit their 30th home runs of the season, making them members of the 12th quartet of teammates in major league history to each reach 30 in a single season, joining Howard and Werth. The Phillies offense backed Lee to his sixth win the following night, with Madson earning his second consecutive save after assuming the de facto closer's role from Lidge.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
However, the Phillies could not overcome a pair of three-run home runs by Adam Dunn and Ian Desmond to secure the sweep in the last game of the series, despite Stairs' grand slam; it was their third loss of the season to Washington in fifteen games. The Mets came to Philadelphia for their last series of the season, which began on September 11. The Phillies won game one, 4–2, but the Mets came from behind in the second game of the series, scoring five runs in the final two innings to win 10–9.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
Making up a postponed game from earlier in the season, the Phillies won the first game of a day-night doubleheader behind Kyle Kendrick's first major league victory in 13 months. Eight shutout innings from Martínez in the nightcap gave the Phillies a 1–0 win, a 3–1 win in the 4-game set, and a 12–6 win in the season series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
Martínez' eight innings also began a streak of 26 consecutive scoreless innings by Phillies pitchers: Madson followed with a scoreless ninth for his eighth save of the season; Cliff Lee pitched a complete-game shutout against the Nationals the following night; and Blanton, Park, and Madson combined for eight scoreless innings against Washington on September 16 until Tyler Walker allowed a run in the top of the ninth inning, an RBI single by Willie Harris which scored Justin Maxwell. Hamels closed out the series with a strong performance, perfect through his first five innings and finishing with one run allowed in eight; with their 15th win over the Nationals, the Phillies matched their best season record against the franchise, set against the 1976 Montréal Expos.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
The Phillies continued to Atlanta, where they took two of three from the Braves, with Kendrick's second win and Lidge's 30th save in the first game of the series. Martínez was outdueled by Javier Vázquez in the second game of the series, but the Phillies avoided a loss by defeating the Braves, 4–2, on September 20. A doubleheader followed against the Marlins; the Phillies won game one, while the Marlins won game two.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
In the rubber game, Lidge blew his 11th save after a rain delay to give the Marlins a series victory, keeping the team's number to clinch the division at five. The Phillies and the Brewers split the next series at two games each, with Philadelphia winning the first and last game of the series. The Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park for their final homestand to close out the season, opening with a fifth consecutive loss to the Astros. However, the Phillies broke the streak with a 7–4 win on September 29, thanks to a Feliz grand slam.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
The following night, the Phillies clinched their third consecutive division title with a 10–3 win over Houston, guaranteeing a split in the series and a playoff berth, and tying the franchise record for consecutive division titles set by Danny Ozark's teams from 1976 to 1978.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, September
After the clinching game, the Phillies rested most of their regular starters, six of whom had started over 150 games during the season; they lost four straight games while the regulars regained their strength, but won the final game of the season in extra innings as Paul Hoover hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Phillies finished with a record of 93–69, one game better than their record in the previous season.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Roster
All players who made an appearance for the Phillies during 2009 are included.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Division Series
The Phillies, as the No. 2 seed in the National League, faced off against the wild card Colorado Rockies in the first round of the playoffs. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game in the opener of the series, shutting out the Rockies through 8+2⁄3 innings before allowing a single run in the ninth. He threw 113 pitches in the game, in addition to getting a hit and a stolen base in his first postseason start.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Division Series
The Rockies evened the series in the second game, as Cole Hamels left the stadium early to be with his wife, who went into labor with their first child. The Phillies staged comebacks twice to bring them within a run of tying the game, but could not close the door as Huston Street saved the game for Aaron Cook.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Division Series
After Charlie Manuel named Pedro Martínez his Game 3 starter, the game was postponed a day due to the weather forecast of snow and record-low temperatures. The postponement prompted Manuel to change his plans, naming rookie left-hander J. A. Happ the new starter for the game. Happ pitched three innings, allowing three runs, but Manuel brought Joe Blanton out of the bullpen, who pitched 2+2⁄3 innings and allowed only one run. Brad Lidge, after 11 blown saves during the regular season, preserved the win for the Phillies, a 6–5 victory.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Division Series
In a back-and-forth affair, the Phillies and Rockies traded leads through Game 4 at Coors Field, but the Phillies scored three runs in the top of the ninth to win by one run. Combined with the sweeps in the other three Division Series, 2009 became the first year since the implementation of the wild card in 1995 that all four Championship Series berths were clinched on the road.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the National League's No. 1 seed by virtue of the best record entering the playoffs; thus, the Phillies traveled to Chavez Ravine for the opener of the playoffs' second round, the fifth postseason meeting between the two clubs. James Loney opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning, but the Phillies answered back with a five-run fifth inning, chasing starter Clayton Kershaw.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
Manny Ramírez' two-run home run in the bottom of the inning made the score 5–4, but Raúl Ibañez followed with a three-run home run in the top of the eighth. Lidge, appearing in his third consecutive postseason game, notched his third consecutive save. Martínez started the second game for the Phillies, throwing 7 scoreless innings on 87 pitches. After his departure, the Phillies used five bullpen pitchers to get three outs in the eighth inning; those pitchers allowed three hits and two walks, allowing two runs to score. Jonathan Broxton saved the second game for the Dodgers, as Los Angeles won, 2–1.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
The series moved to Philadelphia for the third game, and the Phillies capitalized on their home crowd immediately, scoring four runs in the first inning of the game. Lee continued his "superb" postseason performance with an eight-inning shutout performance, allowing three singles and a stolen base. Lee and his batterymate Ruiz had higher offensive production in Game 3 (three hits in six at-bats, three runs scored, one run batted in) than the entire Dodger lineup (three hits in twenty-seven at bats, no runs scored). The Phillies won the game, 11–0.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
In Game 4, Howard continued to slug, hitting a two-run home run off of former-Phillie Randy Wolf in the first inning; with the run batted in, he tied Lou Gehrig's Major League record of eight consecutive postseason games with an RBI. The Dodgers came back to score two runs on a defensive miscue in the fourth inning, adding one run in the fifth on a Matt Kemp home run and one in the sixth on a Casey Blake single.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
The Phillies got one back in the bottom of the sixth on a Victorino triple and a single by Utley, but were held scoreless until the bottom of the ninth. Los Angeles closer Broxton entered the game in the bottom of the eighth—after George Sherrill allowed two runners to reach base—and coaxed Werth to fly out. Broxton returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth, inducing a ground ball from Ibáñez before walking Matt Stairs and hitting Ruiz. Greg Dobbs pinch-hit for the pitcher's spot, lining out to third base.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
With two outs and two runners aboard, Jimmy Rollins hit a 99-mile-per-hour (159 km/h) fastball to the right-center field gap, scoring Eric Bruntlett (who had pinch-run) and Ruiz. In the fifth game, the Phillies hit four home runs, including two by Jayson Werth, as Hamels allowed three runs in his second start of the series. The Phillies bullpen pitched 4+2⁄3 innings in the game, allowing only one run as Philadelphia defeated Los Angeles, 10–4. The win clinched the Phillies' first consecutive National League pennants in franchise history, and the first back-to-back World Series appearances by a National League franchise since the Atlanta Braves in 1995 and 1996. Howard was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series
The Phillies played the New York Yankees in a three-game series over the Memorial Day weekend during the regular season in May. Rollins said:


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series
How great would that be? A World Series here, us against the Yankees?… We've proved we can put on a pretty good show.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series
The Yankees defeated the Phillies, four games to two, to win the franchise's record 27th World Series championship. The Yankees had home field advantage for the series, due to an American League victory in the 2009 All-Star Game.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series
In addition to the 27th championship for New York, several records were tied, extended, or broken during the Series, including postseason wins (Andy Pettitte with 18), home runs in a World Series (Utley with 5), strikeouts by a batter in a World Series (Howard with 13), World Series saves (Mariano Rivera with 11), and RBI in a single World Series game (Hideki Matsui with 6).


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 1
The two previous years' American League Cy Young Award winners started the game: CC Sabathia, for the Yankees; and Lee, for the Phillies. Sabathia, who had been 3–0 in the postseason to date, pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits; Lee, however, pitched a complete game and allowed no earned runs to go the distance for the second time during the 2009 postseason.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 1
The Phillies offense was paced by Utley, who walked in the first inning to set a record of 26 consecutive postseason games reaching base, and hit solo home runs in the third and sixth innings. Philadelphia led 2–0 until the eighth inning, when an Ibáñez single scored Rollins and Victorino, and added two more runs in the top of the ninth inning on a Victorino single and a Howard double. The Phillies allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth when Rollins committed a throwing error, tossing the ball past Howard at first base and into the Yankee dugout.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 2
The Phillies scored first for the second game in a row in the second inning; Raúl Ibañez hit a ground rule double, and a Matt Stairs single off of A. J. Burnett drove him in. It was the only run allowed by the New York pitching staff. Mark Teixeira tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth inning, and Hideki Matsui broke the tie in the sixth with another, giving the Yankees their first lead. Chan Ho Park allowed an RBI single to Jorge Posada after Martínez put two baserunners on in the top of the seventh.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 2
Burnett departed after seven innings, replaced by Mariano Rivera in the eighth. The Phillies put two runners on with a walk to Jimmy Rollins and a single by Shane Victorino with one out in the eighth. However, Chase Utley grounded into an inning-ending double play ending on a close play at first base that drew controversy. Rivera completed the ninth inning for his 38th postseason save.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 3
After an 80-minute rain delay, the Phillies scored first in the second inning with Jayson Werth's lead-off home run followed by a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. In the fourth inning, Alex Rodriguez hit a ball down the right field line, which struck a camera at the fence and was ruled a home run after review. Nick Swisher opened the top of the fifth inning with a double and scored on a single to center field by Andy Pettitte. Jeter followed with a single, and both he and Pettite were driven in by a Johnny Damon double. J. A. Happ replaced Hamels and  allowed a solo home run to Swisher in the sixth inning. Werth answered with a second home run of the game leading off the bottom of the sixth. Mariano Rivera recorded his 38th career postseason save to close out the Yankees' second consecutive win.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 4
The Yankees opened the scoring in the first inning with two runs, but the Phillies answered with back-to-back doubles by Shane Victorino and Chase Utley in the bottom of the inning. The Phillies tied the game in the bottom of the fourth as Ryan Howard singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz. Replays showed that Howard did not touch home plate as he slid across; however, the Yankees did not appeal. Swisher led off the fifth inning with a walk, scoring on a single by Derek Jeter, and Melky Cabrera scored on a single by Damon.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 4
Park relieved Blanton in the seventh and held the Yankees scoreless. Chase Utley hit his third home run of the series in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. Dámaso Marte struck out Howard to end the inning. After a game-tying home run by Feliz, Lidge entered the game in the ninth and gave up a two-out single to Damon. With Teixeira batting, Damon stole second and advanced to third as the base was uncovered due to the pull shift against Teixeira. Rodriguez put the Yankees ahead with a double to left field, scoring Damon. Posada added to that lead with a single which scored Teixeira, who had singled, and Rodriguez. Mariano Rivera entered in the bottom of the ninth and notched his second save of the series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 5
The Yankees scored first for the second straight game, but Utley gave the lead back to Philadelphia on a three-run home run. Werth and Ibáñez drove in Utley and Howard in the third inning, which chased the starter, Burnett. David Robertson allowed another run to score on a Carlos Ruiz groundout. Eric Hinske, who entered as a pinch-hitter, scored on a ground out by Johnny Damon. Utley tied Reggie Jackson's record for most home runs in a World Series with a solo home run in the seventh inning, his fifth of the series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 5
Howard struck out for the 12th time in the series, tying Willie Wilson's 1980 record for most strikeouts in a World Series. Ibáñez hit a solo home run to chase pitcher Phil Coke. After being hit in the hand in the first inning, Victorino was replaced defensively in the eighth inning by Ben Francisco. Lee left the game after allowing two runs to score, and Park gave up a sacrifice fly to Robinson Canó to add another earned run to Lee's line. Ryan Madson entered in the ninth to close the game, allowing one run on a double play but earning his first career World Series save.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 6
The Yankees scored first when Matsui hit a two-run home run with Rodriguez on base after a walk. The Phillies responded with a triple by Ruiz, who scored on a sacrifice fly by Rollins in the top of the third inning. Matsui added to the Yankee lead with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the inning, scoring Jeter and Damon. Martínez was relieved after four innings by Durbin, who allowed a ground rule double to Jeter, who later scored on a Teixeira single. Durbin hit Rodriguez and was relieved by Happ after recording one out. Happ allowed a two-run double to Matsui, his fifth and sixth RBI of the game which tied a World Series record for most RBI in a single game set by Bobby Richardson in the 1960 World Series.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, World Series, Game 6
In the sixth inning, Howard's home run following a walk issued to Utley brought the game to 7–3. After Ibáñez hit a double into right field, Joba Chamberlain relieved Pettitte, allowing no further runs in the inning. In the top of the eighth inning, Dámaso Marte struck out Howard, which set a new World Series record for most strikeouts by a batter in a single series (13). After the strikeout, Marte was relieved by Rivera in a non-save situation, who allowed one hit and one walk before closing out the game and the Yankees' 27th championship.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
The 2009 Phillies captured the Warren C. Giles Trophy, as winners of the National League pennant. Baseball America named the Phillies as its Organization of the Year. The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association named the Phillies its "Team of the Year".


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Individual awards were won by Rollins, who won a third straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award at shortstop, Victorino, who won a second Gold Glove in the outfield; Utley, who won his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger Award at second base; Werth, who was named the "This Year in Baseball Awards" Unsung Player of the Year, and Howard, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series. Happ was named the Players Choice Awards NL Outstanding Rookie by his fellow players and the "This Year in Baseball Awards" Rookie of the Year. He also received the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the Baseball America All-Rookie Team (as one of five pitchers) and the Topps All-Star Rookie team (as the left-handed pitcher).


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
The Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) presented its annual franchise awards to Ryan Howard ("Mike Schmidt Most Valuable Player Award"), J. A. Happ ("Steve Carlton Most Valuable Pitcher Award"), Jamie Moyer ("Dallas Green Special Achievement Award"), and Brad Lidge ("Tug McGraw Good Guy Award").


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Rubén Amaro, Jr., was named the "This Year in Baseball Awards" Executive of the Year and the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Executive of the Year. He was also inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
The Phillie Phanatic was awarded the "Great Friend to Kids" Award by the Please Touch Museum (the Children's Museum of Philadelphia).


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
On December 9, 2009, Sports Illustrated named Chase Utley as the second baseman on its MLB All-Decade Team. On December 22, Sports Illustrated named Pat Gillick as number 7 on its list of the Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade (in all sports).


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season player statistics, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season player statistics, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Broadcasting
Over-the-air television returned to WPHL-TV (My PHL 17) for a three-year period after a ten-year stint at WPSG-TV (CW 57), when the Phillies and the Tribune Broadcasting station signed a three-year contract on November 19, 2008. This marks the third time the station has become the territorial flagship station, the first being from 1971 to 1982—as the successor to WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV)—and again from 1993 to 1998. Between those dates, games were telecast by WTXF-TV Channel 29 (known as WTAF-TV from 1983 through 1987 and prior to becoming a Fox–owned-and-operated station).


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Broadcasting
Tom McCarthy, Chris Wheeler, and Gary Matthews are the current members of the television broadcast team. McCarthy took over full-time play-by-play duties from Harry Kalas after his death in mid-April 2009. Wheeler is the color commentator for the first and last three innings of each game, while Matthews does color commentary in the middle three innings. On the radio, Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen are the play-by-play and color commentators, respectively, for the English language broadcasts on WPHT-AM (1210), while Danny Martinez and Bill Kulik provide the Spanish language commentary on WUBA (1480 AM).


2009 Philadelphia Phillies season, Broadcasting
The Phillies' postseason radio duties were split between the TV crew and the regular radio crew, while the television broadcasts on TBS were covered by Brian Anderson, Joe Simpson, and David Aldridge for the Division Series, and Chip Caray, Ron Darling, and Buck Martinez for the League Championship Series. The World Series broadcasters were Joe Buck and Tim McCarver on the Fox telecasts, and Joe Morgan and Jon Miller on ESPN Radio for the national broadcast.


2009 Philadelphia Wings season
The Philadelphia Wings are a lacrosse team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2009 season was the 23rd in franchise history.


2009 Philadelphia Wings season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2009 Philadelphia Wings season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2009 Philadelphia Wings season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2009 Philadelphia Wings season, Transactions, Entry draft
The 2008 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 7, 2008. The Wings selected the following players:


2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship
The 2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship was the second tournament of the Philippine Collegiate Championship (PCC) for basketball in its current incarnation, and the seventh edition overall. The champion teams from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) and 3 other Metro Manila leagues took part in the final tournament dubbed as the "Sweet Sixteen". Other teams had to qualify in the zonal tournaments to round out the 16 teams in the tournament.


2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship
The Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated the FEU Tamaraws in the championship; the San Beda Red Lions and the San Sebastian Stags disputed third place, with San Beda winning.


2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship
ABS-CBN Sports was the coverage partner, with games airing on Studio 23.


2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Finals
The Finals is a best-of-3 series. The team that wins two games first is named the champion.


2009 Phillip Island Superbike World Championship round
The 2009 Phillip Island Superbike World Championship round was the first round of the 2009 Superbike World Championship season. It took place over the weekend of 27 February–1 March 2009, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit near Cowes, Victoria, Australia.


2009 Phoenix Mercury season
The 2009 WNBA season was the 13th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Mercury won the WNBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. On June 6, the Mercury and LifeLock entered a multi-year marketing partnership to launch the first-ever branded jersey in WNBA or NBA history. A press conference was held at the NBA Store in New York City with Phoenix Mercury President and COO Jay Parry and LifeLock CEO Todd Davis to make the announcement.


2009 Phoenix Mercury season
The partnership ran through 2011, and the LifeLock name was on the front of Phoenix Mercury’s player jerseys and on warm-up suits. The Mercury and LifeLock ware the first to finalize such an agreement following the WNBA’s decision this off-season to make this opportunity available for its teams and sponsors. As part of the partnership, LifeLock offered a one-year complimentary membership to season ticket holders of all WNBA teams.


2009 Phoenix Mercury season, Off-season, Dispersal draft
Based on the Mercury's 2008 record, they picked 5th in the Houston Comets dispersal draft. The Mercury picked Sequoia Holmes.


2009 Phoenix Mercury season, Off-season, WNBA draft
The following are the Mercury's selections in the 2009 WNBA draft:


2009 Pickup Truck Racing
The 2009 Pickup Truck Racing season was the 13th Pickup Truck Racing season.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 41st edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, from August 21 through August 29, 2009. It was the last event on the 2009 US Open Series before the 2009 US Open.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis, ATP entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis, WTA entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis, Finals, Men's doubles
Julian Knowle /  Jürgen Melzer defeated  Bruno Soares /  Kevin Ullyett, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis, Finals, Women's doubles
Nuria Llagostera Vives /  María José Martínez Sánchez defeated  Iveta Benešová /  Lucie Hradecká, 6–2, 7–5.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Doubles
Marcelo Melo and André Sá were the defending champions, but lost in the semifinals against Julian Knowle and Jürgen Melzer.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Doubles
Julian Knowle and Jürgen Melzer won in the final 6-4, 7-6(3) against Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Singles
Marin Čilić was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Singles
Fernando Verdasco won in the final 6–4, 7–6(8–6) against Sam Querrey.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Doubles
Květa Peschke and Lisa Raymond were the defending champions, but Peschke chose not to compete that year. Raymond partnered with Jill Craybas, but they lost in the semifinals against Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Doubles
Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez won in the finals 6-2, 7-5 against Iveta Benešová and Lucie Hradecká.


2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Singles
Caroline Wozniacki was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–2, 6–4 against Elena Vesnina.


2009 Pishin bombing
The 2009 Pishin bombing occurred on October 18, 2009, when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a meeting in the southeastern Iranian town of Pishin in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The attack killed at least 43 people including several notable Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, or Revolutionary Guards) commanders, and injured a further 150.


2009 Pishin bombing
Among those killed were Noor Ali Shooshtari, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground forces, Rajab Ali, the commander in Sistan-Baluchestan, the commander for the town of Iranshahr and the commander of the Amir Al-Momenin unit. About 10 senior tribal figures were also among the dead. The Revolutionary Guard leaders killed were buried two days later in a military funeral. The funeral was attended by thousands of mourners. 43 people were killed, and another died in the hospital.


2009 Pishin bombing
Iran blamed the United States for involvement in the attacks, as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom for their support of the Jundallah terrorist group. The United States denied involvement. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed a "swift response" to the attacks; the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted him as saying, "The criminals will soon get the response for their inhuman crimes." The incident was condemned by the United Nations Security Council.


2009 Pishin bombing
The chargé d'affaires of Pakistan was summoned by the Iranian Foreign Ministry as the attack was thought to have been launched from Pakistani soil. Iran accused Pakistani agents of involvement in the incident and called on Pakistan to apprehend the attackers. An Iranian delegation is expected to head to Pakistan to demand the handover of Jundullah chief Abdolmalek Rigi. This decision came after Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik denied Rigi was on Pakistani soil. Pakistan handed over to Iran the brother of the Jundullah leader Abdolmalek Rigi. Iran's police chief held Pakistan responsible for the attack.


2009 Pishin bombing, Reaction
Iran – The Government and Media of Iran blamed the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel for the attack.


2009 Pishin bombing, Reaction
Pakistan – Interior Minister Rehman Malik said, "we can even point out his [Abdul Malik Rigi's] exact location in Afghanistan".


2009 Pishin bombing, Reaction
United States – The United States Government denied involvement in the attacks, but later some documentations showed that the US government under Bush administration was alleged with supporting and supplying the Jundullah group.


2009 Pitcairnese general election
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 11 December 2009. As there are no political parties on Pitcairn, the Deputy Mayor and all four candidates elected to the Island Council were independents. Simon Young became the first person not born on Pitcairn to be elected Deputy Mayor.


2009 Pitcairnese general election, Electoral system
The four elected members were elected by single transferable vote for two year terms. In addition, the Island Council had six other members; the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor, both of whom were elected separately. The four elected members and the Deputy Mayor nominated a further member, whilst two were appointed by the Governor and one seat was reserved for a Commissioner liaising between the Governor and the Council.


2009 Pitcairnese general election, Results
Voting began at 08:30 and was completed by 10:30. Of the 45 registered voters, 40 cast votes, giving a turnout of 88.9%.


2009 Pitcairnese general election, Results, Island Council
Following the election, Pawl Warren was appointed to the Island Council by the Governor.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team ninth at Heinz Field and the program's 120th season overall. The 2009 season saw the introduction of a new offensive coordinator, Frank Cignetti, Jr. Pitt got off to a 9–1 start with impressive wins over Navy, Notre Dame for the second consecutive year, and Rutgers for the first time since 2004.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
Pitt was ranked number 9 in the AP and BCS polls and was off to its best start since 1982. However, Pitt lost the final two regular season games, including a last second loss by a field goal at West Virginia and a one-point loss at home for the Big East championship to undefeated Cincinnati, to finish the regular season at 9–3 (5–2 Big East) for the second consecutive year. The Panthers rebounded by winning the Meineke Car Care Bowl over North Carolina, 19–17, to achieve its first ten-win season since 1981.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
Pitt ranked number 15 in the final 2009 AP rankings with a 10–3 record. In addition, Pitt players garnered many post-season accolades in 2009, including Big East Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year in Dion Lewis, and Big East Co-Defensive Players of the Year in Mick Williams and Greg Romeus.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Previous season
The 2008 season saw the Panthers begin the year in the rankings, #25 in the AP Poll, their first preseason ranking since 2003. However, the Panthers lost their opening game at home to a lowly-regarded Bowling Green team that finished 2008 with a 6–6 record and without a bowl invitation and saw their coach fired the day after their last game.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Previous season
However, the Panthers seemed unfazed by their opening-game defeat and went on to win five straight games, including a home win against Iowa and a road win on a Thursday night at then-#10 South Florida, who later finished the regular season 7–5 and unranked. The win at South Florida vaulted the Panthers back into the polls, but their stay was short-lived when, two weeks later, they lost at home to a then-1–5 Rutgers team, whose win over the Panthers was the beginning of a run that saw the Scarlet Knights finish 8–5.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Previous season
Quarterback Bill Stull suffered a concussion in the Rutgers loss was forced to sit out the Panthers next game, a 36–33 road win over Notre Dame in which the Panthers, led by quarterback Pat Bostick and running back LeSean McCoy, came back from a 17–3 halftime deficit. The Panthers followed up their victory over Notre Dame with a 41–7 victory over Louisville. The Panthers lost their next game on the road to league-leading #19 Cincinnati, who indeed went on to win their first Big East championship in football.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Previous season
The Panthers closed out the regular season with two victories, a 19–15 win at home against West Virginia and a 34–10 road victory over Connecticut. Immediately following the Panthers' victory over the Huskies, bowl officials were on hand to invite the Panthers to the 2008 Sun Bowl, where the Panthers faced Oregon State in El Paso on December 31. Both teams struggled offensively in the game, and the Panthers were shut out for the first time in 12 years, falling to the Beavers 3–0.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason
On February 5, 2009, the day after National Signing Day, it was made public that offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh would be leaving the Panthers to again pursue a career in the NFL. Cavanaugh's move to the Jets to become their new quarterbacks coach was not officially announced until February 9.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason
The Panthers took only two weeks to find their new offensive coordinator, Frank Cignetti, Jr. Cignetti took a pay cut by accepting the offer from Pitt, but he cited the local cost of living and proximity to his own and his wife's families as major reasons for leaving California for Pitt. Cignetti has a reputation for developing quarterbacks and will be expected to do the same at Pitt where senior Bill Stull, Pitt's returning starter, and the passing game increasingly struggled down the stretch last season. The other primary candidates for the Panthers' offensive coordinator position were former Panthers head coach Walt Harris and New York Jets wide receivers coach Noel Mazzone.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason
Linebacker Adam Gunn was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and will play in 2009, medical clearance pending. He was injured in the 3rd quarter of the 2008 season opener against Bowling Green when he collided with fellow linebacker Scott McKillop. Shane Murray, who was injured during the preseason in August 2008 and started at linebacker along with Gunn in 2007, will also be back with the Panthers in 2009. The returns of Gunn and Murray from injuries and Greg Williams, who started in place of Gunn in 2008, give the Panthers a stable of experienced linebackers headed into the 2009 season.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason
The NCAA released the 2009 Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, which measure "a school's ability to retain its athletes and keep them eligible from semester to semester," on May 7. The 2009 scores are  data from the 2004–05 to 2007–08 academic years. The Panthers football team finished with the fifth best APR scores in the 8-team Big East, with a score of 944 out of a possible 1,000.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Recruiting
All players who signed with Pitt had verbally committed to the University within the year prior to signing a binding National Letter of Intent on national signing day. The Panthers also added one player who is not designated as a recruit, tight end Andrew Devlin, who transferred to Pitt in May and had been recruited by Coaches Wannstedt and Gattuso two years earlier in 2007 when had initially decided to play for the Virginia Cavaliers. He chose to transfer to Pitt after a change in offensive scheme would have forced him to change position to defensive with the Cavaliers.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Recruiting
Half of the Panthers new signees played high school football in Pennsylvania, and nine of those ten players were first-team all-state selections in 2008. The Panthers were expected to bring in players to add depth to the team – not necessarily an instant impact in 2009 – because the Panthers are no longer a struggling team in need of immediate performers. After signing day this class was not rated as a star-studded class that would be expected to provide an instant impact, but many of the players are viewed as players able to significantly contribute in the future.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Recruiting
The players most expected to make an impact in the future are wide receiver Todd Thomas, tight end Brock DeCicco, running back Raymond Graham and linebackers Shane Gordon and Dan Mason. As of February 5, the 2009 recruiting class was ranked as the 47th best class nationally by Rivals.com – much lower than previous Wannstedt recruiting classes – and 28th best by Scout.com.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Recruiting
Dave Wannstedt dismissed the criticism of his recruiting class as the low reviews of his class were a result of the low number of scholarships that the Panthers were able to offer due to the low number of graduating Pitt seniors in 2008 as well as a down year for high school seniors in western Pennsylvania.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
Spring camp opened for the Panthers on March 19. Coach Wannstedt outlined his priorities heading into camp as determining the starters at running back and quarterback as well as the lineup at the various linebacker positions, most importantly in the middle.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
The annual Blue-Gold game, the final scrimmage of spring camp, was played at Heinz Field on April 11. The University wanted to make it into a more appealing event for families and casual fans. As a result, they created various programs at the game, which was titled the "Pitt Spring Football Festival" in order to emphasize the various activities, which included a series of 20-minute "chalk talks" with coaches Wannstedt, Cignetti, and Bennett; an autograph session with former Panthers who went on to the NFL; and on-field drills with current players. Total attendance for the event was announced at 6,160.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
As expected, the defense controlled most of the play throughout, defeating the offense 54–23, using a modified scoring system. The offense scored only one touchdown, a 54-yard, play-action pass from Bill Stull to Jon Baldwin. Bill Stull was the most effective of all the quarterbacks, going 12 of 17 for 132 yards with the touchdown and an interception. Freshman Dion Lewis, who enrolled early in January 2009, led the offense on the ground with thirty-four yards on twelve attempts.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
The defense, after allowing a touchdown and a field goal on the offense's first and second possessions, respectively, finished with three interceptions and six sacks the rest of the way and didn't allow the offense to score again. The defense held the offense to a net of sixteen rushing yards on thirty-seven carries. The game was broadcast live locally on WPCW in Pittsburgh and was replayed nationally on April 18 on the NFL Network.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
The Ed Conway Award, which is given to the most improved players of the spring, was co-awarded to quarterback Pat Bostick and linebacker Max Gruder prior to the Blue-Gold Game.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices, Off-field issues
Seniors T.J. Porter, a wide receiver, and Tommie Duhart, a defensive lineman, officially left Pitt's football team at the end of the spring semester; both had been suspended from spring practices and did not participate. Duhart, along with senior cornerback Aaron Berry and sophomore offensive lineman Wayne Jones, was suspended on April 7 from the remainder of spring practices as well as the Blue-Gold game due to an unspecified "violation of team policy". Porter had been suspended from the team indefinitely after being cited for driving on a suspended driver's license and driving while intoxicated, his second DWI in under ten months. According to a statement issued by coach Wannstedt, both Porter and Duhart plan to transfer elsewhere.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices, Off-field issues
Dave Wannstedt, speaking about the variousoff-field incidents in Spring 2009


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices, Off-field issues
A criminal complaint was filed against sophomore wide receiver and Aliquippa native Jon Baldwin on April 19, a day after the incident, in which Baldwin was charged with "indecent assault, harassment and disorderly conduct" following an incident with a female on a university-owned bus. Later in a non-jury trial in January, 2010, Baldwin was found not guilty on all charges.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices, Off-field issues
Sixth year senior Adam Gunn, who only weeks earlier had been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, was arrested in an incident that also involved former Panther Austin Ransom following an incident outside of a Pittsburgh night club. As a result of the charges against him – "misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and failure to disperse, as well as summary offenses of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness" – Gunn was suspended from the team indefinitely pending the result of his hearing. All charges against Gunn were withdrawn at his preliminary hearing on June 16. According to Gunn's attorney, all charges were withdrawn due to the fact that "he employed no weapons, assaulted nobody and simply attempted to flee the scene".


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Fall practice
The first official fall practice will open on Tuesday, August 11.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Classes Key:Fr – Freshman; first year player. So – Sophomore; second year player. Jr – Junior; third year player. Sr – Senior; fourth year player. RS – Previously used a redshirt. – Redshirt during 2009 season. – Injured for entire or majority of season000and is eligible for a medical redshirt. † – 6th year of eligibility


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Rankings
The official preseason rankings are normally released in August of the same season, but various publications annually release early projections throughout the spring and summer. The Panthers have received mixed reviews from such publications. Phil Steele ranked the Panthers at #23. The Sporting News picked the Panthers to win the conference, but Athlon Sports, who left the Panthers out of their early rankings, project them to finish in fourth place. The Congrove Computer Rankings, a computer program that determines a team's ranking based upon projected regular season results, ranked the Panthers at #12 and predicted an 11–1 regular season record. The Panthers began the season unranked and just outside the Top 25 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.