Moyer and Phils thrash the Jays

The 4,000th major-league inning pitched by Jamie Moyer today had the same numbing effect on opposing hitters as so many of the previous 3,999.

The bases were loaded with Toronto Blue Jays with one out in the second inning of an 11-2 Phils romp when the 47-year-old lefthander struck out Jose Molina looking with an 82-m.p.h. fastball that caught the outside part of the plate.

Then Moyer wriggled out of the inning when he jammed Jarrett Hoffpauir, inducing a soft line drive to third base.

Like most of the 42, 571 spectators at Citizens Bank Park, Molina, Hoffpauir and eventually the rest of the Blue Jays were left with mouths agape, mumbling to themselves, "How does the old man do it?"

Moyer continued to defy logic and inspire old heads with his third consecutive outstanding performance in a blowout of a Blue Jays club that was all thumbs in the field and stupefied at the plate, flailing helplessly at his soft but well-placed tosses.

On a brutally steamy day, Moyer went seven innings and allowed six hits and two runs while striking out seven to equal his season high. He became the 40th pitcher in big-league history to throw 4,000 innings. He also became the game's most generous contributor of souvenir baseballs when he served up the 506th home run of a career that has spanned 22-plus years when Vernon Wells hit his 19th into the left-field seats. Moyer had been tied with Robin Roberts for allowing the most homers. Now the dubious record is his alone.

"The Phillies offered to try to retrieve it. I don't know if they have or not," Moyer said about the record homer. "They can burn it, maybe. Or I'll let the dog play with it. I'd give it to one of my kids."

Stunning as it sounds, Moyer is tied with ace Roy Halladay for the team lead with nine wins. Since he got raked for nine runs in one inning June 11 at Boston, Moyer is 3-0 with a 1.96 earned run average in his last three starts, allowing five runs and 11 hits over 23 innings.

"I'm quite proud of pitching 4,000 innings," Moyer said. "I was aware I was close, but I wasn't aware of exactly where I was."

The two previous times Moyer won nine games before July 1, he went on to win 20. Both times were with Seattle, where he went 20-6 in 2001 and 21-7 in 2003, when he was at the tender age of 40. His 267 wins rank 35th on the all-time list, one behind Jim Palmer. He moved ahead of Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey.

Moyer is not big on talking or even thinking about milestones. He doesn't look back or look far ahead. The time will come for all that, whenever that may be.

"I really don't dwell on it. I really don't," he said. "I just feel like if I start to fall into that - and I mean this respectfully - then all of a sudden I'm going to lose focus on what I'm here to do, and that's to go out and pitch.

"For me there's a time and a place for all of that, and it's not during the season because I know I will become distracted if I start to go in that direction. That's why I choose not to. It's great to pass people with the innings thing and all that, but it's personal and I don't want it to get in the way."

A baseball lifer, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is not impressed by much of what he sees, but count him among those amazed that Moyer is still going at 47.

"Pitching 4,000 innings, that's amazing," Manuel said. "I saw him twice in the minor leagues when he got sent back, and when I saw him pitch, you thought he might not be back. Not only did he get back, but he's stayed a long, long time. His longevity is remarkable. As far as the home runs, if you pitch that long you'll give up some home runs. That's not a bad mark in my mind. It just shows how long he's pitched."