This Is The Last Time We’ll Remind You That Shane Victorino’s Post-Phillies Life Has Turned Out Awesome For Him

As a longtime Royals fan, one of my favorite activities has been to look at all the teams in the playoffs and count the number of former Kansas Citians on each team, wondering why they couldn’t get to the postseason when they were all together. So maybe Philadelphia understands my pain after watching onetime Phillies hero, Shane Victorino, be a hero for the Red Sox in their World Series victory.

Certainly, they love him in Boston:

The Red Sox right fielder, his World Series joy ride disrupted due to those everyman lumbar fits, his wonky back sending him to the sidelines earlier in the series, returned to the lineup Wednesday night and provided the key hit that essentially closed out the World Series and turned Fenway’s emerald turf into a verdant title garden for the first time since 1918.

Victorino, whose Game 6 grand slam was the wrecking ball that razed the Tigers in the AL Championship Series, came to the plate in the third inning in Game 6 with the bases loaded and the score 0-0, a Series title for the taking. And he took it, emphatically.

With his patented quick-wristed swing, the 32-year-old Victorino, one of Sox general manager Ben Cherington’s many key offseason acquisition, rocketed a ball off the Wall, knocking in one, knocking in two, knocking in all of the runners to pin up a 3-0 lead and send the Sox to their third Series title in 10 seasons. It was as if the Flyin’ Hawaiian stood at homeplate, looked up and said, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow that Monster down.’’

Congratulations, Shane. We still love you.