Vin Scully shares warm moment with Phillies

LOS ANGELES - On the night Michael Mariot was born, a baseball game flashed on the TV inside his mother's West Hills, Calif., hospital room. It was Oct. 20, 1988. Soon before Diana Mariot gave birth to her son, the Dodgers won the World Series and Vin Scully described every moment.

"I thought it was pretty special," Michael Mariot said, "that I was born to his voice."

So the Phillies reliever joined two of his teammates and third-base coach Juan Samuel, a former Dodger, on a pregame excursion Wednesday morning. They rode two escalators to the fifth floor at Dodger Stadium, stepped inside the press box named for Scully, and met the legendary broadcaster before he announced his final Phillies game ever.

For a few minutes, the four men listened to Scully tell stories. Then, each one shook Scully's hand and posed for photos. Scully, 88 and in his 67th and last season as a Dodgers broadcaster, glanced at Samuel.

"Where has the time gone?" Scully said.

Samuel grinned.

"This man has the best smile in baseball," Scully said to those gathered in the cramped booth.

David Hernandez, who grew up in Sacramento, said his father was a Dodgers fan and Scully's voice typically filled their house on summer nights. He savored the chance to meet Scully.

"It was something that I probably should have done a lot sooner," said Hernandez, 31, who procured a signed ball for his father. "Chills. He's easily the greatest announcer. It was definitely an honor. You're kind of at a loss for words when you're up there. He's the nicest guy. He was everything I expected him to be."

Jerad Eickhoff said some friends back home in Indiana challenged him to either snag a photo or conversation with Scully while in Los Angeles.

"Going up the escalator to see him, you're kind of nervous," Eickhoff, 26, said. "He's the most decorated broadcaster of all time. It's cool to be able to go up there and talk to him. He was so genuine and appreciative. He probably talks to hundreds of people a day and he was very genuine and sincere with his words."

In the game's first three innings, Scully told a story about his father and the Pearl Harbor bombing, toasted to Don Newcombe's 90th birthday, and explained why Jeremy Hellickson had named his dog after Derek Jeter.

"The palm trees are watching without any emotion whatsoever," Scully said, to describe the afternoon's pristine weather.

Before the game, as the players prepared to depart the booth, Scully wished them health and long careers. Mariot quickly sent a copy of the photo to his mother. The starstruck players had forged a great memory.

"He's amazing," Mariot said.

With his three-run double in the ninth, Ryan Howard raised his batting average to .303 (20 for 66) in his last 25 games. Howard has five doubles and six homers in that span. . . . The Phillies are off Thursday. Jake Thompson will make his first start at Citizens Bank Park on Friday against Colorado.