Oct. 10 -- VICTORINO'S GRANDMA PASSES AWAY

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, as I walked into the Phillies' clubhouse tonight, Shane Victorino was teasing me and a few other reporters. He had just gone 2-for-5 with four RBIs, saved two runs with a leaping catch and lifted the Phillies to an 8-5 victory in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. It made sense that he'd be in a good mood.

Minutes later, when I looked over at his locker, he had bloodshot eyes from crying inconsolably.

Victorino learned after the game that his 82-year-old grandmother, Irene Victorino, had passed away in Hawaii. He got the news from his father, Mike, and returned to the clubhouse with tears filling his eyes.

"He knew. He just didn't want to tell me," said Victorino, the third player in Phillies history to collect four RBIs in an NLCS game. "She lived a happy life. Last night, I talked to her and she wasn't responding very well. I knew something was wrong."

Victorino traveled with the Phillies to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Sunday night.

"At the end of the day, it's about what she'd want me to do," he said. "She'd want me to stay with the team."

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Have to catch a flight to LA (from BWI) in about seven hours, so I'll have more tomorrow from La La Land.