This Day in Phillies History: October 5

The Philadelphia Phillies were cursed by a squirrel that ran across home plate during the NLDS on this day in 2011.

Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT/Sipa USA

October 5 marks a day in Philadelphia Phillies history that fans would rather forget.

On this day in 2011, the Phillies were taking on the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Roy Oswalt was on the mound for the Phils at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. And as Oswalt began his wind up and pitch to Skip Schumaker in the fifth inning, a squirrel ran across home plate.

Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called the pitch a ball, which Oswalt and Manager Charlie Manuel were displeased with due to the fact that the squirrel should have deterred the pitch from being called a ball or strike as it was a distraction.

Oswalt escaped the fifth unscathed, but was subsequently pulled the following inning after allowing a two-run homer to David Freese to put the Cards ahead 5-2.

After St. Louis starter Edwin Jackson allowed a triple to Chase Utley and RBI-single to Hunter Pence in the first, Philadelphia's lineup was mostly sent down in order in Game 4.

They were held to three runs on seven hits, and the five runs the Cardinals collected would be all they would need to win Game 4 and tie the series 2-2.

St. Louis went on to win Game 5 in Philadelphia, 1-0, to advance to the National League Championship Series. The team eventually went on to beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

The grey rodent, beloved by Cardinals fans and nicknamed the "rally squirrel," is not so loved by Phillies fans, and feel the squirrel's arrival was the opposite of good luck for Philadelphia.

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