By his own count, Cole Hamels pitched for the Dodgers three or four times in Little League. It was his custom to wear the blue cap with the interlocking L and A to school.

Philadelphia's front-running lefty was, by his own admission, a bit of a bandwagon fan growing up in San Diego rooting for Mike Piazza and the Dodgers.

He saved his catcalls for the Oakland Raiders.

"I loved playing the game (of baseball)," Hamels said. "I didn't necessarily love watching it. I think I was more into watching football. And so, therefore, I created the hatred of the Raiders."

If Hamels is claiming credit for creating the hatred of the Raiders, the patent office is going to want some proof. But any other claims he's inclined to make may not seem so outlandish anymore, for the kid has delivered on his exceptional promise.

The Phillies ace has come through, and in spades.

Hamels pitched Philadelphia into its first World Series in 15 years Thursday night with seven stifling innings in a 5-1 clincher over the same club whose cap he used to wear. He beat the Dodgers for the second time in a week to bring an abrupt end to the National League Championship Series and the magical mystery tear of Manny Ramirez.

For this feat, Hamels was named the Most Valuable Player of the NLCS, an honor he described as "surreal," but a mere appetizer compared with the next portion on his plate. Beating the Dodgers entitles Hamels to reprise his role as playoff stopper in Wednesday's Game 1 of the World Series — either against the upstart Tampa Bay Rays or the defending champion Boston Red Sox.

Having won three straight playoff starts while pitching to an earned-run average of 1.23, Hamels has already carved out a pumpkin-sized niche in this baseball October with the World Series still ahead. Only two pitchers have won more than four postseason games in the same year — Arizona's Randy Johnson (2001) and the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez (2002) both won five - but no one has done it exclusively as a starter.

Hamels, who has just completed his second full season in the big leagues, would appear to be one of those pitchers bound for breakthroughs. He is 24 years old, with precocious command and developing durability.

The Phillies chose Hamels with the 17th selection in the June 2002 draft. A lot of clubs would like to take a mulligan on that draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates used the No. 1 overall selection on Ball State pitcher Bryan Bullington, who has yet to win a game in the major leagues and is now employed by the Cleveland Indians. Worse, the Pirates passed up B.J. Upton, Prince Fielder and Hamels to take Bullington.

Until very recently, however, opinions on Cole Hamels were deeply divided. He had a hard time staying healthy and a curious habit of enunciating outsized goals. Defying the baseball orthodoxy that decrees young players should hold their tongues, Hamels spoke openly of winning Cy Young Awards and of pitching a no-hitter on national television.

Doesn't seem quite so boastful now, though, huh?

Hamels had expressed concern before last night's start that facing the Dodgers twice in a short span robbed him of the element of surprise. He wanted to repeat his Game 1 success, but he wasn't sure he could trust the same template.

"I will have to change (the plan) if I notice they're making adjustments," he said, "so I can go out there and put myself in a better situation instead of them already having the book and figuring me out."

His fears, it turned out, were misplaced. The Dodgers never did look comfortable hitting against Hamels, and they failed to fatigue him, seeing a relatively modest 104 pitches over his seven innings. The Dodgers were down, 5-0, when Ramirez hit a two-out home run in the sixth inning.

"He was mixing his pitches pretty good," said Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, who contributed three fifth-inning errors to the Phillies' cause. "His change-up, the breaking pitch, and (when) he threw his fastball at the corners. He did a good job."

Cole Hamels did a good enough job that his next gig is the World Series.

Tim Sullivan is a sports columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Contact him at tim.sullivan@uniontrib.com.

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