"Roy Oswalt is relieved that today won't potentially be one of last starts for him.

By beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2on Tuesday in Game 3 of the NLDS, the Phillies are on the verge of closing out the series today with Oswalt on the mound.

And considering that a little more than three months ago, the pain in Oswalt's back was so bad that he might have thrown the final pitch of his career, there's no place that he'd rather be.

"A month ago, I was battling backfrom back pain," Oswalt said. "I was trying to pitch through it for so long. It was probably my fault for trying to pitch through it for too long. I should have just had it taken care of and gotten back out there a little bit earlier. But the last four or five starts, I've felt real strong.""