PHILADELPHIA — Carlos Ruiz took a full cut and doinked a dribbler about 30 feet up the third-base line, just far enough to drive in the winning run.

“You couldn’t place a ball better than that. Lucky swing, perfect bounce,” lamented Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist.

That’s how Game 3 of the World Series ended early Sunday — at 1:47 a.m.

Citizens Bank Park was still packed. Anyone else around the country who missed it, you’re not alone.

After a 91-minute rain delay and nine innings of back-and-forth baseball, Ruiz and the Philadelphia Phillies outlasted the speedy Rays 5-4.

Cue the after-hours party in the City of Brotherly Love.

Bars downtown closed only 13 minutes after Eric Bruntlett scored the game-winner, so delirious fans spilled into the streets to celebrate. It made for a wild scene, with traffic jams and Phillies rooters dancing on top of a bus.

Elsewhere, America snored.

Surely, some viewers switched over to “Saturday Night Live” in the middle innings and never made it back.

For others, 1:30 a.m. is too late to watch a ballgame — no matter who’s playing.

And maybe it was fitting that Ruiz’s biggest little hit came while most fans were fast asleep. Nearly ignored in Philadelphia’s powerful lineup, the unassuming catcher has become a surprise World Series star.

“I’m so happy,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Once the rain stopped Saturday, Ruiz had a wild ride. He homered in the second inning to give the Phillies a 2-1 edge, then made a throwing error in the eighth that allowed Tampa Bay to tie it at 4.

But his teammates scratched together a rally in the ninth, when Bruntlett led off and was hit by a pitch from loser J.P. Howell. Grant Balfour relieved and threw a wild pitch that caromed off the backstop to Rays catcher Dioner Navarro, who threw wildly to second in an attempt to get Bruntlett.

The error sent Bruntlett scurrying to third, and Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon called for intentional walks to the next two batters. He also brought Zobrist in from right field for a five-man infield.

“It looked like they were about to blitz,” Phillies slugger Ryan Howard said.

Ruiz hit a trickler toward third that Evan Longoria scooped up with his bare hand. Off balance, Longoria tried a desperate, diving toss to the plate that sailed high as Bruntlett scored.

Game over. Finally.

“We got breaks there in the end and we capitalized on them,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said.

Near first base, Ruiz was mobbed by jubilant teammates who hardly looked tired.

“I was thinking, hit a fly ball to the outfield. That didn’t work. I’ll take a ground ball,” said Ruiz, known mostly for his defense. “When I turned around it was a great moment.”

Batting at the bottom of the lineup, the light-hitting Ruiz went 4-for-8 with two doubles, three RBIs and four walks in the first three World Series games.

Quite an offensive turnaround for a guy who batted .219 with four home runs and 31 RBIs this year. Some questioned whether he should even keep his starting job.

“When we started winning games, that’s why I stuck with Ruiz. Our team got hot,” Manuel said. “I’ve always had confidence in him and, more than likely, if you follow me and the way I manage, I always go back and give a guy a chance. I don’t give up on him as long as he doesn’t give up on himself.”

The first World Series game in Philadelphia since 1993 began at 10:06 p.m., the latest start in Fall Classic history.

Less than a month shy of his 46th birthday, Jamie Moyer was on the mound for the Phillies — his World Series debut after 22 major league seasons.

Soon, it became a matchup of Philadelphia power versus Tampa Bay speed.

Chase Utley homered off Matt Garza to start the sixth, his second of the Series. Howard followed with his first of the postseason, breaking out of a slump and making it 4-1.

But the athletic Rays rallied with their legs. B.J. Upton had three of Tampa Bay’s four stolen bases, equaling a World Series record last accomplished by Hall of Famer Lou Brock in 1968.

Upton scored on Ruiz’s throwing error to tie it at 4. But the Philadelphia catcher sent everyone home — at last — with the softest of clutch hits.

His single made the Phillies 2-for-33 with runners in scoring position through three Series games. Neither of those hits left the infield.

“You don’t expect any game to end that way,” Bruntlett said. “So it’s very strange.”

And it was very late.