Requiem for a Pennant

 

Bryce Harper

Greetings Phils Fans, it’s been a while.

 

It didn’t feel right to go through a postseason like that without sharing in some of the joy that we all experienced for quite a magical month out of our boys in red pinstripes.

 

The Phillies are not an organization where you can take a postseason like that for granted. I’m pushing 40 these days and that’s the 4^th World Series they’ve been in during my lifetime. They’ve lost 3 of 4 in 6 games and we did not get a parade this year. The World Series was fun until it wasn’t, but just about every moment from the first week of October to the first week of November was electric out of this bunch of high paid over achievers (oxymoron?). If you weren’t screaming and yelling at your TV with every massive SchwarBOMB, or Harper clutch hit, or Nick Casty diving catch then you’re probably not reading this right now.

 

It's been a lean decade for this franchise that I once lived and breathed and caused me to start writing this blog. Plenty of things have changed since I was writing regularly but until this season the Phillies’ play was not one of them. These guys have been average at best and had continually come up small in September and / or big games when they actually played them prior to June of 2022.

 

You have to point the finger at Rob Thomson as the main catalyst for this team to turn it around. They were 8 games under .500 dead in the water with Joe Genaurdi’s at the helm Memorial Day Weekend. By the second week of June, I was back watching almost every game. They won 9 straight and something like 15 out of 17 when “Topper” took over.

 

I’ll tell ya what, Kyle Schwarber can’t fuckin hit but he can hit home runs. And that seems to be all that matters in today’s MLB. He just won the silver slugger in left field (award for best hitter at that position in the NL) and I’m not looking it up but no way he hit .220 for the season. He did however crush 46 home runs in the regular season (most since The Big Piece maybe 15 years ago) and they seemed to just energize the ball club and get them going when they needed it.

 

So they’re feeling pretty good after Schwarber clubbed a team record 12 homers in June and they’re riding a hot streak, and BOOM! Blake Snell hits Harper with fastball in San Diego and breaks his thumb in late June. Harper was hitting just .320 and slugging .600 when he went down; right there as a perennial MVP candidate. No way this team cold withstand by far their best player going down for a long period.

 

It didn’t matter.

 

JT Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Rhys Hoskins shouldered the offensive load and of course they got timely hits from lesser guys, which you need to have or you don’t get as far as the Phillies did. I like to give JT a hard time with my friends because he’s constantly referred to as the BCIB (best catcher in baseball) and I see a guy who has been a little better than Chooch. Well, thankfully JT told me to shove it in the second half and that guy just took off. JT played 80 games before the All Start Break and 60 after.

 

1^st half: .252 / .323 / .399 – batting average, on base, slugging

2^nd half: 307 / .367 / .583 – sexual and violent

 

He also picked up a silver slugger at catcher and threw in 21 stolen bases (caught once!) to almost match his 22 homers. Pudge Rodriguez, maybe the best to pop a squat behind home plate outside Johnny Bench, is the only other catcher with a 20/20 season. JT also led the Majors in caught stealing percentage throwing out 44% of would be bag stealers. He is the Best Catcher In Baseball.

 

After struggling and infamously saying “I fucking hate this place” when he committed three errors in succession and getting unmercifully booed in one game earlier this year, Alec Bohm feels like he is here to stay. Bohmer handled that controversy well in interviews and the town seemed to embrace him for it. Bohm hit .280 on the season and was not scared in big moments. A 9^th inning home run off nearly unhittable Josh Hader tied a game against the Brewers during the June winning streak. Hader hadn’t allowed a run yet on the season in 19 games and opponents were hitting .069.

 

Bohm tied it with a homer and Matt Vierling walked it off the next batter. You gotta watch this clip and listen to all the stats TMac reels off – you started to think this team might have something when they did this.

 

Then there’s our old pal Rhys Hoskins. I dunno man. Jury is still out for his sheer incompetence in the field but I’ll live and die with the bat cuz we were LIVIN in October off this guy.

 

Shifting gears to the pitching staff.

 

Boy oh boy, I’ve hated on Aaron Nola since the day he got here (he and Hoskins are the longest tenured Phillies). Highly touted and I just never saw him step up when it mattered. That seemed to stop this year. He didn’t have a great W-L record but every other stat popped – a good indicator that W-L doesn’t mean shit really.  

 

WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched – below 1 is Cy Young territory) – 4^th in the NL at .096

Walks per 9 innings – 1^st in NL at 1.27

Strike out to Walk – 1^st in NL at 8.10

Strikeouts – 3^rd in NL at 235 (he’s been top 5 in the NL 4 of the past 5 years and he had 229 in 2019 for 7^th)

That's the stats, but he also threw a complete game shut out against the Braves the last game before the All-Star Break and told them to put that in their pipe and smoke it. He came up big when it mattered, at least more than usual from my memory.

 

Zach Wheeler just seems to deliver more than you’d think possible, we’ll get to him more.

 

Well, they sure did struggle in September with two separate 5 game losing streaks that made you really question your faith in the team and your own sanity as a Phils fan. Who came up big the last series of the season to clinch? Aaron fuckin Nola rolled into Houston and was perfect through 6 innings and picked up the 3-0 win that allowed the Phils to breathe easy on the last two days of the season.

 

So, the stage was set for the Phils to enter the playoffs as massive underdogs after securing the 6^th and final seed in the NL. Twelve teams make the playoffs in total, the Phils entered with the 11^th worst odds to win it all per sports books. They were +2800 on October 7 the day the playoffs started for them with a day game in St. Louis.

 

The first game of the postseason was a sign of things to come we would soon realize. The lifeless Phils were shut out through 8 innings and down 2-0 to start the 9^th inning. Hoskins started the inning with a strikeout and then 7 straight guys reached base with the 8^th guy being Schwarber who made it 5-2 with a sac fly. Pandemonium to say the least. Not one home run just base hit after base hit and some good base-running. Hoskins ended the inning with a strikeout.

 

Nola came on in game 2 and threw an absolute gem with 6.1 scoreless and the bullpen came on to seal the series victory 2-0 for the game and 2-0 for series. Harper got his first home run in the postseason as a Phillie in this game. It stood up as the game-winning hit.

 

On to Atlanta. The Phils were on the road for something like 15 straight games and 20 days. It didn’t matter.

 

First game in Atlanta, Topper went with Ranger Suarez after using Wheeler and Nola in St. Louis. Ranger had his shakiest outing of the postseason but the Phils bats were alive against lefty Max Fried who came in to the game with a 2.48 ERA, 3^rd in the NL. Max couldn’t make it out of the 4^th as the Phillies singled him to death with 4 straight 2 out hits in the 1^st inning to take a 2-0 lead that seemed to give the Phillies all the momentum they would need for this series.  

I was on the golf course for this 2 out rally in the first inning listening on the radio. I’ll tell you what – the feeling of Nick Castellanos getting a 2 out RBI hit is something.

 

After nearly a month on the road, our Phightins finally returned home on Friday night October 14^th tied at 1-1 with the Braves after two in Atlanta. This is when things really started to get going and I’ve got goosebumps as I’m typing.

 

Despite winning 3 of the first 4 playoff games to that point, Schwarber and Hoskins were something like 1-30 combined and batting 1 and 2 in the lineup. For the 34^th time out of 35 different major managerial decisions, Thomson got it right and kept these two at the top of the lineup. In the bottom of the 3^rd after one run had already scored and that goofball looking Spencer Strider and his Tom Selleck mustache pitching, the Braves manager Brian Snitker decided to intentionally walk Schwarber (1 for his last 15) to get to Hoskins (oh for his last 15). Big mistake. I was laughing when they did it and I’m still laughing tbh.

 

Rhys hit one, I think it just landed, DEEP into the left field seats and stared at the dugout as it soared into the sky and spiked his bat. You’ve all seen the clip. Tears in my eyes I guess. God what a bomb from a guy who looked like me at the plate the prior 4 games.

Rhys Hoskins

 

Game was over right there. 4-0 Phillies in the third; they win the game 9-1 and steamrolled old foe Charlie Morton in game 4 to take the series 3-1. Game 4 featured a 3 run home run from Brandon Marsh the Darsh who could really use a shave and a haircut but what can you do?

 

Harper was alright in the 4 game Braves series:

8 for 16 at the plate with a walk. 3 doubles 2 homers and a casual 1,063 slugging percentage.

 

On the road again our underdogs went, this time to San Diego instead of LA. The Padres had pulled off an upset of their own taking the NLDS from the heavily favored Dodgers. The Dodgers can eat shit as far as I’m concerned. Go buy another 110 wins and then come up small in the playoffs Magic and company. Freddie Freeman can kiss my ass going there. Loser.

 

For the third straight time, the Phils opened the series with a road victory. This is not an easy thing to do in the Majors. This team was locked in.

 

At some point there, it started to be that you would just call out predictions on improbably great things happening and BOOM, there the Phillies were giving you exactly what you wanted while knowing it was damn near impossible to come through like this.

 

The 9^th inning of game 1 in St. Louis. Shiiiiiiiiiit.

The Hoskins 3 run homer in Philadelphia. Shhhiiiiiiiitttttt.

 

Let’s see if Wheels can throw a shut out and get us an advantage game 1 in San Diego..

 

Game 1 in San Diego:

 

1 hit?!? That’s all the Padres got was one goddman hit!

 

 

The Phils dropped game two in San Diego and came home for 3 games over the weekend starting Friday night with Ranger Suarez on the mound.

 

The juice in this ballpark was akin to the scene in Ghostbusters 2 where they cover the inside of the Statue of Liberty with that slime that takes a hold of whatever energy the people are giving it. You could feel, hear, and certainly see that the crowd was pushing this team to another level. Citizen’s Bank Park lifted off the ground and was walking around South Philly the next three nights shooting out home runs and hot dogs.

 

Phils win game three 4-2 – Schwarber homers to leadoff the game and they don’t look back. Jean Jean the dancing machine had a huge 2 RBI single.

 

Game 4 was insanity. The famed Bailey Falter got the nod for the start from Topper and this was a brick for once for the manager with the Midas touch. Falter only managed to get 2 outs and they were down 4-0 before they got to bat. I was on my way to a friends house on this Saturday night and got there a bit late. I listened to the top half of that first inning in the car and was wondering if this was going to be a long night..

 

I walked into the house and the momentum changed (all my doing). Mike Clevinger, that old hag, managed to not get one out in the bottom half of the inning for the Padres. Rhys-y boy came to play on this night. After Schwarber singled on an 0-2 count to leadoff, Hoskins mashed yet another one deep into the night to make it 4-2 and snatch momentum back. JT followed with a walk then a Harper double made it 4-3 and out went Clevinger after 4 batters.

Everybody was freakin out man. Stuff you wish would happen but never does.

 

After the Phils tied it at 4 in the 4^th, the cocky prick helluva ballplayer import from the Nats Juan Soto, deposited one deep into the right field seats in the top of the 5th to give the Padres a 6-4 lead and we were feeling a bit depleted.

 

As I’ve said before, you'd think of something great to happen in your head and sure enough it would. Schwarber walked with one out in the 5^th, and Hoskins YET AGAIN, sent a 2 run homer deep into the night. Tie ball game. I believe I sent a text out “Hoskins is officially not a loser” as I’ve been glossing over his defensive blunders because who wants to hear about them.

 

Two batters later Harper sent a double to deep left-center that scores JT. Nicky the Cast knocked in Bryce and it was 8-6 Phils bottom 5 and we’ve temporarily lost sanity in South Eastern PA.

 

Game 4 featured 4 home runs, 2 from Hoskins and 1 each from Schwarber and JT. You’re not going to lose many when you hit 4 homers.

 

Then there was game 5. Fuckin A. This is storybook stuff.

 

Fast forward to the bottom of the 8^th inning with the Phillies trailing 3-2 and staring down a possible flight to San Diego for game 6 if the score holds.

 

Bryce Harper stepped to the plate with a man on and nobody out.

You’re sitting there watching this at-bat play out (it went 7 pitches) thinking no way Bryce can do this here. There’s too much pressure. Too much riding on it. Too much to ask to keep this good thing going.

 

No, it wasn’t.

 

The 2-2 pitch came in on the outside part of the plate and Bryce Harper went with it and socked a go-ahead 2 run home run in to the left field seats. In essence, clinching the pennant for our Phightin Phils. What do you think that jog around the bases felt like? My God Harper had done it. 

 

BEDLAM AT THE BANK!! – Scott Franzke

 

 The Phillies win the pennant! The Phillies win the pennant!

The World Series had a few 2001 Sixers parallels for me.

1.       Houston was a massive favorite and hadn’t lost a game to get to the World Series in the playoffs (same as Shaq and Kobe)

2.       The underdogs punched the favorite square in the mouth and took game 1

3.       The better team won the Series

 

It was not quite the ending we wanted especially after two incredibly memorable wins in the World Series. Game 1 was perhaps a top 10 game ever played in MLB history and had to be the best game the Phillies ever played that didn’t clinch a title. The Phils won 6-5 in 10 innings in game 1 after trailing 5-0 to Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander. That Nicky Cast got another big 2 out RBI to get that comeback going. For a guy who constantly looked clueless he made big catches and got some big hits (sorry for complimenting Nicky Cast, Kyle).

 

Game 3 put the Astros on the ropes with a World Series record 5 home runs in the first 5 innings and that was as high as we got. Pretty damn high!

Then, depression set in.

 

The bats went silent starting with getting no-hit in game 4  (gross). To go from 5 homers in 5 innings to no-hit the next night was very Philadelphia Phillies from 2017 to 2022 regular season but our guys were better than this, no?

 

They were better than getting no-hit but Houston had the arms, the  bats, and the defense come up clutch in games 5 and 6 and the Phils could not get it done.

Game 5 featured brilliant plays from Houston’s defense including a series saving slam into the wall catch from Astros’ South Eastern Pennsylvania born Chas McCormick late in game 5 when the Phillies had some momentum and Harper coming up next. Chas is gonna get paid (still no big contracts), good for him.

 

Easily the most second guessed decision from Philly Rob (Thomson spent 2 decades on the bench for the Yankees), was his move to remove Zach Wheeler with 1 out in the 6^th   of game 6 when he hadn’t given up much of anything to that point and was blowing fastballs by guys. The flame throwing lefty Jose Alvarado was brought in to face the dangerous lefty Jordan Alvarez (I don't care about right / left). Jose was out of magic and the Phillies 1-0 lead they had just taken after Schwarber smoked a ball into the seats in the top half of the sixth was gone in one giant 3 run center-field home run.

 

I’d be remiss to not mention that this rally started with catcher Martin Maldonato (.186 hitter in 2022) standing with his toes on home plate for an 0-2 pitch from Wheeler that may have caught the inside corner if it didn’t hit him in the elbow. Garbage fucking bullshit. They showed where he was in a prior at bat and he was a good foot closer to the plate for this HBP. Well done Houston, if you ain’t cheatin you ain’t tryin as we all know in regard to Jose Altuve and his group of unpunished known rule breakers.

 

Sorry for the sour grapes paragraph but I’m not an Astros guy.

 

That wrapped it up. The Phillies played an extra 17 games in the postseason and gave all Phillies fans that feeling of getting caught up in something going well that you care about and get to share with your friends and family. That’s what makes these playoff runs and wins so memorable for me, sharing them with other people that care as much as I do. I think Philadelphia is better at this than any place in America. I’m glad to be a fan of these teams even if it’s not title town. We care and it shows and our athletes appreciate it.

 

Go Phils! Let’s run it back!! (Try to move Casty if you can Mr. Dombrowski)