The Philadelphia Phillies revived the love of baseball in Philly

It was a long ride for the Philadelphia Phillies to return to the playoffs. Philadelphia has been going through the motions since their last Red October. While the Phillies were in the Hunt for Red October, none of it came to fruition for this team. When it finally did, the Phillies didn’t just knock on the door, they blew the roof off of the entire league.

During the time in Philadelphia from the Phillies last playoff run to this most recent, it was a long 10 years. The Flyers made the playoffs every other season and started a rebuild. The Sixers went through a process and got to the second round but haven’t been able to get over the hump. The Eagles got to the promised land and finally delivered the long-awaited Vince Lombardi trophy home. The Union have made the playoffs and made the MLS Final at the same time as this Phillies team were in the World Series and played that on the same day as Game 6 and everyone knows how both games ended for Philadelphia.

The love for the Philadelphia Phillies was slowly dying and the memories of what a Red October was had slowly faded away

Fans in Philadelphia began to accept the mediocrity of these team and ultimately stopped showing up. While some fans enjoy this because of the cheap tickets, it was sad to see Citizens Bank Park so barren, especially for those fans who grew up and saw the Bank packed and rowdy. Bryce Harper saw what this team could be and having many conversations with Jayson Werth, one of the best players in baseball came to Philly and the spark was reignited.

With bringing in more players, managers, and even new front office leadership, the Phillies just could not get there. Entering into the 2020 shortened season and the Phillies were knocked out by the Atlanta Braves before the end of the season. The curse of September struck again with Aaron Nola disappearing, the hitting struggles and overall terrible bullpen leading to this outcome.

With that, Dave Dombrowski saw the potential of this team and decided to start loading up. Dombrowski went out and added new pieces to the bullpen, but the big moves were Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. The Phillies also over the season moved on from Joe Girardi and placed longtime apprentice of the game, Rob Thomson, as the acting skipper of this team.

When the team began to turn it around and the kids, also dubbed as the daycare, turned it on. Dombrowski made the move to cut Didi Gregorious and put Bryson Stott in the infield full time and it was a phenomenal move. Dombrowski then made two other moves, bringing in Brandon Marsh and Edmundo Sosa. All moves that proved huge for the playoff run and even a World Series run.

As the season went on, fans were getting ready for Red October. It took some outside forces to help the Phillies get there, but everything fell into place and the Phillies eventually made it after beating the Astros in the regular season’s last series, led by Aaron Nola and Kyle Schwarber’s one home run. The city went crazy with excitement. The first step was just to get into the playoffs and, from there, the sky was the limit.

The Phillies had their first test on the road, and they passed it. The Phillies beat St. Louis and did it in comeback fashion in the first game and basically broke the Cardinals. With the Wild Card scheduling, the Phillies had to still be away from the Bank and the fans were craving a playoff game. The Phillies marched into Atlanta and stole Game 1. It was a 1-1 series, and the fans were ready. Atlanta was not ready for what the Phillies fans were about to bring, and it showed.

Rally towels waving, fans cheering, and chaos in the stands were a sight that was missed in Philadelphia. The Phillies had to go up against the Braves young ace in Spencer Strider and couldn’t get to him early, that is, until Ronald Acuña Jr. asked the fans to make more noise after catching a Bryce Harper fly out in the outfield. Boos rained down and it was time for the Phillies to back their fans and their pride.

Who else to start this rally than the daycare? Brandon Marsh became wanted for stealing bases and got to third after stealing. Stott came up and ripped one over past Acuña and the fans really got into the game with the Phillies taking a 1-0 lead.

The moment that gave everyone chills in that stadium and at home. Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked because the Braves thought Rhys Hoskins would be a better matchup and easier out to obtain. Boy, were they wrong. On the first pitch, Hoskins took Strider deep to left field and gave us all the bat spike of the century. The Bank erupted and the emotions of the team carried over with the fans. Once the fans got into it, the Braves began to slowly shrink back into the dugout. The Bank was absolutely electric, and the fans made sure to add insult to injury when they did the Braves Chop and chant.

The next game, the Phillies beat the Braves and moved onto the next round, and you could feel the support and love this team was getting. It was such a long road, and the Phillies knew there was still more to do. It was onto San Diego for the NLCS, and the San Diego fans (and team) were talking a lot for a team who hasn’t had much success in the past as well. The Phillies were ready, but the fans were even more revved up.

The moment of maybe the entire baseball season happened. It was Bedlam at the Bank. In what came down to the swing of his life, Bryce Harper smashed an opposite-field home run to the put the Phillies on top and ultimately led to them winning the game and heading to the World Series.

Standing outside at the Wells Fargo Center, you could hear the Bank erupting along with Xfinity Live and the Wells Fargo Center itself. It was absolutely Bedlam and Scott Franzke said it right.

While the final round didn’t go the way many fans wanted, the love for baseball resurfaced and fans remembered what a Red October brought. Seeing the Phillies pinstripes and Powder Blues worn all over the city and all-over South New Jersey was a sight to behold. It was such a long drought, but this team is poised to make runs. Philadelphia is currently the sports town to be in and the Phillies were the team that ultimately brought this to light.