J.T. Realmuto waited his whole career to reach the playoffs. He finally had his October moment.

J.T. Realmuto peeled the plastic sheet protecting the lockers Saturday from the spraying champagne and peeked inside his clubhouse stall. The party — it had been 13 years since the Phillies clinched a postseason series at home — was raging and the music was blaring.

It took Realmuto nine seasons to finally taste the postseason, a wait nearly as long as any active player. But he still came to October prepared to celebrate as he retrieved a box of cigars from his locker and returned to the party.

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The player who sparked an 8-3 win over Atlanta to send the Phillies to the National League Championship Series had something to light.

“Some guys play the game and never get to the playoffs,” said Aaron Nola, smoke billowing through the room. “It’s sweet. It’s a long time, playing that long and not getting to the playoffs. We’re finally here. I’m happy for him. The guy does it all. He’s a good dude on top of all that.”

Alec Bohm was in the dugout when he saw the ball bounce off the wall and roll through center field. It was then that Bohm — and the rest of a sold-out Citizens Bank Park — knew that Realmuto had a chance. Third base coach Dusty Wathan agreed, waving his arm wildly as Realmuto rounded second base. He burned around third and slid into home without much of a play.

“I’m pretty sure there’s never been a catcher to hit an inside-the-park home run,” Bohm said. “At least, in the playoffs.”

That’s correct.

“Yeah, I could’ve guessed that one,” Bohm said. “He’s a five-tool player behind the plate and that’s real.”

The inside-the-park homer put the Phillies ahead by three runs in the third inning and allowed a ballpark to exhale a bit. The bounces finally felt to be going for the Phillies and their catcher who waited so long to be here.

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The Phillies traded for Realmuto four seasons ago, believing not only was he baseball’s best catcher but also one of its better leaders. He met those expectations but the Phils still fell short of October. Finally, they broke through and Realmuto — with his uniform dirty and the fans roaring as he stood up from his slide — had his moment.

“It’s electric,” Realmuto said. “I’m not usually a guy that shows a lot of emotion. When I slid into home, I couldn’t help myself. I was so excited. Excited for this city. Excited for this team. It was one of those moments I’ll definitely remember forever. And it was just a lot of fun.”

Bohm played just 311 major league games before he sprayed his first bottle of champagne. Bryson Stott is still a rookie yet Saturday was his third clubhouse celebration in 12 days. For them, reaching October might seem easy. Realmuto had to wait his turn.

He played five losing seasons with the Marlins before joining the Phillies. Realmuto had the individual accolades — three All-Star Games, two Silver Sluggers, and a Gold Glove — but he didn’t have October until this month.

“I feel spoiled that it only took me a couple years to experience the playoffs,” Bohm said. “A lot of these guys have been grinding for the better part of their careers just to get a taste of it. To see those guys coming up big in big spots for us in the playoffs, it’s unreal.”

Realmuto’s 1,005 games played without reaching the postseason trailed only Jean Segura (1,328 games) among active players before they both played their first playoff game this month. Segura had his moment in St. Louis, leaping into the air after a go-ahead single in the playoff opener. Saturday was Realmuto’s chance.

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“J.T. has been the best leader you can ask for,” Zach Eflin said. “You can even throw Segura in there, too. We wanted to get there for those guys. Collectively as a unit, we formed a unit and found a way to get in. Now everyone is hot and we’re playing our game.”

Nola said Realmuto “has all the tools.” Stott said “Oh, a lot” when asked what Realmuto — “a special human,” Stott said — meant to the young players. Bohm said “he’s our quarterback on the field. He’s everything to us.” Rhys Hoskins said “we’ve been telling each other that the big moments are coming” and Saturday was Realmuto’s moment.

There was a box of cigars sitting on the table in the center of the room. Soon they would be lit. The Phillies waited more than a decade to celebrate in their own clubhouse. And Realmuto provided the spark.

“He’s a stud,” Kyle Schwarber said. “To see what he does to prepare himself for a game every single day is really cool. Everyone is always questioning the age of a catcher. That guy looks like he’s 25 going on 25. To see how he goes out and prepares, he’s ready for the pitching staff, he’s ready to attack with an offensive, controls the running game, blocking baseballs, everything. He’s the complete package. The guy should be getting MVP votes. He’s that good.”