The sights, sounds, and spectacle of the Phillies’ World Series run
The sparks are gone, but for a few weeks, Philly was electric. Here's a look at what the World Series meant to fans around the city.
It came as a surprise to even some of the more optimistic fans — and it ended before most would have liked — but the Phillies’ run to the World Series, where they pushed the Astros to six games before ultimately falling short, was nothing short of incredible.
How you define incredible — whether that’s in the moments on the field, the extra time you got to spend with friends and family cheering on the Phillies, or simply the warm, fuzzy feeling from the return of October baseball — is a personal choice. But for Phillies fans around the region, despite the outcome, there was a lot to feel good about this fall.
Astros 4, Phillies 2
The Phillies came up short in the end, but the World Series was full of great moments, like J.T. Realmuto's extra-inning home run in Game 1, and the offensive firepower the team showed off in its first World Series game in Philly since 2010. But how will this team be remembered?
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Perhaps the highest of highs for the Phillies came when they eliminated the Padres in the National League Championship Series to clinch the team’s first World Series berth since 2009. And they not only got to do it in front of their home fans, but in dramatic fashion as well, thanks to some late-game heroics from — who else? — Bryce Harper.
For the first time in over a decade, the Phillies were National League champions.
Phillies 4, Padres 1
Even though it was a battle of wild-card teams, the Phillies entered their series against the Padres as underdogs — a familiar feeling for the team throughout the playoffs. In the end, however, it was "Bedlam at the Bank" as Harper blasted his team to the World Series.
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But before Phillies fans could celebrate their trip to the World Series, there were the division and wild card rounds against the Braves and Cardinals, respectively. Both times, however, the Phillies ended up dancing on their own in the clubhouse.
Phillies 3, Braves 1
After splitting the first two games in Atlanta, the Phillies offense wasted no time getting to work when the series shifted north, scoring 17 runs and hitting five home runs over those final two games, which also happened to be the first home playoff games at Citizens Bank Park since the team lost the 2011 NLDS to the Cardinals.
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Phillies 2, Cardinals 0
The Phillies were the final team to qualify for the postseason, and they did so with just two games to spare, so it's no surprise that they came in as pretty big underdogs. No one was prepared for what would happen next.
What will 2023 bring for the Phillies? Only time — and what could be a busy offseason — will tell.