7 bright spots from the Phillies' 2023 season

While the season ended on a low note for the Phillies, there were plenty of high points during 2023.
Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages
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Bryson Stott's grand slam heard around the world

The Phillies entered the postseason as the No. 1 Wild Card, setting themselves up for a matchup against the Miami Marlins. In the regular season, they went 6-7 against their division foes.

After taking Game 1, the Phillies were looking to put a quick end to the series. With the team already up 3-0, Philadelphia was trying to put the Marlins away in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Following an error by third baseman Jake Burger, Bryson Stott stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi on the mound and the fans singing "A-O-K." Up to that point, Stott had been one of the most patient batters on the team. As Tim Britton of The Athletic noted, the 26-year-old had only swung at 16 percent of the first pitches he saw.

Stott, who had struggled last year against fastballs, turned on the first pitch he saw — a four-seamer that was up and in.

It was the first grand slam of his career, and the second in Phillies postseason history.

After the game, Stott admitted that he didn't remember doing the bat spike, but he told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com: "I got chills the first two times I watched [the video]. Just to hear the stadium playing my walkup song again after the [mound visit] kind of got the crowd back. Obviously, they were into it. But back into the song and into the at-bat."

That gave the ballclub a 7-0 lead, and the Phillies would go on to win 7-1 and advance to the National League Division Series.