The 2023 Philadelphia Phillies are heading back to the Postseason and Red October will be back in Philadelphia.
Sitting with a record of 88-69, the Phillies have also clinched the 4th seed and home field advantage in the Wild Card round against the second wild card spot after the Cubs loss against the Braves.
Johan Rojas hit a single up the middle to score Cristian Pache from second base to walk it off against former Phillie, Bailey Falter, and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the bottom of the 10th inning.
With the win, the Phillies secured their second playoff berth in the last two years after going 11 years without a playoff appearance. This is the first time the Phillies have made the Postseason in back-to-back seasons since the 2007-2011 run 12 years ago.
It was a season with high expectations after winning the NL Pennant in 2022 and adding big free agents to the team but the season didn’t start as expected. However, it took a turn in June and the Phillies haven’t looked back. Starting on June 1st, the Phillies have had the third best record in all of baseball just behind the LA Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves.
However, like any team, the Phillies had their share of ups and downs this year. To name a few; Nick Castellanos’ bounce back season to make the All-Star team, Trea Turner’s roller coaster of a year being turned around with standing ovations, Zach Wheeler leading the pitching staff with his consistently, Bryson Stott’s breakout year, and Bryce Harper’s miraculous comeback from Tommy John to play a stellar first base, the story lines are endless. It’s a team entering the postseason playing some of their best baseball of the year with a legitimate shot at taking home the World Series title.
The Phillies have five games remaining, two more against the Pirates and three against the Mets, all at home. They will surely use this time to get the regular players rest and to set up the pitching staff for the playoffs. The Phillies will kick off the Wild Card round and the playoffs in Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, October 3rd. The opponent has yet to be determined but will likely be either the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Marlins or Reds.
Red October is back in Philadelphia and this team and fan base is ready to finish the job this time around.