It seems like yesterday that we were imploding the Vet and christening Citizens Bank Park to usher in a new era of Philadelphia Phillies baseball. But it's now been over two decades, and CBP has built a legacy all its own. From the semi-dynasty era during the ballpark's infant stages to a resurgence over the past few years, the home club has authored a number of memorable moments. It's worth taking a fresh look and counting down the top five that put a collective smile on the faces of Phillies Nation.
But first, some honorable mentions and near-misses, in no particular order.
Aug. 9, 2023: Michael Lorenzen twirls one of the unlikeliest no-hitters you'll ever see in just his second start for the Phillies after coming over at the trade deadline. It's hard to believe that two months later, he wouldn't even factor into the club's postseason pitching plans.
Welcome to Citizens Bank Park, Michael Lorenzen pic.twitter.com/4PpNBAiXky
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 10, 2023
Oct. 4, 2023: Bryson Stott's grand slam ends the Marlins' season as the Phillies cruise to a 7-1 victory to win their best-of-3 Wild Card Series.
Aug. 15, 2019: Speaking of salamis, who can forget Bryce Harper's epic, Roy Hobbs-esque bomb to defeat the Cubs? Yes, he had been with the team for four months at that point, but this essentially served as his "Welcome to Philadelphia" moment.
BRYCE-GRAND-FREAKIN'-SLAMMIN-HARPER. pic.twitter.com/qFFcqtoYV3
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 16, 2019
Oct. 14, 2022: Rhys Hoskins absolutely obliterates a pitch from Spencer Strider to propel the Phillies to a pivotal 9-1 win in Game 3 of their NL Division Series. Hoskins' bat spike became immediately poster-worthy and endeared him to many fans.
Oct. 12, 2023: Nick Castellanos tags Strider for a pair of home runs to help the Phils to a 3-1 win in the clinching game of their series. Some say that Strider intentionally got hurt this season so that he wouldn't suffer a third straight playoff flameout against the Phillies.
Nick Castellanos:#NLDS Game 3: Two HR
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2023
NLDS Game 4: Two HR#Postseason pic.twitter.com/2ysrRhj4Qr
This is actually going on for too long, so let's also tip our caps to Shane Victorino's seismic grand slam against CC Sabathia in the 2008 playoffs, Aaron Rowand's face-splitting catch, Jimmy Rollins' thrilling walkoff hit in the 2009 NLCS, and Joe Blanton's bomb in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series. There really are too many to mention, so let's move into the official top five.