The Philadelphia Phillies can’t just run it back, no matter how hard they try.
Oh, how they would love to nearly exactly duplicate “Red October” from last year, with the addition of two more wins that would seal the World Series Championship. The roars from their adoring crowd, the cavalcade of clutch hitting, and the golden moments of spontaneity, however, do not come in a bottle.
“Last year was last year. It was a great run,” manager Rob Thomson said before Tuesday’s Game 1 of the National League wild card series at Citizens Bank Park. “We had a lot of fun. We’ve got to get back after it this year, and it’s a different team.
“I believe it’s a better team, to be honest with you.”
The Phillies later demonstrated that doing things differently can actually be better.
The Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 4-1 thanks to modest contributions from fresh faces and boisterous ones from their pennant-winning holdovers. With a win on Wednesday night, they will meet Atlanta in the NL Division Series.
Zack Wheeler, the Phillies‘ starting pitcher, continued a trend of consistency in October by striking out eight batters while walking none. He carried a shutout into the seventh inning before outstanding reliever José Alvarado left the potentially game-tying runs on base.
Perhaps more importantly, a team with six players who hit 20 home runs managed to win a playoff game without using the long ball while still engaging in the youthful mischief that has made this team so popular in Philadelphia.
The first of two doubles by Nick Castellanos in the fourth inning, which resulted in a game-winning two-run comeback, appeared to be a bird’s-eye to his yelling and chanting teammates as the 45,662 spectators at Citizens Bank Park cheered.
Forget it. Being that they were so focused on winning the World Series, it was only the ring finger.
Cristian Pache, who was only in the lineup because Miami’s lefty Jess Luzardo was starting, hit an RBI single to cap the rally. However, Luzardo was forced to throw 90 pitches in just four innings by the Phillies, and after Pache’s single cleared a drawn-in infield, he turned and gestured to his teammates in the bench as if he had been there for years.
He has only played for the Phillies since March 29 but already has 84 at-bats and 11 RBI. But these Phillies are prepared to honor both recent and historical heroes, and they are already writing a new chapter.
