Phillies 'Daycare' Making the Difference Early in Postseason

The Philadelphia Phillies have received huge boosts from the young players in their lineup this season. Game one of the National League Wild Card Series was no different.

Friday was a pretty exciting day to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan.

That's right, it wasn't some hyper-realistic dream, the Phillies stormed back in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, rallying to a 6-3 win, and pocketing game one of the National League Wild Card Series.

The contest exhibited a multitude of the themes that the Phillies had shown throughout their 2022 regular season: resilience, a fighting spirit, and most prevalently, youth.

The difference maker in Friday's win was more than just Jean Segura's clutch single, or Zack Wheeler's phenomenal outing – it was, once again, the Phillies 'Daycare'.

Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, and Aaron Nola all spoke on the 'daycare' both before and after Friday's game. Segura mentioned that he sees the Daycare as, "some VIPs on our team."

That proved accurate, both during the regular season and on Friday night.

In the rollercoaster that was game one, the Phillies' one-through-five hole hitters managed a paltry 1-for-19 stretch, reaching base just three times in total. Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and Nick Castellanos combined for one singular RBI, and recorded all but one of the team's strikeouts on the day.

Conversely, the bottom of the Phillies' lineup proved the pulse of the club, going 4-for-13, reaching base six times and scoring thrice, driving in five of the six Phillies' runs. 40-percent of the Phillies' eventual baserunners were players over the age of 30. The other 60-percent? All players under the age of 26. Three of the Phillies six runs scored came via the daycare, as did half of the team's total RBIs. Collectively, they struck out only once.

Think about it: Alec Bohm's wearing of a 101 mile-per-hour fastball, Edmundo Sosa's stolen run, Bryson Stott's multiple impressive plate appearances, Brandon Marsh's RBI single under Nolan Arenado's glove... Without their younger core, it's safe to assume that Friday's thrilling comeback victory likely doesn't happen. In some sick alternate reality, the Phillies fall at the hands of Ryan Helsley, and are fighting for their postseason life on Saturday.

Luckily, the Daycare came to the team's rescue once again.

The rookies boosted the regulars on Friday night, hopefully those same veterans can return the favor on Saturday, as Aaron Nola and the Phillies aim to punch their ticket to the NLDS.

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