The Philadelphia Phillies Didn't Earn Title, but They Did Earn the Love of the City

The Philadelphia Phillies didn't secure a World Series title, but they succeeded in capturing the pulse of the city.

In the heat of the moment, the passionate Philadelphia Phillies fan base was discouraged.

Even devastated.

Come that close to a World Series championship and it’s natural to be upset.

The Phillies made a stunning run through the postseason and fell in six games to the Houston Astros. This is not a newsflash. Everyone knows this.

But now that some time has passed, the Phillies’ surge seems even more surprising and unexpected.

While only one team wins a trophy — that’s what you should always play for — there is plenty to be celebrated here.

If anyone saw this coming, please step forward. Maybe the Wild Card round against the St. Louis Cardinals was predictable.

When the Phillies defeated the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series and then took out the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series, the city of Philadelphia was engulfed with excitement.

The Eagles were undefeated and it almost didn’t matter in the moment. The Phillies were everything.

Driving down the street in any neighborhood, Phillies flags were waving. But rewinding back to early September when the Phillies were struggling, fans weren’t exactly flocking to Citizens Bank Park.

Once the Phillies punched a ticket in that final regular season series at Houston, there was still plenty of skepticism in the city.

When the Phillies embarked on their playoffs and had a chance to capture a title for the first time since the magical run from 2007-11, the city rejoiced. In '08, it resulted in a parade.

It was heartbreaking to watch the Astros pull away with three straight wins to earn their second championship since 2017.

Callers on local sports talk radio were angry with manager Rob Thomson for pulling Zack Wheeler after 70 pitches. They were angry with José Alvarado for allowing the two-run home run to Yordan Alvarez. Remember how bad Alvarado was at the beginning of the season? They were angry with Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins for not producing in those final three losses.

They were angry with manager Joe Girardi and rightfully so. But to go from 22-29 to Rob Thomson to the World Series? That seemed extreme.

All natural reactions.

Let’s take one step back now that some time has passed.

This run could not have been anticipated. There’s no trophy and no parade but a whole lot of hope for the future.

If the roster is tweaked in the proper way, there could easily be more deep runs. Paging Trea Turner on line one …

Followed by a championship.

And a parade.

Early in September, none of this seemed like a distinct possibility.

“I knew Philly was a really good sports town coming here, but to be able to experience it, it’s a whole different animal,” Wheeler said after the final loss to the Astros. “The fans, they love their sports. They’re behind us 100 percent. When we do bad, they let us know and that’s perfectly fine. We’ve got to pick it up when that happens, but I love these fans and it was a lot of fun to be on that ride with them.”

The ride didn’t end with a title, but it was worth looking back upon fondly. With all the moving parts in spring training and beyond, this was truly unexpected.

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