Get Ready For the Worst Traffic In Philadelphia History Tonight
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 16: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after the final out to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 in Game One of the Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 16, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tonight the Phillies will play in front of a sold-out crowd for game 2 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank. Also, it is the Flyers’ Home Opener at the Wells Fargo Center. Oh, and Lincoln Financial Field is Sold Out for a Soccer Match between Germany and Mexico. If that sounds like a lot of people in the Sports Complex at one time, you would be correct. Traffic is going to be a bit of a nightmare.
The Wells Fargo Center seats 19,600 people for hockey games. With it being the home opener, and Flyers fans being very dedicated, it is likely they will be near that even with the Flyers being bad this year. Citizens Bank Park fits 42,901 people. Every single one of those seats will have someone standing in front of them, even if no one ever sits in them. The Linc has a capacity of 67,594 people. And they are expected to have a sell-out crowd. Not surprising considering how well Mexico’s fans travel.
That is 130,095 people. And that is just who is in the Stadiums. Xfinity Live is usually packed as well with people who didn’t want to spend the crazy prices for playoff tickets but still wanted to be part of the atmosphere. It can fit up to 6000 people. Not only is that a lot of people, that is a lot of cars trying to get to South Philly at roughly the same time.
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One saving grace is the Flyers start at 6. 2 hours before both the Phillies game and Soccer Match begin. So that should alleviate things a bit. But even if you leave them out that is still over 100,000 people all trying to get to the Sports Complex at the same time.
So if you are going to the game, or just need to be anywhere near South Philly, prepare for some hellish traffic. The traffic at the Sports Complex is a nightmare when one game is being played. But 3 stadiums, all packed with people, playing at around the same time? This could be the worst traffic we have ever seen in Philadelphia. You thought when the Pope came here it was bad? This could be even worse.
The Phillies 26-Man Roster For the NLCS Vs The Diamondbacks
The Phillies are back in the NLCS. For the second straight year, they knocked the 100+ win Braves out of the playoffs in the NLDS. Everyone called them the greatest lineup in Baseball history. Didn’t seem so potent against the Phillies. They were held to just 7 runs across 4 games. With guys like Ronald Acuna and Matt Olson being quiet the entire series. And now, we can look forward to the NLCS and the Diamondbacks.
The Phillies get the next 3 days off. Which they may need after how much they partied after the win in game 4. And then on Monday, it begins. They need 4 more wins to get to the World Series, and 8 more to parade down Broad Street.
And there is good reason to be very confident in this team. As good as last year’s team was, this roster is even better. To start, they have Trea Turner who is putting up crazy numbers. Bryce Harper is still the best playoff hitter ever. And now you have Nick Castellanos playing out of his mind after he struggled in the playoffs last year. And maybe more important, is how great the pitching looks.
The Braves may be choke artists, but that was still a very good lineup. They were shut down by the Phillies pitchers though. Wheeler, Nola, and Suarez all pitched gems. And apart from game 2, the Bullpen shut the door on the Braves once the starters came out. The bullpen goes deep, far deeper than it did last year. The lineup is just as deep. This team is very good.
So before the NLCS, let’s get a reminder of just how good this 26-man roster is. And while we are at it, let’s see how all of them have played against the Diamondbacks so far this season.
Here is what their 26-man roster in the NLCS vs the Diamondbacks will look like:
Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.