Phillies Red October Memories: Harper Homer Clinches World Series Berth
After the Philadelphia Phillies broke a long playoff drought with a wild card berth in the MLB Playoffs in 2022, the city suddenly remembered the euphoria of Red October at Citizens Bank Park.
The Golden Era of Phillies baseball took a sharp turn after a disappointing playoff exit in 2011, but the expectation of an annual playoff appearance is back.
The rally towels at Citizens Bank Park in Red October create some of the best memories in the history of Philadelphia sports.
- #1 Comeback Over Cardinals Sparks Momentum
- #2 NLDS 2022: Ambushing the Atlanta Braves
- #3 Kyle Schwarber NLCS Moonshot at Petco Park
- #4 Harper Homer Clinches World Series Berth
- #5 World Series Game 1 Forces Sleepless Night Before 97.5 The Fanatic Fan Fest
- #6 John Kincade Intro Begins World Series Game 3 Slugfest
October 23, 2022
National League Championship Series Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park
Phillies 4, San Diego Padres 3
Philadelphia Ready For Something Big
Philadelphia sports fans usually wake up on Sundays with football on their minds. Any regular-season NFL Sunday ignites passion, but October 23, 2022 was different.
The Eagles comfortably sat out for the bye week as the league’s only undefeated team.
The phone lines at 97.5 The Fanatic had rung off the hook on Saturday during yet another remote broadcast with listeners anxiously hoping to clinch a berth in the World Series.
Market Street closed down on Sunday morning for a charity race, but the crowd quickly shifted gears when “Dancing On My Own” came over the speakers during the after party.
The Wells Fargo Center wisely acknowledged that Flyers fans attending an early-season home game also had the Phillies on their minds. They opened the doors early and showed Game 5 of the NLCS at concourse bars.
Philadelphia was ready, but they didn’t know a Bryce Harper home run would seal the NLCS quite so dramatically.
The Brink of a World Series Appearance
Rhys Hoskins stepped to the plate with one man on base in the bottom half of the third inning less than 24 hours after hitting two home runs to spark a Game 4 comeback victory.
The embattled homegrown product took Yu Darvish deep to put the Phillies up 2-0. The crowd at Citizens Bank Park certainly went wild, but Phillies fever had spread much further around the City of Brotherly Love.
Cars on I-95 in Northeast Philly were all tuned into the same game. When one car beeped in celebration immediately after the early home run, others followed in the contagious fashion that characterizes the passion and unity of Philadelphia when a local team has a chance to do something special.
The Swing of His Life
Destiny seems to follow certain athletes, and the Phillies signed one of them to a $330 million contract in 2019.
Bryce Harper had taken advantage of his first opportunities in Red October with clutch home runs in the clinching games of each of the club’s two playoff series in 2022.
The stars aligned for a third in his signature moment with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rain poured down in South Philadelphia through the middle innings. Resulting sloppy conditions contributed to a wild pitch by Seranthony Dominguez that gave the Padres a lead in the seventh. The Phillies had survived Mother Nature for one of the best moments in franchise history already, however, and they planned to do it again.
Harper stepped to the plate in eighth. Bob Melvin regrettably passed on the opportunity to bring in lefty Josh Hader to replace Robert Suarez.
It aligned too perfectly, as if Bryce Harper was put on this Earth to hit that home run to win the NLCS. Ranger Suarez closed the deal with an unexpected bullpen appearance, and the Phillies clinched the National League pennant.
