Phillies Red October Memories: Comeback Over Cardinals Sparks Momentum
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 7, 2022
National League Wild Card Series Game 1 at Busch Stadium
Phillies 6, St. Louis Cardinals 3
Skeptical Before The MLB Playoffs
Red October in 2022 might’ve been the most memorable month in Philadelphia sports history, but it didn’t start so famously.
The Phillies had lost 10 of their previous 14 to close out September entering a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital on October 1.
The NL East’s last place team (that ultimately finished 52 games under .500) crushed the Phillies 13-4. The phone lines at 97.5 The Fanatic lit up on a Saturday afternoon. Skeptical callers questioned if the Phillies would ruin the return to the postseason before it began.
Good fortune has a way of enabling a short memory.
Phillies Start Red October With Wild Comeback
The negativity of the preceding week quickly became irrelevant. The Phillies played their first playoff game in 11 years on a Friday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1pm.
The buzz traveled around the city. Offices closed early. Red October had finally returned.
Zack Wheeler got things started with 6 ⅓ innings of shutout ball, but the St. Louis Cardinals tagged Jose Alvarado for a 2-0 lead.
Shutdown closer Ryan Helsley took the mound with the Phillies hanging by a thread in the ninth inning of Game 1, but one of the best closers in the game let the floodgates open.
The Phillies loaded the bases and reignited the captivating tension that defines playoff baseball. Alec Bohm took a pitch to the arm to force in the first run. Jean Segura provided the big hit on the first day in MLB history that Wild Card Series were played.
The Phillies rallied for a 6-2 lead and closed out a Game 1 victory. The late-season losing streak was a thing of the past, and the Phillies closed out the sweep in “Baseball Heaven” on a Saturday night.
