“The atmosphere at the ballpark this season has been electric, thanks to the best fans in baseball,” Phillies Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations and Projects, John Weber, said. “We’re thrilled about the possibility of another Red October in Philadelphia. We encourage fans to sign up at phillies.com/postseason for a chance to purchase tickets to a postseason game at Citizens Bank Park.”

Here’s what fans need to know:

• Only eligible fans whose registration is selected in the random drawing(s) happening for each round will have the opportunity, subject to availability, to purchase tickets.

• Registration for all potential rounds of the postseason on phillies.com/postseason will end on Saturday, October 12, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
• Once registered, fans will be eligible for a ticket opportunity for all potential postseason rounds.
• Entries randomly selected will be notified via email with an opportunity to purchase postseason home game tickets based upon availability.
• Registration does not guarantee you the opportunity to purchase Phillies postseason tickets.

“Given that our season ticket base has doubled to 20,000 in the past two years, ticket availability will be extremely limited through this opportunity,” Weber said.

You can find a complete list of rules and terms and conditions here.

Fans may also purchase Phillies postseason tickets via SeatGeek, the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Phillies and Major League Baseball.

Sports fans across the world lost their minds 36 years ago at the sight of the cartoonish clash that involved the portly Los Angeles Dodgers manager, a life-sized mannequin beaten in effigy and the potbellied Phanatic.

This was no staged bit, unlike the Phanatic’s habitual taunts of the visiting team that exist to this day.

No, on Aug. 28, 1988, at a rather inconsequential game on the artificial turf of Veterans Stadium, Lasorda was fed up with the Phanatic and his antagonistic antics and in a rare, raw moment of rage, attacked the most famous Phillie of ’em all — both real or fictional.

“He came out,” said the Phanatic’s best friend, Dave Raymond, “and beat up a Muppet.”

Billed as the Phanatic’s closest confident, Raymond actually played the Phanatic from 1978 until 1993. He has remained connected to the industry as a mascot consultant to the stars and helped create, brand and train the next generation of hundreds of stadium characters.

Wherever his speaking engagements take him, one of the first questions — if not THE first — asked of Raymond is this: What was up with the Phanatic and his greatest foil, Tommy Lasorda?

“He thought it was all in good fun,” Raymond said Wednesday as he recalled the anniversary. “Apparently it wasn’t. I was trying to make sense of it.”

Lasorda and Raymond had actually been on friendly terms dating back to the late 1970s when they toured together with MLB All-Stars for a series of games in Japan. Through the 1980s, Lasorda seemed in on the joke, screaming and cursing at the Phanatic from the dugout, before laughing with the rest of the Dodgers.

“He would always do it up the level where I thought he was really angry and then he would come back and laugh,” Raymond said. “I realized this is what I liked doing.”

So what happened on that late August night that made fists and feathers fly?

Lasorda had grown tired of what he considered the Phanatic’s constant degradation of the Dodgers uniform, not so much poking fun at the manager himself. Raymond confessed that former Dodgers infielder Steve Sax participated in an inside job of often swiping an extra Lasorda uniform and discreetly passing it off to the Phanatic’s gigantic green paws for skits.

Lasorda finally secured his Dodgers uniforms for the first two games of the series. For the third, Raymond says he bought a generic Dodgers jersey and had Lasorda’s name embroidered on the back. He dressed a dummy in the uniform and wagged it in Lasorda’s face. Lasorda walked out of the dugout and again seemed to play along. He marched toward the Phanatic, then stopped and pushed the mascot’s beloved four-wheeler away from him toward the dugout. The Phanatic popped his belly toward Lasorda and stuck out his tongue in seemingly good-natured fun.

Then it disintegrated into a schoolyard wrestling match.

Lasorda turned and ran after the Phanatic, grabbing the creature by the neck and tossing him to the ground. Lasorda tried to strip the jersey off the Phanatic before he whacked him in the head with the mannequin for good measure.

The Phanatic’s head added about 15 inches to Raymond’s frame and weighed about 5 pounds, so when Lasorda twisted the neck, he almost popped off the head, leaving Raymond mortified — imagine the horror of young Phillies fans who would have been exposed to the man inside that big beak.

“I just grabbed him and I about kicked him on his butt,” Lasorda said. “That wasn’t funny.”

The tale of the tape gave the edge to the Phanatic.

Lasorda was not in fighting shape when he confronted the 6-foot-6, 300-pound, 90-inch waist frame of the Phanatic.

The 5-foot-10 Lasorda tipped the scale well past 200 pounds; he openly discussed his weight issues and signed high-profile endorsement deals with leading liquid diet supplements at the time.

Maybe, Raymond surmised, the Hall of Fame manager was hangry.

“The Phillie Phanatic is a good friend of mine,” Lasorda said. “He’s a fine young man. But he went a little too far.”

Raymond was stunned that mocking Dodgers blue would have Lasorda seeing red.

“Tommy had that dual personality,” Raymond said. “You think you knew him and then suddenly you somehow crossed some line that he thinks is sacred and he’ll eat you alive. That’s what happened.”

The duo reconciled in a chance meeting later that year at baseball’s winter meetings — the Dodgers won the World Series while the Phillies finished last in the NL East — and Raymond said they remained friends until Lasorda’s death in 2021.

It’s no Ali vs. Frazier. But the fight lives on atop the short list of great moments in mascot history.

“This was the greatest thing the Phanatic has ever done,” Raymond said. “The benefit of it was to get that reaction and everybody was talking about it.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

“Pretty religiously, actually,” he said.

So far, the 47-year-old Philly native — who counts former great Chase Utley as a close friend and has golfed with 2008 World Series champions Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins — sees a championship looming for Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler and the rest of a team that already boasts 60 wins entering Thursday and has the best record in baseball.

“I like our chances, especially with Bryce coming back,” McElhenney said of a recent hamstring injury. “We’re in a good position.”

McElhenney has been about as much a part of the fabric of the Philly sports scene of late as Harper or Joel Embiid or Jason Kelce. The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star was busted earlier this year watching an Eagles playoff game on his phone at the Emmy Awards.

He pops up with his wife and “Sunny” co-star Kaitlin Olson on a rally video during Phillies home games. His drink specials for his Irish American Whiskey brand are for sale at Citizens Bank Park — the low, low price of $14.99 for a single or $22.99 if you make it a double.

When the Phillies played in London last month, McElhenney skipped throwing a traditional first pitch and opted for a ceremonial double play. Stationed at shortstop, he lobbed the ball to Utley, who relayed it to Harper at first base ahead of a game against the Mets.

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“The Bryceman Cometh” T-shirt, written in “Sunny” font in a nod to a favorite show episode, are sold throughout the region.

“I don’t have one yet,” McElhenney said, “but I love that we’re part of the cultural zeitgeist.”

McElhenney has more Philly ties this weekend when he golfs in the American Century Championship in Nevada. It’s another chance for him to shoot the breeze — and maybe under par — with Utley in a foursome on Friday that includes 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer.

McElhenney and Utley’s friendship blossomed over a “Sunny” episode that aired in 2009 and led off a storyline that has stretched for the last 15 years. Utley and Harper filmed a promotional video for the London series that played off the arc.

“I’ve spent a fair amount of time with (Utley), mostly playing golf,” McElhenney said. “He’s legitimately funny and can deliver a line. Bryce was a nice surprise. You just try and keep it as natural as possible. Always keep the camera running, that’s the trick with children, animals and professional athletes.”

McElhenney is more known these days for his ties to soccer.

McElhenney and actor Ryan Reynolds bought Wales’ Wrexham A.F.C. and turned the team into a winner and a TV show about it into a hit.

Reynolds and McElhenney purchased Wrexham, one of the world’s oldest soccer teams, for $2.5 million while the club was in the fifth tier of the English game. It’s now two tiers away from the top level, known as the Premier League.

McElhenney conceded it was time to bring on other investors should Wrexham keep winning and advance to the top.

“We always knew at a certain point we’d have to bring on some kind of capital partner,” he said. “When you’re talking about teams that are up in Championship, Premier League level, you’re competing with sovereign nation wealth. We’ve been holding off for as long as we possibly can. We believe that we can make it through this season or as long as we’re playing in a lower league, or below. But once we get into those upper echelons, it’s a lot more difficult.”

But could an ownership stake in another sports team, say, one closer to his heart be on the horizon? McElhenney has been open about trying to wriggle into a share of a Philly sports team, and a recent report that stated that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is exploring a sale of a minority stake in the franchise piqued McElhenney’s interest. The “Sunny” actor wrote last month on social media, “Uh… Mr Lurie…. Check your dms pls.”

“Jeffrey has been a fantastic confidant and mentor and counsel throughout my ownership of Wrexham,” he said.

On potentially buying a stake in the Eagles, McElhenney said, “I don’t have any comment on the latter.”

As for “Sunny,” McElhenney said writing on the next season begins in August, shooting starts in the fall and it should wrap before 2025.

Who knows, maybe more Philly sports greats will cameo in future episodes.

“The collaboration with any one of the Philadelphia sports teams, specifically, Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Flyers is certainly welcomed from our end,” McElhenney said.

The new jersey, hat, and merchandise collection takes inspiration from the ubiquitous Bethlehem Star. The letter style is also meant to be a nod to Bethlehem Steel logo.

Back in 2023, the IronPigs started their City Connect Series to honor each of the primary cities that make up the Lehigh Valley which include Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton.

Last year, the team paid homage to the local Allentown department store, Hess’s and its famous strawberry pie with a logo of the delicious dessert and jersey that featured the classic Hess’s print from their branding.

Next, in 2025 Easton will be honored.

The IronPigs will wear the new Bethlehem jerseys and caps on Friday, July 19 when they take on the Worcester Red Sox at Coca-Cola Park at 7:05pm.

Tickets for that game are available at milb.com/lehigh-valley.

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The new stuff presented at Benjamin Johnson Stadium included 10,000 pieces of brand new sports apparel.

“It is a game changer. It’s a game changer for a lot of programs in our city,” Frankford High School head baseball coach Juan Namnun said.

This huge donation is just the beginning thanks to a youth baseball and softball scouting service called Perfect Game.

“Perfect Game’s primary goal is to provide a platform for young athletes to succeed on and off the field and we hope this apparel will support the efforts these athletes make and contribute to their success,” Perfect Game Chairman Rick Thurman said in a statement.

The Philadelphia Public League is getting over 30,000 new pieces of men’s and women’s apparel in total.

So, this was just the first of three donations that’ll get to kids in time for the fall pre-season. The colors were chosen specifically to match the school colors of Philadelphia schools.

These donations are the largest that the athletic departments with the Philadelphia Public Schools have ever received.

“It’s hard being a coach of an inner city team because the funds just aren’t there, so a donation like this from a company like The Perfect Game is a lifeline,” Namnun explained.

And, it’s not just for baseball or softball players.

This will go toward student-athletes from all 30 sports and 75 schools in the league.

“It’s great. Whether it’s practice gear, whether it’s just additional apparel for them to use when they’re working out, obviously our school district has a lot of need, our athletic programs have a lot of need, and this donation from Perfect Game is definitely going to be able to be stretched a long way,” Executive Director of Athletics at the School District of Philadelphia, Jimmy Lynch, told NBC10.

On hand to help make the delivery was 2008 World Series-winning manager Charlie Manuel who is an investor in Perfect Game.

He talked to NBC10 about his love for amateur baseball and why these donations are important.

“It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I’m going to always have a game to go see,” Manuel said. “It’s giving a kid a chance to play, love to play, and it definitely helps the environment of baseball.”

Plus, if you ask those close to the kids, this could not have come at a better time.

“It’s a challenging time that we’re living in and getting donations it’s not happening. People have their own problems. So when there’s no money to buy equipment, to buy uniforms, to be able to provide the right transportation, things of that nature, it’s crippling. It’s crippling to a city that’s already kind of struggling. So financial needs are heavy,” Namnun said.

Eventually, however, the noise became a distraction.

Players paused for a few seconds on a handful of occasions during the Orioles’ 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday when the roar from the flyovers was particularly loud. The Fleet Week schedule included flyovers of military and civilian aircraft. Some soared pretty quietly in formation, but at times the jet-related noise was substantial.

“Earlier this week, they were doing it during early work,” Baltimore outfielder Colton Cowser said. “When I saw that first one come through, and I was like, ‘Oh well, looks like we’re doing it again.’ I thought it was really cool. I think both fan bases kind of came together.”

The Orioles-Phillies series was played in front of three straight sellout crowds, with plenty of Philadelphia and Baltimore fans on hand. Fans started chanting “USA!” at one point during the flyovers.

“I tell you what. I’ve never felt more American during a baseball game,” Cowser said. “I was really hoping I’d be hitting during one and someone got a picture or something.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Mary Rossano said she lost her wedding band at Citizens Bank Park during Sunday’s Mother’s Appreciation Day game.

While cheering for Bryce Harper’s 3-run homer Rossano told NBC10 her wedding band flew off her finger.

Rossano says she was sitting in section 139 with her daughter when the ring went missing. She did go to guest services for help, and other fans assisted in the search, but nothing helped.

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Tuesday night, Rossano returned to the ballpark to cheer on the Phillies again but also hoped they could have another chance to find the ring, but unfortunately, no luck.

Rossano describes the ring as a gold band with diamond cuts. She had the ring since she got married 27 years ago.

“If you find the ring please consider returning it. It is a ring that means a lot to me

Marybeth Foster from Crofton, Maryland, donated her kidney to Joe DeMayo in January after she was dealing with a medical condition that required it be removed.

However, doctors were able to give the kidney to DeMayo, a Northeast Philadelphia father who was suffering from dialysis.

On Thursday, they met for the first time during the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game.

“It’s mind-blowing sort of,” DeMayo, a diehard Phillies fan, told NBC10. “I didn’t know she was coming, and it’s just surreal.”

This was DeMayo’s second kidney transplant with the most recent one bringing back new life for him and his children.

“Just being able to play with my son in the backyard,” DeMayo said. “Dialysis can be really tiring and and you know you get home and he wants to play, he’s five. He’s unending energy.”

DeMayo said he thanked Foster multiple times before and during the game and doesn’t think it’s possible for him to thank her enough.

“It’s just amazing that someone is walking around with a part of me because if I didn’t do what I did I couldn’t have saved me but also I couldn’t have saved another soul,” Foster said. “There’s so many people out there that need us.”

On one side are Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola, two highly-paid veterans from whom much is expected. On the other are Taiwan Walker (or Spencer Turnbull) and Cristopher Sanchez. For them there are high hopes.

And right in the middle, representing the tipping point, is lefthander Ranger Suárez. If he pitches well enough to be grouped with Wheeler and Nola, the rotation should have a strong 1-2-3 that can compete against almost anybody.

Suárez has been a little inconsistent since bursting onto the scene with a 1.36 earned run average in 39 games (12 starts) in 2021. The next year he was sidelined by a lower back strain. Last season he was on the injured list with a strained elbow for the first six weeks.

Thursday night, in a 5-1 win over the Pirates, the 28-year-old lefthander reminded the announced crowd of 33,362 how dominant he can be when he’s right. He turned in six shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just two hits and two walks.

The Phillies are now above .500 (7-6) for the first time this year.

After getting outs on two hard-hit balls in the first, he settled in. The Bucs managed to get only three balls out of the infield against him.

The key was getting ahead in the count. Eight times he went 0-2 to the batter.

“This what I’ve been working on since the offseason, to have these kids of results,” Suarez said through interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “Now we’re just working on maintaining this throughout the season. To get ahead in the count.

“It’s not only the command, but I think the pitches I’ve been executing have been the main reason why I’ve been able to get ahead so many times. Having a full spring training helps you get to know your pitches and that’s exactly what I’ve done. And because I know my pitches I know what I can do. And how I can use them in any situation.”

Suárez isn’t the only bright spot, either. The Phillies starters have a combined earned run average of 2.74 so far. That’s the sort of stat that tends to tip the scales toward success.

The announcement will take place Friday, April 5, at 10 a.m. at the New Era Phillies Team Store at Citizens Bank Park which will be the exclusive location for fans to buy the jersey as well as additional City Connect merchandise during the initial launch, the team said.

The announcement will also coincide with a free Phillies Block Party from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Citizens Bank Way which will feature appearances by 2008 World Series champion Shane Victorino, 1993 NL champions Mickey Morandini, Milt Thompson and Larry Andersen, as well as the Phillie Phanatic and Phillies Ballgirls. Fans will also get the chance to take photos with the 2008 World Series and 2022 National League Championship trophies.

The block party will also feature food trucks, a speed pitch, Phillies DJs and a live broadcast from 94.1 WIP from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A week after the unveiling and block party, the Phillies will wear the new City Connect jerseys for the first time on Friday, April 12, during their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. After the game, Philly hip hop legend DJ Jazzy Jeff will host a postgame party.

The team says the city jerseys will be worn during every Friday home game during the 2024 season.

Many have speculated about what the city connect jerseys will look like. In late January, a thread on X shared an eBay listing of a possible jersey though it was never confirmed if it was of the actual city connect jerseys.

Phillies fans will find out on Friday.  

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Citadel Credit Union is sponsoring free rides after the game from NRG Station for riders who take SEPTA’s Broad Street Line.

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Five extra express trips on the Broad Street Line will be available along with the regularly scheduled trains before the Phillies-Braves game that is scheduled to start at 3:05 p.m. on Friday.

The new express trips will run at 1:32 p.m., 1:42 p.m., 1:56 p.m., 2:08 p.m. and 2:21 p.m.

“We are looking forward to a great Phillies season and SEPTA is excited to be in the center of all the action,” SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards said in a statement. “For opening day and throughout the season, we are encouraging fans to take advantage of the convenient, affordable and safe travel options that SEPTA offers.”

The Broad Street Line lets fans access Citizens Bank Park through the NRG Station at the Sports Complex.

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Some other perks of using the Broad Street Line are free transfers from the Market-Frankford Line and City Trolleys at 15th Street and City Hall.

The Broad Street Line is easy to access for riders using PATCO High Speed Line to and from South Jersey, and it also connects to bus routes that can take you throughout the city and region.

SEPTA’s new multi-rider feature is now available for those traveling in a group. Up to five passengers can travel together under one SEPTA Key Card. Make sure you call 855-567-3782 in order to activate this feature on your Key Card.

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Bryce Harper and his wife Kayla took to Instagram in a collaborated post to share the exciting news.

The 31-year-old first baseman is expecting baby number three and captioned the photo announcement saying “3 for 3” with a heart emoji.

In the Instagram post carousel, Harper’s two kids can be seen on the beach and holding a sonogram that shows their new sibling who’s on the way.

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Harper has been married to his wife since 2016.

Bryce Harper and his wife Kayla took to Instagram in a collaborated post to share the exciting news.

The 31-year-old first baseman is expecting baby number three and captioned the photo announcement saying “3 for 3” with a heart emoji.

In the Instagram post carousel, Harper’s two kids can be seen on the beach and holding a sonogram that shows their new sibling who’s on the way.

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Harper has been married to his wife since 2016.

As we enter mid-week, we’ll begin seeing changes with the weather.

A cold front crossed our region Tuesday night and then practically stalled out along the coast.

This brought the initial batch of showers to our area throughout some of the day on Wednesday and should be light in nature.

A low-pressure system will develop across the southeast on Wednesday and then lift northeastward through Thursday night along the stalled front.

Rain will begin late Wednesday night and become widespread and steady by Thursday morning.

The system and rain will depart late Thursday and Thursday night.

Rainfall amounts at this time would be .5 to one inch for far interior areas of eastern Pennsylvania and northwest New Jersey. Areas along Interstate 95 could see one to 1.5 inches of rain with the coast possibly seeing two inches.

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It’s important to remember that we could see this fluctuate especially given the drier solutions some models have recently been giving us.

Meanwhile, Friday is looking sunny, dry and windy with temperatures in the mid-50s and winds northwest at 15 to 25 miles per hour.

4-year-old Zeke is still deciding if he will go with a curve ball or just throw the heater on Opening Day.

“We will see how it goes. If he makes an awesome pitch that’ll be great. If not, the experience is a lifetime experience not many people get to do,” Zeke’s dad, Jonathan Clark, said.

Zeke can throw pretty well and he can run pretty quickly considering he is now adjusting to life with a prosthetic lower right leg after a traumatic incident.

Last summer, he was riding on a tractor with his dad when he decided to jump off suddenly.

Zeke ended up underneath the mower with his leg caught in the blades.

“I had him on the front porch and put him down, ripped off my belt and wrapped it up as tight as I could and made a tourniquet,” his dad explained.

The family lives in Lewes, Delaware right down the street from a firehouse so first responders got there quickly.

They have since spent a lot of their time in northern Delaware at Nemours for multiple surgeries, working with their great laboratory, getting different prosthetics and everything else involved with this recovery process that will last until he is fully grown.

“He has healed very well. His fighting spirit has really helped him excel with his rehabilitation and physical therapy,” Dr. Jeanne Franzone, a Nemours orthopedic surgeon, said. “That’s really part of the multidisciplinary prosthesis care is meeting each child at the psychosocial level, helping them cope with their injury and helping them cope with the changes to life as they know it.”

As the Nemours team helps with his recovery, his dad is helping him get ready to throw a pitch in front of 50,000 Phillies fans.

His accident still haunts his parents, but Zeke has moved on.

No one at Nemours has any doubt that Zeke will crush the pitch and anything else he puts his young mind to.

The Phillies announced last week that they’re replacing “Dollar Dog Nights” with “Hatfield Phillies Franks BOGO Nights.”

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The new giveaway will take place on April 2 and April 16 and will allow fans to buy one hot dog at regular price and get the second hot dog for free at concession stands throughout the ballpark.

Dollar Dog Night was first introduced in 1997 at Veterans Stadium, the former home of the Phillies.

The promotion featured $1 hot dogs and was a popular event for fans. At times it became rowdy, however, with some incidents in which fans tossed hot dogs at players.

When the Phillies announced the loss of “Dollar Dog Nights” fans reacted strongly and shared they were not happy with the decision.

Hot dogs at Shake Shack are typically $4.49 each, but some stores will be offering $1 hot dogs at three locations in Philadelphia on March 28, April 2 and April 16.

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The promotion will be available at all stores located in the University City, Center City and Midtown Village neighborhoods of the city.

To take advantage of this deal, make sure you enter the code “DOLLARDOG” when you check out in-store, on the app or on the website. Only 4 hot dogs per order can be discounted.

Officials at Shake Shack say that there’s only one rule — no throwing of the hot dogs.

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The deal pays Wheeler $126 million, according to a source, which is an annual average value of $42 million per year.

Wheeler had been set to reach free agency after the 2024 season. The Phillies were determined not to let that happen. The question was whether Wheeler’s side would want to re-sign ahead of free agency given how robust a market he’d likely have.

This deal, however, achieves the goal of making him the fourth-highest paid player ever on a per-year basis. There’s the Shohei Ohtani contract, which is in a class of its own, Max Scherzer at $43.33M per year and Justin Verlander at $43.3M. Then Wheeler.

Wheeler turns 34 on May 30 and will turn 37 early in the final season of his contract. The Phillies are clearly confident he will continue to age well. The best seasons of his career have been the last four in red and white pinstripes.

Since signing his initial five-year, $118 million contract prior to 2020, Wheeler has gone 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA in 101 regular-season starts. In the playoffs, he’s been one of the most effective starting pitchers in MLB history, with a 2.42 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in 11 games (10 starts). His WHIP and opponents’ on-base percentage are both the lowest ever for a pitcher in the postseason.

That first contract Wheeler signed with the Phillies turned out to be a steal. He signed it the same winter the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $326 million contract. Wheeler has equaled Cole since then, if not outperformed him given the postseason heroics.

Opinions were mixed when the Phillies paid Wheeler that much. He had missed two full seasons in 2015 and 2016 because of an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He had excellent second halves in 2018 and 2019 but never a consistently dominant full season. That’s all changed in Philadelphia.

He’s led all pitchers in Wins Above Replacement the last four seasons, he’s finished second in Cy Young voting (in a year when he threw 46 more innings than the winner), won a Gold Glove and made an All-Star team.

He and his wife Dominique have also welcomed three children since he joined the Phillies, including a daughter named Winter last week. Zack was away from the team for 72 hours on paternity leave, returned during the weekend and signed his new deal Monday morning.

Now he can pitch without uncertainty in 2024 and the Phillies can rest easy knowing one of the most important players in baseball will still be theirs.

“The atmosphere at the ballpark this season has been electric, thanks to the best fans in baseball,” Phillies Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations and Projects, John Weber, said. “We’re thrilled about the possibility of another Red October in Philadelphia. We encourage fans to sign up at phillies.com/postseason for a chance to purchase tickets to a postseason game at Citizens Bank Park.”

Here’s what fans need to know:

• Only eligible fans whose registration is selected in the random drawing(s) happening for each round will have the opportunity, subject to availability, to purchase tickets.

• Registration for all potential rounds of the postseason on phillies.com/postseason will end on Saturday, October 12, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
• Once registered, fans will be eligible for a ticket opportunity for all potential postseason rounds.
• Entries randomly selected will be notified via email with an opportunity to purchase postseason home game tickets based upon availability.
• Registration does not guarantee you the opportunity to purchase Phillies postseason tickets.

“Given that our season ticket base has doubled to 20,000 in the past two years, ticket availability will be extremely limited through this opportunity,” Weber said.

You can find a complete list of rules and terms and conditions here.

Fans may also purchase Phillies postseason tickets via SeatGeek, the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Phillies and Major League Baseball.

There’s a new $2.5 billion plan to transform the South Philadelphia Sports Complex in the coming years.

The plans include upgrades at Xfinity Live!, a 5,000-square-foot concert venue, a new hotel, shopping and restaurants.

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These plans are being considered as “phase 1,” according to a spokesperson from Comcast Spectacor.

Phase 1 will take place in what is currently Lots G and H at the Sports Complex.

“We think we have a great opportunity right here in the sports district,” Chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor Dan Hilferty told NBC10. “Really focused on bringing people to this area in addition to times they come for games, concerts, other activities and making it a destination.”

Comcast Spectacor wants tailgaters to know that there is no reason to worry.

“We’re going to make sure that we balance development with not losing the things that make this region so great,” Hilferty said

The concert venue is expected to hold over 5,000 seats and be built in Lot G.

The hotel will be open to both fans of sporting and entertainment events as well as visitors of the City of Brotherly Love.

There are also plans in motion for apartments and office space but nothing’s concrete there yet. These plans would be part of a “phase 2” and would possibly include connections to FDR Park.

“Come here not only to live, not only to attend games and concerts but to make a thriving neighborhood that is really an anchor in the South Philadelphia area,” Hilferty explained. “I think it will be good, like a breath of fresh air, new restaurants, new stores.”

Some fans in South Philly were excited to hear about the improvements.

Others, like the general manager of the Philadium, shared concerns about how the development might impact local businesses near the complex.

“If there’s no reason for people to step outside of the sports arenas and venues, I think the rest of the neighborhood suffers,” Jamie Kelly said.

Meanwhile, one woman we spoke with praised the plan hoping it might convince the Sixers to stay in South Philly.

“I don’t think it should be changed from how it is. I think everything being in one place is awesome,” she said.

A spokesperson for 76 DevCo said the development plans have no bearing whatsoever on their plans to move to Market East when their lease expires in 2031.

Still, Comcast Spectacor said they hope the Sixers might consider sticking around.

“The hope would be that the Sixers remain here as our 50/50 partner,” Hilferty said.

The goal is for construction on the hotel and event venue to begin sometime in 2025 or 2026.

Comcast is the parent company of Comcast Spectator and of NBC10.

“The atmosphere at the ballpark this season has been electric, thanks to the best fans in baseball,” Phillies Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations and Projects, John Weber, said. “We’re thrilled about the possibility of another Red October in Philadelphia. We encourage fans to sign up at phillies.com/postseason for a chance to purchase tickets to a postseason game at Citizens Bank Park.”

Here’s what fans need to know:

• Only eligible fans whose registration is selected in the random drawing(s) happening for each round will have the opportunity, subject to availability, to purchase tickets.

• Registration for all potential rounds of the postseason on phillies.com/postseason will end on Saturday, October 12, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
• Once registered, fans will be eligible for a ticket opportunity for all potential postseason rounds.
• Entries randomly selected will be notified via email with an opportunity to purchase postseason home game tickets based upon availability.
• Registration does not guarantee you the opportunity to purchase Phillies postseason tickets.

“Given that our season ticket base has doubled to 20,000 in the past two years, ticket availability will be extremely limited through this opportunity,” Weber said.

You can find a complete list of rules and terms and conditions here.

Fans may also purchase Phillies postseason tickets via SeatGeek, the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Phillies and Major League Baseball.

Teams across baseball are wearing new Nike uniforms, called the Vapor Premier, a change in design in an effort to keep the players cooler. They are manufactured by Fanatics, and a pair of Phillies that were asked about them are not pleased.

Shortstop Trea Turner pulled no punches. “I know everyone hates them,” he told the Associated Press. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told the AP he expected some early backlash, but he doesn’t expect it to last.

“In baseball, any new initiative, there’s going to be some negative feedback… The jerseys are different. They’re designed to be performance wear as opposed to what has traditionally been worn. So they are going to be different, but they have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport.”

MLB issued a press release announcing the new unis, with testimonials from some of the biggest names in the game.

“These new uniforms fit better and feel lighter,” said Braves superstar Ronald Acuña. “I play fast and want to wear something that won’t pull when I’m running. Feeling free in the jersey is the best feeling in the world.”

It’s a press release. What did you expect him to say? Not so coincidentally, if you go to Nike’s baseball home page, Ronald is there to greet you.

Phillies reliever Matt Strahm isn’t in love with the new uniforms, but he definitely has a mature take on all of it.

“Don’t fix what’s not broken. The looks of it, it just looks different,” Strahm said. “It is what it is. Deal with what we’ve got. Anytime you change something, there’s a learning curve and adjustment period. How many people in America get to choose their work uniforms?

As Manfred said, there’s almost always push back on new things. Here’s hoping the jerseys don’t slow the Phillies down on their quest to get back to the postseason.

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On Wednesday, volunteers were joined by the Phillie Phanatic, Ballgirls and the PHS Tree Tender to distribute the trees ahead of this weekend’s planting.

244 of the trees being distributed will be tagged with the names of the Phillies’ top home run hitters of the 2023 season. Some of the sluggers include Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner.

These trees named after players are sponsored by PGW thanks to the Phillies Home Runs for Trees program which plants a tree for every home run hit by a Phillies player.

The semi-annual tree planting throughout the Philadelphia region is part of an effort to make the city healthier and greener.

This time it came amid a stunned silence of another sellout throng that would need some time to adjust to the stark reality of what had seemed so unthinkable just a few days earlier. Maybe even a few hours earlier.

The Phillies had just been beaten by the 84-win Diamondbacks, the third and final wild-card team to qualify, in the National League Championship Series. As a result of Tuesday night’s almost inconceivable 4-2 loss to heavy underdog Arizona, the Phillies did not repeat as pennant winners for just the second time in franchise history. They will not advance to play the Texas Rangers in the World Series beginning Friday night.

It’s kind of like James Gandolfini in the final scene of the last episode of The Sopranos.

They never saw it coming.

There’s no way to accurately measure sporting hurt or compare disappointments. It’s too personal, too subjective. It’s also generational. There are older fans who will look you in the eye and say you can’t really know anguish unless you lived and died with the Fightins during the final 12 games of the 1964 season when they managed to squander a 6½-game lead with 12 to play.

There was Black Friday in 1977, Joe Carter’s walk-off homer off Mitch Williams in 1993, the first-round exit for the group that won a franchise-record 102 games in 2011, coming within two wins of beating the Astros in the World Series last year.

A strong case can be made, though, for the proposition that there has never been a more disappointing loss in the 141 years that the Phillies have been conducting business at Recreation Park, the Baker Bowl, Connie Mack Stadium (nee Shibe Park), the Vet and Citizens Bank Park. And not just because it was the first Game 7 the franchise has ever been a part of.

Like ’64, it played out with the slow-motion drama of old newsreel footage of the Hindenburg breaking up over a New Jersey Field in 1937. But also, as in ’93, the end came with the abrupt finality of a slamming door.

The most recent experience always feels the rawest. Maybe that skews any attempt at impartiality. But just think about it.

Eight games into this postseason, the Phillies were on a roll. They were 7-1. And they weren’t just winning. They were having their way with the Marlins in the Wild Card Series, the mighty Braves in the Division Series and easily beat the Diamondbacks in the first two games of the LCS.

They were hitting .284 as a team. They were outscoring their opponents 46-13 and outhomering them 19-4. And their staff earned run average was 1.39.

In the next five games, four of them losses, they batted a combined .172 and averaged one homer per game. They were outscored 18-15 and the pitchers had a 3.68 ERA.

That was the big picture. In the narrower view, despite everything, they came back to Citizens Bank Park on Monday night needing just one win in two games to advance to the World Series in consecutive years for just the second time in franchise history. And they had to like their chances. They were unbeaten at home. Their starting pitchers, from left to right, were Aaron Nola (0.96 postseason ERA) and Ranger Suarez (0.64).

And they lost both.

After the final out Tuesday night, pinch-hitter Jake Cave flying out to right, an eerie hush descended over the stadium. The fans, dazed and disbelieving, filed somberly toward the exits.

Afterward, the Phillies clubhouse was mostly silent except for the sound of backs being slapped and high-fives being exchanged. A few players sat in knots, murmuring softly to each other. Some stared into space. At least a couple had tears in their eyes.

“They beat us,” said Kyle Schwarber, a most stand-up player, the first to come to the center of the room to speak. “Everybody’s got a sick feeling in their stomach. It’s not the way we pictured this thing ending. It’s not going to sit right with a lot of guys.

“You can look back on a lot of things. A lot of what-ifs. But you’ve got to find a way. Any time you lose, it doesn’t feel right. It never does. It never will. That’s why we have to use this for as much motivation as we can.”

Nick Castellanos was on a rampage earlier in the postseason, at one point homering five times in three games. In the NLCS he was 1-for-24 (.042). He was asked if he was stunned by what happened.

“I’d say frustrated is the correct word,” he said. “I don’t feel stunned. I just think we underachieved as a team. It’s a frustrating way for the season to end. Because I think the potential of this team was so much greater than going home before the World Series.

“Last year when we lost (to the Astros) obviously we were disappointed because we didn’t win the whole thing. But there was a lot of, ‘We got here.’ So knowing how we feel about this team and then we came up short from where we did the year previous, it’s a disgusting feeling, honestly.”

Managing general partner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski circulated around the room, shaking hands, offering encouragement. None of those words, none of anybody’s words, soothed the sting.

“It’s a little shocking,” said shortstop Trea Turner. “Not because of them. They’re a good team. It’s just more so that we thought we were the team to move on and keep winning ballgames. We believed in ourselves and we’re a little shocked that we didn’t get the job done. But they outplayed us the last five games.”

Bryce Harper shook his head. “Just really tough,” he said.

Add it all up. There have been a lot of disappointing moments in the history of Phillies baseball. But it’s difficult to conceive of one more dismaying than this.

That matchup puts Philly’s American Ultimate Disc League team — the Philadelphia Phoenix — in a difficult spot.

To show support for the local Major League Baseball team, the ultimate frisbee franchise decided to temporarily change its name to “Gators.” The name change will be in effect while the Phillies are facing the Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.

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“We wanted to not show Phoenix any love in our team name as the Phillies are aiming to get to the World Series,” Johnny “Goodtimes” Nottingham, an investor in the ultimate frisbee team and well-known Philly quiz master, told Billy Penn at WHYY.

The name “Gators” is another tribute to the Phillies, who famously denied entry for an emotional support alligator at a game at Citizens Bank Park last month.

The Gators’ temporary new logo was designed by Nottingham’s 9-year-old son.

The name change could be short-lived if the Phillies keep up their current pace. Bryce Harper and Co. lead the series 2-0 after a pair of home victories heading into Thursday night’s Game 3 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

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As of Wednesday afternoon, Thursday’s game at Chase Field in Phoenix has a starting price of just $7! Looking ahead to Game 6 when the teams return to Citizen’s Bank Park on October 23, those tickets start at $338. That’s pretty wild!

Are the cheaper Chase Field tickets worth it?

Well, that’s up to you and your crew. Sure, the tickets to the actual game are just $7, but what about flights, somewhere to stay and buying food while you’re away? Don’t forget souvenirs too.

According to the travel site Expedia, the cheapest round-trip flight is over $500 before fees if you want to arrive in Phoenix on Thursday and return to Philadelphia on Friday.

While looking at booking details on Expedia, the cheapest hotel rooms listed near Chase Field start at just $60 for the one night.

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What about souvenirs and food?

All of the travel details can add up pretty quickly but don’t forget the best parts of traveling: food and souvenirs!

The Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 2023 NLCS matchup program will cost you $10 while the official t-shirt listed on the website runs just under $40.

Chase Field’s concessions offer “value items” that sell a 12-ounce soda, corn dog, value dog, or popcorn each for $2.99.

If you’re looking for food outside of the stadium, the usual fast food restaurants are around as well as other dining options that have good reviews.

So, when comparing Citizens Bank Park tickets to the cheap Chase Field tickets, is it worth it to travel for the next NLCS game? Well, that is a decision you’ll have to make with whoever you’re traveling with.

“Honestly, it’s a little more nerve-racking when you’re ahead calling pitches with the lead because you never want to give up that lead,” Realmuto said after the Phillies jumped out to a five-run advantage and held on to beat the Diamondbacks, 5-3, in Game 1 of the NLCS.

“Our pitchers do a good job thriving in those situations.”

The Phillies aren’t showing any nerves these days. They’ve looked like the more prepared, more confident, more talented team in all three rounds.

The Phils have played 45 innings this postseason. They’ve ended just two of those innings trailing, neither at home.

They homered three times off of D-backs ace Zac Gallen in the first three innings Monday — Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos — and maintained that lead the rest of the way, with Seranthony Dominguez, Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel picking up huge outs with the tying run on base.

The Phillies’ pitching staff continues to execute at an extremely high level. They held the major-league-best offense of the Braves to a .186 batting average and three home runs in four games in the NLDS. On Monday, Zack Wheeler dominated Arizona for five innings and the back end of the bullpen finished the job after Arizona’s two-run sixth.

It must be a tough assignment for an opposing team knowing it has to deal with Wheeler’s velocity, command and repertoire for six innings before trying to square a ball up against Dominguez’ 99 mph fastball or Alvarado’s absurd mix of pitches.

Alvarado, in particular, was crucial Monday night, bridging the gap from the seventh inning to the ninth with four outs on 15 pitches, three of them against the top of Arizona’s lineup, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Tommy Pham.

“Tremendous, I’m kind of at a loss for words,” Wheeler said of Alvarado’s performance the last two seasons but especially in the playoffs. “He’s a great pitcher, great stuff, great guy. He’s one of my good friends on the team and it’s really fun to watch him. He went down (to the minors) last year, fixed some things, came back up and has been unhittable since.”

“He’s a show-stopper out there for us,” Realmuto added. “Any time we get in trouble with a lead — sixth, seventh, eighth, it doesn’t matter when it is — he’s usually coming in to face the toughest part of the lineup in the toughest spot. You can’t say enough about how important he’s been for us.”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson has been aggressive with his pitching decisions in the playoffs two years in a row, more so than the opposing manager. The depth and stuff of his bullpen allow for it. On Monday, Wheeler had retired 15 in a row on eight strikeouts with just one ball leaving the infield when the sixth inning began. But there was some hard contact in that sixth inning. Geraldo Perdomo hit a two-run homer. Marte flied out loudly to deep center. Wheeler was at just 81 pitches after six, but that was it. He did his job, and the Phillies have all these hard-throwing, high-leverage relievers for a reason.

“He steps up,” Thomson said. “His stuff was really good tonight, especially early in the game. I thought he started losing a little bit in the fifth and sixth inning, but he was dynamite early.

“It’s command. It’s stuff. It’s power. It’s competitive nature. It’s everything. He is complete.”

Wheeler is building a playoff resume bordering on the legendary. It will stand out even more if the Phillies can win it all this time around. He has a 2.63 ERA in nine playoff starts with the lowest WHIP (0.70) in the history of the postseason among pitchers with at least 50 innings. Mariano Rivera is second on that list.

“It’s awesome. I mean, he’s so much fun to watch,” Harper said. “He pitches to his strengths. I just really enjoy having him as a teammate. Every fifth day we have a chance to win, and whenever you’re able to do that in the postseason, it’s huge.

“Like I said the other day, ace one and ace two (Aaron Nola), just because of the way that both of them kind of throw, the way they go about it. It’s a pretty similar approach of how they act in the clubhouse before games and what they do. It’s really cool to see it working out for Wheels, and it just doesn’t surprise me either.”

Wheeler threw 98-99 mph in the first inning of his NLDS start in Atlanta. He didn’t reach quite that level Monday night but was 95-97 in the first inning and commanded the ball well, as he typically does. He has swing-and-miss stuff but also has the ability to induce double-digit groundballs with his sinker-slider combination. He has different methods of keeping teams off balance.

“Man, his stuff, he came out crisp, and he came out hot, and he had everything moving in a really positive direction,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of Wheeler.

“I just felt like we were going to weather the storm, we were going to find ourselves in this ballgame at some point. The deficit just became too large at five. They’ve got a very strong bullpen. We know that. But I think it was power stuff. It was just like get up and go, here it comes. Whether it was two- or four-seam, it was just really, really aggressive stuff with his fastball. He beat us with his best pitch.”

As he continues to deliver on baseball’s biggest stage, Wheeler is consciously trying to not take these moments for granted. He’s made a habit over the years of coming out early to watch batting practice from the dugout the afternoon of his starts, a rarity for a starting pitcher. Soaking it all in is important to him. Even the longest-tenured big-leaguers spend only a fraction of their lives as active players, after all.

“Walking out to the bullpen, it’s always pretty cool,” he said. “Just getting out there, that first pitch, you can barely hear yourself think. You always take a step back. That’s what I’ve learned over my career: You pay attention and enjoy these moments because they’re not going to last forever. You’ve got to enjoy them while it lasts.”

Phillies fans are doing the same. They’ve watched this team go from contending annually from 2007-11 to undergoing a long, arduous, sometimes fruitless rebuilding process.

Now, the Phillies are in position to make it to a second consecutive World Series if they can simply split their next six games.

“We just have to keep playing our game, worry about us, and understand they’re not going to lay down,” Harper said. “They’re not going to do anything different. They’re going to be the Arizona Diamondbacks that they have been all year, and we just have to play our game and understand that.”

The winner will go on to the World Series to play whoever emerges from the American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. 

Philadelphia is led by stars Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and Trae Turner, among others, as it looks to get revenge after losing to the Houston Astros in the 2022 World Series.

Arizona is led by Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Christian Walker, among others, as it seeks its second World Series title in franchise history. The last came in 2001, the Diamondbacks‘ fourth season in MLB.

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Here’s everything to know to catch the two teams in the 2023 NLCS:

Who is playing in the NLCS?

The 2023 NLCS will feature NL East side Philadelphia Phillies and NL West side Arizona Diamondbacks.

NLCS Schedule

All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Game 1: Philadelphia 5, Arizona 3 (PHI leads 1-0)

Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m. – Arizona at Philadelphia 

Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 19, 5 p.m. – Philadelphia at Arizona 

Game 4: Friday, Oct. 20, 8 p.m., Philadelphia at Arizona 

*Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m., Philadelphia at Arizona 

*Game 6: Monday, Oct. 23, 5 p.m., Arizona at Philadelphia (unless the ALCS is complete, in which case, this game moves to 8 p.m., TBS) 

*Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m., Arizona at Philadelphia 

*if necessary

How to watch the Phillies-Diamondbacks NLCS

All games of the NLCS will air live on TBS. You can also stream the action online here through TBS. All TBS games are also available through Max.

What is the format for the NLCS?

The ALCS, NLCS and World Series all follow a 2-3-2 format. The team with the higher seed, Philadelphia, will host Games 1 and 2 to start out the series before it shifts to the ballpark of the lower seed, Arizona, for Games 3, 4 and 5 (the latter if necessary). Games 6 and 7 would then be played in Philly, if necessary.

The Phillies put out their hype video in advance of tonight’s Game 1 of their NL Wild Card series against the Marlins, and it’s perfect. Replete with highlights (and lowlights) of the regular season, the video intertwines candid comments from the players throughout.

But the star of this hype video? None other than backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, who may be the smallest player on the roster, with a personality larger than life, as we all saw during every clubhouse celebration over the past 13 months.

He has always been a great interview. And for the purposes of putting a playoff hype video together, Stubbsy hits every note.

Some of Stubbs’ highlights:

• “Whatever team is on the other side of the field, I don’t think we care.”
• “It just seems like every guy just kinda has a personality that fits this city.”
• “This city just loves to win.”
• “I don’t think my mind is ever not on winning the World Series.”
• “I’ve said this to somebody before: If they don’t understand Philadelphia, come here [to CBP] in October.”
• “And if you don’t get it, then get the f— out of Philly.”

Said, Stubbsy. Said.

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The field of 30 teams has been reduced to 12 remaining World Series hopefuls. There are some clear contenders among the group, but even the league’s best teams have flaws. 

Here’s a strength and weakness for each National League playoff team.  

Atlanta Braves

Strength: Balance of power

All nine players in the Braves’ starting lineup have a double-digit home run total. Of those nine, seven have over 20 homers, five have over 30, three have 40 or more and Matt Olsen has 54 to lead all of baseball. The Braves have hit an MLB-high 307 home runs this season and also lead the league in runs, hits, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.

Weakness: Rotation uncertainty

That kind of offensive production can mitigate pitching woes. But having two of your top three starting pitchers (Max Fried and Charlie Morton) on the IL during the final week of September is not ideal. Ace Spencer Strider is perhaps the best strikeout pitcher in baseball, but an ERA sitting close to 4.00 is an indicator of his inconsistency. 

Philadelphia Phillies

Strength: Peaking at the perfect time

Bryce Harper has found his power groove. Trea Turner has been red hot after a dreadful start. The Phillies might be playing their best baseball of the season when the playoffs start, kind of like last season when they went to the World Series. 

Weakness: Aaron Nola

Aaron Nola is no weakness when he is pitching like Aaron Nola. But that has not been the case for much of this season, with the 30-year-old posting a 4.46 ERA, third-highest of his career. The Phillies need him to return to form and combine with Zack Wheeler as a formidable one-two postseason punch. 

Miami Marlins

Strength: Winning close games

The Marlins are the type of team that does just enough to win, as seen in their ability to emerge victoriously in one-run games at a historic pace for much of the season. They get on base, placing second in the National League with a .259 team average, led by Luis Arraez flirting with .400 for part of the season. But … 

Weakness: Scoring runs

Hits don’t mean much if they aren’t producing runs. The Marlins have scored the fifth-fewest runs in the league this season, easily the fewest of all playoff hopefuls and even fewer than the 56-106 Kansas City Royals.

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Milwaukee Brewers

Strength: Pitching

Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta and Wade Miley might make up the best playoff rotation in the National League. Closer Devin Williams and his 1.53 ERA headlines what might be the best bullpen in baseball.

Weakness: Hitting

Only one playoff team has scored fewer runs than the Brewers: the Marlins. Only six teams overall have hit fewer home runs than the Brewers this season. Only five teams have a lower slugging percentage. Only one player on the team has hit more than 20 home runs this season (Willy Adames with 24).

Los Angeles Dodgers

Strength: Experience

The Dodgers are perennial contenders and big spenders, with the team set to play in its 11th consecutive postseason. Their true season starts in October, and once there, they have the ability to outslug any team they face. They finished second in the league in both home runs and runs scored thanks to a deep lineup that for the first time in franchise history includes four players with 100-plus RBIs in a season (Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, J.D. Martinez and Freddie Freeman). 

Weakness: Untested starting pitchers

Who is getting the ball in a must-win postseason game for the Dodgers? The rotation has been decimated, having lost Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urías. Does manager Dave Roberts give the start to one of the rookies in Bobby Miller or Michael Grove or to the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer with a history of postseason struggles in Clayton Kershaw? This question typically isn’t so difficult to answer for a powerhouse like the Dodgers. 

Arizona Diamondbacks

Strength: Defense

The Diamondbacks don’t make mistakes or cost their pitchers many runs in the field. They tied for a league-best .990 fielding percentage this season. 

Weakness: Hitting and pitching

Can defense win championships in Major League Baseball? Probably not. The Diamondbacks, even with Corbin Carroll, are average to below-average in most of the main offensive categories. On the mound, they have posted a 4.47 team ERA that ranks the worst of all teams currently playoff bound. You don’t have to be a baseball savant to know that hitting and pitching are two key components during October baseball.  

Joie Henney of Jonestown, Pa., and his alligator, Wally, were seen outside the ballpark on Wednesday.

Citizens Bank Park’s policy on support animals states, “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.”

WallyGator has gone viral on Instagram and TikTok with hundreds of thousands of social media followers.

Speaking to The Philadelphia Inquirer last year, Henney said Wally helps him battle depression and that the gator “likes to give hugs” and has never bitten anyone.

On Wednesday, the team shared details on how fan can be selected for the opportunity to purchase tickets to the to purchase tickets to a potential 2023 National League Division Series, National League Championship Series or World Series game to be played at Citizens Bank Park.

To cut to the chase, for a chance to buy tickets to a game this postseason, register at phillies.com/postseason.

“We encourage our fans to sign up on phillies.com/postseason for the opportunity, if selected, to purchase tickets to the NLDS, NLCS and World Series,”said Phillies Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations & Projects John Weber, in a statement. “There is limited ticket availability for all three rounds via this ticket opportunity due to postseason redemption from season ticket holders, along with MLB commitments.” 

The three upcoming National League Wild Card games are sold out as a result of season ticket holder commitments, the team said on Wednesday.

Once registered, fans could be eligible for a chance to buy tickets to a potential NLDS, NLCS or World Series game, though the team noted, just registering does not guarantee a fan will get the ability to purchase tickets to postseason games.

The team said that registration on phillies.com/postseason will end on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 11:59 p.m. for the NLDS ticket opportunity; Sunday, Oct. 8, at 11:59 p.m. for the NLCS ticket opportunity and Sunday, Oct. 15, at 11:59 p.m. for the World Series ticket opportunity.

Fans will be chosen randomly for the ticket purchasing opportunity, and the team said fans who aren’t selected could also find tickets online at Seatgeek.

With a second consecutive playoff berth officially secure, Phillies manager Rob Thomson spoke with 94 WIP’s Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie on Wednesday morning.

Hoskins’ status was among the topics he discussed. 

“This guy’s making a lot of progress,” Thomson said. “Now, he’s got to go through a lot more testing with the training staff and with the doctors. But he’s now hitting on the field; he’s taking 75, 80, 85 swings a day. He ran the bases the other day. He’s really making a lot of progress. 

“It’s really remarkable to think that we do have a chance to have him back, maybe by the World Series. It’s not out of the question. It would still be ahead of schedule, I would say, but I don’t think it’s out of the question.”

Thomson later added that Hoskins wouldn’t be able to play first base. 

He said Hoskins would “be a DH or a pinch hitter coming off our bench, just because the stability in the knee I don’t think will be up to where he could be out on the field for nine innings playing defense.”

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark reported Wednesday that Hoskins “could be ready to go in a few weeks.” 

Hoskins has been out since suffering a torn left ACL during a spring training game in late March. 

Bryce Harper returned from Tommy John surgery in early May and initially played exclusively as a DH. He made his first career start at first base on July 21 and has been there 16 times this month. 

After playing their final five games of the regular season, the Phillies will host Game 1 of the NL wild-card series next Tuesday, Oct. 3.

The Phillies said the decision was made in order to avoid an extended rain delay in anticipation of more wet weather on Sunday. 

Gates at Citizens Bank Park will open at 4:35 p.m. Sunday. The game will also feature prizes and surprises for Fan Appreciation Day with all fans 15 and over receiving a 2024 Schedule Magnet. 

Due to Fan Appreciation Day and the last-minute change, Phillies fans who bought tickets for Sunday’s game will also receive a special ticket offer in February 2024 for an April 2024 game. 

Fans with additional questions can email tickets@phillies.com or call 215-463-1000. 

On a blustery day not at all ideal for baseball, the Phillies earned a 7-5 victory. 

Their magic number to clinch the National League’s top wild card spot is now three. The Diamondbacks’ scheduled game Saturday in New York against the Yankees was postponed until Monday. 

To clinch a playoff spot, the Phils’ magic number is two. The Cubs, who currently sit in the NL’s third wild card slot, beat the Rockies on Saturday afternoon. 

Trea Turner’s 22nd error of the year put the Phillies into an early 2-0 deficit. After DJ Stewart and Ronny Mauricio reached base to begin the second inning, Zack Wheeler induced what appeared to be a double play ball. Turner booted it and both Mets runners came around to score. 

Bryce Harper immediately got one back with a 451-foot blast, notching an emphatic 20th homer on the season. 

“This is all a bonus for me,” said Harper, who made an exceptionally fast return from offseason Tommy John surgery. “I’m happy with where I’m at now.” 

The Phillies then capitalized on some poor defense by the Mets in the strong, swirling wind and persistent drizzle. Francisco Lindor committed an error on a J.T. Realmuto ground ball and Jeff McNeil bungled a dying Nick Castellanos liner. McNeil slid, the ball skidded past him, and Castellanos sprinted to third base with a game-tying hit. 

Though the Phillies stranded Castellanos, they took a 3-2 lead in the third inning when Alec Bohm lifted a Jose Quintana fastball just over McNeil’s head on the left-field warning track. 

The Phillies gave Wheeler three useful insurance runs in the fifth inning. 

Johan Rojas led off with a chopper to Brett Baty. Rojas’ speed hurried the Mets’ third baseman and his throw pulled Pete Alonso off first base. With one out, Kyle Schwarber poked a double to left-center. The Mets brought their infield in, but Turner’s grounder to shortstop still scored Rojas when Lindor’s throw home landed in the dirt. A two-out Harper rip that Alonso couldn’t snag on the backhand short hop stretched the Phillies’ advantage to 6-2. 

Wheeler worked effectively through the unpleasant elements until the seventh inning. Rojas misplayed a liner with two men on and one out, initially coming in a couple of steps before circling around to chase the ball to the wall. Brandon Nimmo wound up with a two-run triple and scored on a Lindor sacrifice fly.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson used the miscue as a teaching moment for the rookie Rojas, who’s been sensational overall defensively.

“It’s tough,” Thomson said. “A line drive right at the center fielder is tough with depth perception. He kind of came in on it. He should’ve stayed right where he was at and let the ball tell him where to go. And we talked to him about it. That is a very difficult play.”

In his seven innings, Wheeler allowed eight hits and three earned runs. He struck out six batters and walked one. The Mets had 14 whiffs on Wheeler’s four-seam fastball and none on his other pitches, per Baseball Savant.

His velocity was down a tad. Wheeler’s average four-seamer velocity was 94.2 mph, which is 1.7 mph below his season average.

The bottom line is he’s now 3-0 in September and 13-6 on the year.

“Just grinding,” he said. “That’s really all it was.”  

Realmuto added a two-out RBI hit in the seventh inning. Gregory Soto handled the eighth and Jose Alvarado recorded a 1-2-3 save.

“The moment doesn’t affect him,” Thomson said of Alvarado. “He has been getting some save opportunities just because of the fact that that pocket has come up, and maybe (Craig) Kimbrel’s pocket has come up in the eighth inning. … His stuff is back; the cutter is back. His strike-throwing ability is back.

“So we have a lot of confidence in him right now. We’ve just got to make sure that what’s gone on with his arm this year doesn’t come back.”

Thomson said pregame that he plans to flip Wheeler and Taijuan Walker in the rotation for their final starts of the regular season. That would line Wheeler up to start Game 1 of the NL wild card series.

Thomson’s lineup included Rodolfo Castro for the first time in September. Castro played second base instead of Bryson Stott, who Thomson thought has “looked tired” and needed a day off. Castro went 1 for 3, picking up an infield single in the sixth inning for his first hit since Aug. 19. 

Weather permitting, the Phillies will go for a four-game sweep Sunday. Cristopher Sanchez is set to start against Jose Butto.

The team announced late Saturday night that Sunday’s start time has been moved from 1:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m “in hopes of avoiding an extended rain delay or postponement.”

To say Trea Turner was struggling would be an insult to folks who were merely struggling. He was in the funkiest of funks. To that point, Turner had slashed .217/.271/.357/.628 in his last 91 games, among the worst in the game.

But when Turner stepped out of the on-deck circle back on August 4, the crowd at Citizens Bank Park didn’t boo. They stood and cheered, encouraging Turner to shake his months-long slump.

It was something most Phillies fans had never seen. And it worked. Since that night, Turner has the highest OPS in the game (1.146), and more home runs (16) than anyone except his teammateKyle Schwarber.

The fans’ display of empathy and support dragged Turner out of what was likely the worst funk of his fantastic career. But there’s another Phillies player who needs our help, folks.

Aaron Nola has heard your cheers before on many occasions; he’s earned them. No matter what you think of him, he’s one of the best starting pitchers in franchise history. However, his inconsistent season has taken a downturn. He hasn’t made it through five innings in his last three starts. He’s lugging an ERA of 8.56 in his three September starts.

Turner hadn’t given fans much to cheer about this season before August 4, yet fans opened their hearts and raised their voices in support. So why not Nola, a homegrown player who has had more successes than failures in his nine seasons with the Phillies?

It was only last season that Nola finished third in the NL Cy Young voting, the third time in his career he’s been in the top-10 in the voting.

His 90 wins are seventh-most among Phillies pitchers since 1900. His WAR is seventh-highest in team history (31.5). Only four pitchers in franchise history have more strikeouts than his 1,566.

So why are fans so hesitant to embrace him? Perhaps it’s because analysts have described him as an “ace,” so the expectations are higher. That’s fair. But it’s also even more reason to step up and show him the love he has earned throughout his career.

Still not convinced? Let’s look at his numbers over the past six seasons, from the start of 2018, and where he ranks among all pitchers who have started 100 games or more:

• Starts: 173 (1^st)
• Innings: 1,052.2 (2^nd)
• Strikeouts: 1,193 (3^rd)
• Wins: 66 (t-5^th)
• Avg run support: 5.11 (34^th)

During this upcoming homestand, Nola will start what could be his final regular-season home start at Citizens Bank Park. It could be a game the Phillies need to clinch a playoff berth, or the top wild card seed. When Nola takes the hill, show him some love. If he lets a couple runners on, get behind him. If he gives up a home run, cheer louder.

If it worked for Turner, it could work for Nola. And you can tell everyone how you helped turn his season around. And who knows? Maybe it will give him a reason to stick around beyond this year.

In taking to social media on Tuesday, Manuel thanked the medical team at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Lakeland, Fla. for “hustling and being on time.”

He also thanked fans for showing him some love.

Manuel, 79, is currently recovering after having suffered a stroke on Saturday while undergoing a medical procedure. Over the weekend, the Phillies organization said that the hospital staff moved quickly to remove a blood clot.

In the past, Manuel has battled several health issues, including a heart attack, quadruple bypass surgery, a blocked and infected colon as well as kidney cancer.

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“This morning, the Phillies received a positive update from Charlie Manuel’s wife, Missy. Charlie has made progress over the past 12 hours, and his doctors are encouraged,” the Phillies organization shared in a statement. “The Manuel family is very appreciative for every post on social media.

“Charlie feels the love from his Phillies family and fans. Missy believes the incredible support is aiding in his recovery,” the statement concluded.

Manuel, 79, was undergoing a medical procedure when the stroke happened at a hospital in Florida on Saturday. The hospital staff moved quickly to remove a blood clot.

Manuel has suffered several health problems, including a heart attack, quadruple bypass surgery, a blocked and infected colon as well as kidney cancer.

The legendary manager is loved by fans and known for winning the World Series with the Phillies in 2008 — the team’s first championship in nearly 30 years.

He has remained a fixture at Phillies spring training and at Citizens Bank Park.

“He’s great to have around, he just has that wholesome outlook on life and all that baseball knowledge,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Saturday. “He sits there next to the cage all day long and just watches guys hit, talks to them. Very simple approach. It’s great. He’s a lot of fun. When he and Larry Bowa get together in spring training, it’s like a comedy show. He’s a neat man. Everyone in our organization loves him and we’re all praying for him.”

During his time on the field, he was mostly a pinch-hitter and left-fielder. He played from the Minnesota Twins from 1969-1972 and then joined the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1974-1975.

Before managing the Phillies from 2005-2013, he managed the Cleveland Indians from 2000-2002.

They’re the real life Gas House Gorillas. If you don’t get the reference, ask your cool uncle Google.

Yes, last night was a tough loss, and a game they probably should have won. The Phillies have lost two of three games so far in this series, but I firmly believe that the Phillies can absolutely go toe-to-toe with this Braves team.

True to form, Atlanta has torn the cover off the ball in these three games, to the tune of 22 runs, including eight homers. The Phillies have countered with 21 runs, and seven dingers of their own.

This team is hitting like it has never hit before. Literally, in team history. Since August 4 – better put, since the Trea Turner Ovation game – the Phillies lead all of baseball in homers (79 – more than two a game!), extra base hits (157), and their team OPS of .894 would not only be better than that of the Braves for this season (.845), but the best since at least 1900! That’s over a period of 36 games, nearly a quarter-season.

No matter what the deficit, no matter how late in the game, the Phillies’ offense keeps coming, like a monster from a horror movie. They have 40 comeback wins, second-most in the NL to the Reds. Using the TOG (Turner Ovation Game) as a starting point again, they are destroying the back end of opponents’ bullpens to the tune of two runs per game in the 7^th through 9^th innings, with an OPS of .901.

No lead is safe.

Last night was the fourth time since August 23 the Phillies have tied the game in the 8^th inning or later, only to lose the game. Rob Thomson was asked if that could have a negative effect on the team.

“No,” he said, “because they keep coming back. They keep fighting … as long as they’re fighting, I’m good with it.”

The man who has been destroying seemingly every pitch thrown to him over the past six weeks also destroyed any thoughts the Phillies are down on themselves, despite how this series has gone.

“I don’t know our season record [against the Braves] … I feel like it’s been close, it feels like we can compete with anybody,” Turner said.

If the Phillies continue to hit like they have been, they certainly will.

“The atmosphere at the ballpark this season has been electric, thanks to the best fans in baseball,” Phillies Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations and Projects, John Weber, said. “We’re thrilled about the possibility of another Red October in Philadelphia. We encourage fans to sign up at phillies.com/postseason for a chance to purchase tickets to a postseason game at Citizens Bank Park.”

Here’s what fans need to know:

• Only eligible fans whose registration is selected in the random drawing(s) happening for each round will have the opportunity, subject to availability, to purchase tickets.

• Registration for all potential rounds of the postseason on phillies.com/postseason will end on Saturday, October 12, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
• Once registered, fans will be eligible for a ticket opportunity for all potential postseason rounds.
• Entries randomly selected will be notified via email with an opportunity to purchase postseason home game tickets based upon availability.
• Registration does not guarantee you the opportunity to purchase Phillies postseason tickets.

“Given that our season ticket base has doubled to 20,000 in the past two years, ticket availability will be extremely limited through this opportunity,” Weber said.

You can find a complete list of rules and terms and conditions here.

Fans may also purchase Phillies postseason tickets via SeatGeek, the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Phillies and Major League Baseball.

“Just put the ball in play there at the end, put pressure on them and good things happen,” Miller said.

That strategy couldn’t have worked out any better for the Milwaukee Brewers in their dramatic 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

Facing a 2-2 count with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning of a one-run game, Miller hit a grounder that third baseman Alec Bohm failed to backhand. Bohm’s error enabled all three runs to score, putting the Brewers in front for good.

“Pretty easy play,” Bohm said. “I messed it up.”

Each team scored four runs in the eighth inning of this potential playoff matchup between the NL Central-leading Brewers and the Phillies, who are on track to earn a wild-card spot.

Milwaukee extended its NL Central advantage to 3 1/2 games over the Chicago Cubs, who split a doubleheader with the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers have won their last seven home games.

“That felt like playoff baseball right there,” said Miller, who arrived in Milwaukee late Thursday night after getting called up from Triple-A Nashville.

Trea Turner had given Philadelphia a 5-3 lead by hitting a three-run homer off Devin Williams with two outs in the top of the eighth. Turner connected on a 1-1 changeup and delivered a 362-foot drive that sailed just inside the left-field foul pole.

Williams failed to convert a save for the fourth time in 35 opportunities.

The Brewers responded in the bottom half of the inning.

Milwaukee cut the Phillies’ advantage to 5-4 when pinch-hitter Tyrone Taylor took a 3-2 pitch inside to draw a bases-loaded, one-out walk from José Alvarado (0-1). Jeff Hoffman took over for Alvarado and struck out Willy Adames before Miller delivered the grounder that got past Bohm and rolled down the left-field line.

“I think what he did was he just tried to run to the base before he secured the baseball, and it just scooted underneath his glove,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “That guy’s been playing extremely well at third base, and so it’s just one of those things.”

Williams (8-3) preserved Milwaukee’s lead by retiring the side in order in the top of the ninth.

This marked the second straight game in which the Phillies lost after rallying to take the lead in the late innings. Philadelphia fell 10-8 to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday by allowing three runs in the ninth after Bryce Harper’s two-run homer had put the Phillies ahead in the eighth.

Adames put the Brewers ahead 3-1 in the fourth inning with a three-run homer off Zack Wheeler. Adames’ 430-foot shot to center was his 22nd homer of the season.

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta allowed a homer to Kyle Schwarber to start the game but struck out 10 and allowed only one other base runner in his six-inning stint. Philadelphia’s only other hit off Peralta was a one-out single by Jake Cave in the third inning.

Over his last seven starts, Peralta has struck out 69 batters while allowing only eight runs over 42 innings.

Wheeler struck out 10, walked nobody and allowed five hits and three runs in six innings. Wheeler joined Curt Schilling (1996) and Cole Hamels as the only Phillies pitchers since 1900 to produce back-to-back performances with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (strained right hamstring) and OF Cristian Pache (irritation in right elbow) were activated from the injured list. Suárez last pitched for the Phillies on Aug. 13. Pache made his last appearance with the Phillies on July 9. Suárez is scheduled to start Sunday.

Brewers: RHP Julio Teheran (hip) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in Milwaukee before going back for another rehabilitation appearance at Triple-A Nashville. Teheran made his last appearance with the Brewers on July 29.

UP NEXT

RHP Aaron Nola (12-8, 4.30 ERA) pitches for the Phillies and RHP Colin Rea (5-5, 5.11) gets the call for the Brewers on Saturday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Stott stepped into the batter’s box with a bat designed like a pencil against the Washington Nationals on Sunday night in Williamsport, Pa. The lumber featured an eraser up top, a black handle that represented the lead and a “2/HR” mark instead of the typical “2” on a No. 2 pencil.

Stott didn’t stop there when it came to custom equipment for the contest. He sported special cleats that incorporated the Little League teams from Henderson, Nev. (Stott is from Las Vegas), and Media, Pa., which is just outside of Philadelphia. He had a chance to meet kids from both teams on Sunday, as Phillies and Nationals players got to explore the Little League World Series action throughout the morning and early afternoon.

“That was really cool,” Stott said. “It was awesome to be able to see both those teams in person and connect with some of the kids.”

Stott wasn’t the only one to have some fun with the designs at the Little League Classic.

Phillies star Bryce Harper used a Phillie Phanatic bat, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm had a Liberty Bells bat that paid homage to his “I love this place” mantra and Nationals designated hitter Joey Meneses swung a crayon bat.

The Nationals held on for a 4-3 victory over their NL East foes, leading to another Little League tradition: a postgame handshake between teams.

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Sure, what baseball player, especially a two-time NL MVP such as Harper, doesn’t dream of induction into the Hall of Fame. But Harper’s hopes extend well beyond a call to the Hall — the Philadelphia Phillies slugger would love for Major League Baseball to stick one of its yearly attraction games — akin to recent “Field of Dreams” and London trips — in Cooperstown, New York, as part of Hall of Fame weekend.

“I think it’s pretty cool being able to play in different areas and different countries,” Harper said. “The next one we were all talking about would be a Hall of Fame Game. … I grew up playing in Cooperstown, at Cooperstown Dreams Park. That was the travel ball place to go, kind of like Williamsport. It’s a little bit of a different level than Williamsport, but it’s pretty cool.”

Harper and the Phillies hit Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday to play the Washington Nationals in the annual Major League Baseball Little League Classic at 2,366-seat Historic Bowman Field. The field is just a 6-mile trip from the complex where the Little League World Series is underway with kids full of big league dreams, many of whom will attend the game ready to mingle with today’s stars and — perhaps like Harper did — find their way from one of youth baseball’s biggest summer stages to MLB.

The Classic and games like it are part of MLB’s outreach efforts to draw more fans, preferably ones closer in age to 21-year-old stars such as Jordan Walker and Elly De La Cruz.

MLB says the efforts are working: Ticket-buyers are younger, more teens are watching the game (yes, on old-fashioned TV), social media accounts such as Jomboy Media generate big-traffic numbers with kids looking for snappy highlight breakdowns, and an education on the game’s greats comes on a deep dive from a few hours playing MLB: The Show.

Baseball has boosted efforts to reverse declines in participation among underprivileged communities and among young Black players, and has vowed to diversify the game from the grassroots level to the highest levels of team and league decision makers.

Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has served MLB as a youth ambassador and hosted Division I baseball players from HBCUs around this season’s All-Star game. Other programs across the country aimed to increase and diversify the sport’s reach such as the MLB Youth Academy, DREAM Series and the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.

Tony Reagins, a former scout and GM, has been tasked with bumping those numbers in his role as MLB’s chief baseball development officer. He’s pledged to build participation at all levels and has found recent signs of growth encouraging.

“Once they have that connection and positive experience with the sport, the chances of them becoming a fan are greatly enhanced,” he said.

Baseball’s biggest hits these days are the numbers found on TikTok and YouTube that have ballooned the sport to a wider audience. With kids these days holding the attention span of a home run trot, Major League Baseball introduced a slate of rules designed to speed the pace of play, notably with the introduction of the pitch clock. The average time of game this season is 2 hours, 38 minutes, trimmed from 3:03 last season and 3:10 in 2021.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the median age of ticket-buyers this season has dipped to 43 years old, which is down from 46 last year and 49 years old in 2021.

“We’ve talked a lot about younger audiences and how significant they are for the future of the game,” Manfred said.

MLB says national and local TV viewership for teens ages 12-17 is up 11% from last year and noted that 86% of people ages 18-24 and 25-34 said they are more likely to watch MLB games due to the rules changes.

Young fans or old ones, ballparks are filling up this season with the average attendance of 29,277 up 9% vs. 2022 and total attendance is already 4.38 million higher than 2022.

Reagins said the shift in how young people watch baseball — more in short bursts — has forced the league to adjust at all levels in how it attracts new fans.

“The important part is that they are consuming the game,” he said.

Perhaps, though, the addiction to the highlight-reel has lessened the bond between young fans and the need to root, root, root for the home team.

Take the kids attending the Little League World Series.

Jacob MacKinnon, 11, from Springfield, Ohio, attended the Little League World Series and said he didn’t have a favorite baseball team.

“I just watch highlight videos on social media,” he said.

Twelve-year-old Grayson Leinart from Waco, Michigan, was also in South Williamsport as a fan. The Milwaukee Brewers are his favorite MLB team, but again noted, 2½-hour games or not, “I watch highlights because it’s more interesting.”

They’re not alone. Bowman Field will be packed with Little Leaguers watching the Phillies and Nationals but perhaps just as likely catching a sparkling defensive play from an earlier game on their phones.

Last year, the Orioles and Red Sox were greeted at the airport by smiling Little Leaguers and they signed autographs — yes, even the 12-year-olds signed jerseys and balls for the big leaguers — and watched some of the early Little League World Series games.

Nationals first baseman Dominic Smith wishes he could take more than a day trip to the Little League World Series. The 28-year-old Smith grew up in Los Angeles and is the co-founder of a nonprofit, the BaseballGenerations Foundation, that helps provide resources for underprivileged youth involved in the sport. He played in the Little League Classic previously with the Mets and said it’s important for kids to discover that major leaguers are just like them.

“Those couple hours that we get to spend with them, I think they’ll have a better understanding on how we’re regular human beings, how we have probably the same common interests,” Smith said. “It makes them more hungry, makes them want to work harder so they can get up here and be in our shoes.”

Making it to Williamsport as a kid was never the top priority for Washington’s 58-year-old, Brooklyn-born manager, Dave Martinez.

“I just thought about playing as much as I could possibly play, whether it was Little League, whether it was a pickup game. Back when I was growing up in New York we played a lot of stickball,” Martinez said.

He was excited about the trip and connecting with the next wave of baseball fans.

“I want to pick their brains, too, see what drives kids these days, why they love the game,” Martinez said.

He might want to pass his findings on to the braintrust at MLB.

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AP Sports Writers Ian Harrison in Toronto and Ben Nuckols in Washington contributed to this story.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Major League Baseball recently introduced the Little League Classic, which gives the participants from the Little League World Series a chance to watch their heroes up close. The event has been a hit from the start for both the Little Leaguers and big leaguers.

Here’s everything to know about the MLB Little League Classic’s history, along with a look at who will be playing in 2023:

Aug 14, 2023

Full guide to the 2023 Little League World Series

Little League World Series Aug 14, 2023

States and countries with the most Little League World Series championships

What is the MLB Little League Classic?

The Little League Classic is a matchup between two MLB teams at the site of the Little League World Series.

The day begins with action across the Little League World Series, where players from the two MLB teams get to spend the morning and early afternoon watching action at Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium. The roles then reverse at night, as the Little Leaguers and their families fill the stands to watch two big league clubs square off.

The game itself counts as a regular season MLB contest with one team being “home” and the other being “away.” Following the matchup, the pros incorporate Little League sportsmanship by shaking hands at home plate.

When was the MLB Little League Classic founded?

The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals were the first two MLB teams to take part in the event when it was first held in 2017.

The announcement of the event came a season after the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves competed in the Fort Bragg Game, the first ever U.S. professional sporting event held on an active military base. The success of that game led to MLB’s founding of the Little League Classic in March 2017.

MLB later added a Field of Dreams game to its annual calendar, though there won’t be one in 2023 due to construction in Dyersville, Iowa.

Where is the MLB Little League Classic played?

The game is held at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport. The venue is the home ballpark for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the collegiate MLB Draft League.

In case you were wondering, no, the diamond is not the size of a Little League field. Along with the standard MLB pitching mound and base paths, it is 323 feet down the left field line, 331 feet down the right field line and 411 feet to center.

When is the 2024 MLB Little League Classic?

The 2023 MLB Little League Classic will be an NL East showdown between the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals. The Phillies will be making their second appearance in the event, while the Nats will make their Williamsport debut.

The contest will take place at 7:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, as part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

MLB Little League Classic results by year

Here are the outcomes from the previous four MLB Little League Classics:

• 2017: Pittsburgh Pirates 6, St. Louis Cardinals 3
• 2018: New York Mets 8, Philadelphia Phillies 2
• 2019: Chicago Cubs 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
• 2021: Cleveland 3, Los Angeles Angels 0
• 2022: Baltimore Orioles 5, Boston Red Sox 3

Starting Monday, Aug. 21, the Phillies will offer Go-Ahead Entry at CBP’s first base gate. Any fans who have completed registration for the program on the MLB Ballpark app, which includes a facial scan, can walk through and have their tickets automatically scanned. The team calls it “the ultimate hands-free, free-flow experience.” 

Per the Phillies website, Go-Ahead Entry is “completely voluntary and is available to anyone 18 years of age or older with a MLB Ballpark account.” Only one member must be registered for a group to enter together, as long as all of the party’s tickets are on that member’s MLB Ballpark account. 

If they’re with their parent or legal guardian, children under 18 can be included within a Go-Ahead Entry group. 

What data does the program collect? Here’s the Phillies’ answer to that question:

“In accordance with MLB’s Privacy Policy, Go-Ahead Entry cameras will scan your face to create a unique numerical token associated with you. The facial scans will be deleted immediately thereafter. Only the unique numerical token will be retained and associated with your MLB account.”

According to the Phillies, the team plans to “expand the offering” beyond the first base gate next season. MLB plans to have Go-Ahead Entry at additional parks in 2024. 

Further information on the program can be found here. 

The Phillies took three of the four games in the series from the Nationals, including Michael Lorenzen’s no-hitter on Wednesday night. Philadelphia moved 1 1/2 games ahead of idle San Francisco for the top spot in the NL wild-card race.

Philadelphia (64-52) improved to a season-best 12 games over .500. The Phillies are 39-22 since June 1, a win total matched only by NL East-leading Atlanta, which is 39-19 in that stretch.

“I think early on, we have some good at-bats and stuff, but we were getting beat by the homer,” Turner said. “Now, we’re hitting a lot more of them up and down the order. Those are game changers and momentum shifts — especially if they are two- and three-run homer.”

The only sour note in Thursday’s victory for the Phillies was slugger Bryce Harper leaving the game in the top of the fifth inning with what the club called mid-back spasms. He was undergoing evaluation, the team said.

“It’s just day to day,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I don’t know how it happened. … He didn’t know how it happened.”

After struggling for most of Thursday to cash in on seven walks by Nationals starter Patrick Corbin, the Phillies finally broke through in the sixth when Turner hit his 12th homer of the season into the left-center field bleachers off reliever Andres Machado to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

“We had the matchup that we were looking for with Machado throwing the ball well,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “But when you face guys like Turner, you have to execute pitches.”

Turner, a career .295 hitter with a .823 on-base/slugging percentage (OPS) during his first eight years in the majors, entered the homestand with a .235 average and a .657 OPS in the first year of his 11-year, $300 million free agent contract.

Instead of boos, Turner was greeted by standing ovations from the notoriously impatient Philadelphia fan base and has immediately responded with his best stretch of the season. In his last seven games since returning to Philadelphia, Turner is hitting .370 with four doubles, two homers and eight RBIs.

“I would love to keep playing what I think is me and how I’ve played for a while now in my career,” Turner said. “Hopefully, I would like to put those first 100 games behind me and just keep going and playing baseball like a little kid.

“Maybe its the crowd, maybe its the swing, maybe I’m more relax, maybe I’m getting better pitches to hit. I don’t think it’s one specific thing, but everything as a whole is going in better directions and getting in better shape.”

Castellanos followed in the seventh inning with a two-run homer off Joe La Sorsa, his 20th long ball of the season and third in two games. Three hitters later, Realmuto hit his 14th homer of the year to add to the lead. Realmuto had two hits.

Aaron Nola went five innings and allowed one run, but didn’t figure in the decision. Matt Strahm (8-3) picked up the victory for the Phillies.

CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, Keibert Ruiz and Ildemaro Vargas each had two hits for Washington (50-65). Vargas knocked in both Washington runs with two doubles.

“Patrick kept us in it, but the bottom line is we have to score more than two runs in this ballpark,” Martinez said. “We have to score runs. The bottom of the lineup has to score some runs and in this ballpark, you have to put runs on the board.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Nationals: RHP Hunter Harvey (right elbow strain) and RHP Tanner Rainey (Tommy John surgery) are scheduled to face hitters this week at Nationals Park. Manager Davey Martinez indicated that Harvey, who has been out since mid-July, could throw about 40 pitches, while Rainey may go anywhere from 20 to 25 pitches.

Phillies: LHP Jose Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) had his scheduled batting practice session postponed on Thursday as storms rolled through the Philadelphia area, wiping out any outdoor work. Alvarado is scheduled to throw batting practice on Friday, with a possible Tuesday rehabilitation assignment starting at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

UP NEXT

Nationals; Begin a three-game series against Oakland at home on Friday night. RHP Joan Adon (1-0, 4.91) will take the mound against Athletics RHP Paul Blackburn (2-2, 4.35)

Phillies: Open a three-game series at home against AL Central-leading Minnesota. Philadelphia LHP Cristopher Sanchez (0-3, 3.44 ERA) will take the mound against former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 1.80).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cole Hamels has been placed on the voluntarily retired list, the Padres announced Friday.

Hamels had a special run for the 2008 champion Phillies, winning both NLCS and World Series MVP. The lanky lefty with an exceptional changeup went 4-0 that postseason and sported a 1.80 ERA.

Selected 17th in the 2002 MLB draft out of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, Hamels debuted for the Phillies in 2006 and threw five scoreless innings against the Reds. He was masterful in his final start as a Phillie, striking out 13 Cubs and tossing a no-hitter at Wrigley Field. 

The 39-year-old made three All-Star games during his time in Philadelphia and finished 114-90 with a 3.30 ERA.

He had shorter stints with the Rangers and Cubs, plus a single MLB appearance for the Braves in September of 2020. Hamels was hampered by injuries the past several years and ultimately unsuccessful in his attempts to make a comeback.  

His years with the Phillies created plenty of lasting memories.

“We had a special group. … We still stay in contact because there’s kind of that brotherhood,” Hamels said last year on the Takeoff with John Clark podcast. “It’s because we experienced something so amazing together; we just cherish that.

“It’s because of the city, the organization, and just the game of baseball. Knowing what it holds in people’s hearts, it’ll never be forgotten.”

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They dealt for Tigers right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who is having a career year. The 31-year-old has allowed no runs or one run in nine of 18 starts this season and has a 3.04 ERA since May 1. He has a 3.58 ERA overall for Detroit.

It’s a one-for-one trade with the Phillies sending infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee to the Tigers.

Lee is a 20-year-old second baseman who was ranked by MLB.com as the Phillies’ fifth-best prospect. He is a thickly built 5-foot-9, 190-pound right-handed hitter who’s hit .283 with a .372 on-base percentage in 285 plate appearances this season with High A Jersey Shore.

Lorenzen is a free agent after the year and is still due about $1.5 million the rest of this season. He spent 2016-21 as a reliever and may end up in some sort of relief role with the Phillies because he’s only eight innings away from his career-high, which was set eight years ago.

“He’s having a good year, he was an All-Star,” manager Rob Thomson said. “The stuff is good, he’s durable, he’s going five, six, seven innings almost every start. The slider’s really good. He’s a guy.”

Starting pitching help was no longer the huge need for the Phillies that it was the first two months of the regular season. Cristopher Sanchez was called up from Triple A on June 17 and has the lowest WHIP (0.84) in all of baseball over that span, to go with a 2.30 ERA in eight starts.

But adding another arm improves the entire pitching staff, along with protecting the Phillies in case of injury.

The Phillies will go to a six-man rotation for the next two weeks. Lorenzen will likely make his debut Thursday afternoon in Miami, with Aaron Nola moving back a day to start the first game at home against the Royals Friday.

The Phils will use the six-man rotation until at least August 14, their next off day. They’re off again on August 17, so if they continued using it, some of their starters might have too much time off.

One option would be piggybacking Lorenzen and Sanchez, since they’re both so close to their innings maxes.

To make room for Lorenzen on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated utilityman Josh Harrison for assignment. He had barely played, hitting .204 and starting just 26 games.

Rojas is a 22-year-old center fielder from the Dominican Republic who has been more of a defensive presence than a bat throughout his minor-league career until this season. Hitting the ball on the ground too frequently had been an issue for the right-handed Rojas in prior years but he has enjoyed a dynamic first half with Double A Reading, hitting .306/.361/.484 with 20 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 45 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 38 attempts.

Rojas, the Phillies’ No. 6 prospect, per MLB.com, has plus speed and defensive ability and is the sort of player capable of providing a spark. He signed with the Phillies in January 2018 for just $10,000.

The Phils placed Josh Harrison on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right wrist contusion and Cristian Pache on the 10-day IL with elbow irritation, retroactive to July 11.

The Phillies’ other call-up ahead of their first game of the second half was infielder Drew Ellis, who had a two-homer game at Nationals Park in his brief stint with the Phils the first week of June.

The Phillies open a four-game series with the Padres Friday night at Citizens Bank Park that includes a rare scheduled doubleheader Saturday.

No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter is still working his way back from the sprained elbow ligament he suffered this spring.

Zach Eflin became a free agent, signed with the Rays and is now 9-3, 3.35. Kyle Gibson became a free agent, signed with the Orioles and is now 8-5, 4.30. But those are stories for another day.

The bottom line is that the Phillies have been on a gently meandering search for a No. 5 starter all season, a mission that has far too often veered into the thicket of openers and bullpen games.

The Phils lost to the Mets, 4-2, Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. In the process, though, they seem to have found a fifth starter, at least for the time being, as Cristopher Sanchez made his second straight respectable performance.

“He threw well,” manager Rob Thomson said after the skinny 26-year-old lefthander gave up three runs on five hits while striking out four and walking none. “He gave us everything we needed. Kept us in the game.

“He’s throwing strikes and he’s keeping people off balance for the most part. He hasn’t walked anybody, and that’s a key for him. He’ll make his next start. If he can keep this going, that would be great. If he’s throwing strikes, his stuff is good enough to get people out. In that fifth spot, if we could get five or six innings every time out, that would be huge.”

With the trade deadline approaching, like every other team, the Phillies will be looking for ways to upgrade wherever they can. But the manager had already showed a measure of confidence in Sanchez, who could have been skipped over this time around following Wednesday’s rainout.

That also allowed the rest of the starters to get an extra day of rest.

Said Sanchez, through interpreter Diego Ettedgui: “I’m trying to take advantage of this opportunity as much as possible. I really want to be here until the end of the season.”

In two starts since being called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he has a 3.00 ERA while allowing six hits in nine innings.

He wasn’t overpowering Saturday, but was able to avoid a big inning. The first batter of the game, Mets centerfielder Brandon Nimmo, hit a sharp grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, only to have Trea Turner turn it into an out with an excellent defensive play.

That saved a run when rightfielder Starling Marte followed with a homer deep to left. Francisco Lindor singled. Sanchez was on the ropes early but got avoided a big inning when first baseman Pete Alonso grounded into a double play.

Second baseman Luis Guillorme started the third with a triple, forcing the Phillies to pull the infield all the way in. Sanchez got a break when third baseman Danny Mendick hit a grounder right at Turner for the first out.

Guillorme scored anyway on Nimmo’s single but it could have been worse. Marte and Lindor ripped drives to right and left that were tracked down by Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber respectively. And Alonso opened the fourth by flying out to the warning track in center.

In the end, as Thomson said, he kept the Phillies in the game. Which is the first job of any fifth starter.

Instead, it more resembles a 162-act play in which what happens in any given scene is informed both by what has happened before and foreshadows what will come after. A pitcher may brush back a hitter because of an incident that occurred weeks or even months before. Lineups are constructed, in part, based on the history a given team’s hitters have against the opposing starter.

The strongest connective tissue, though, may well be the thought that goes into a manager’s use of his bullpen. Did a given reliever throw yesterday? The day before? How many pitches? And, always, what impact will using him tonight have on his availability tomorrow?

That’s the calculation Rob Thomson made Friday night against the Mets when he elected to line up Gregory Soto, Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to close out a 5-1 win against the Mets even though it was not a save situation.

That decision stuck out because the Phillies manager had used the same 1-2-3 combo to preserve a scoreless tie and send Thursday afternoon’s game against the Braves into extra innings.

Which also meant it’s likely none of his three most dependable relievers would be available for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.

As it turned out, that’s probably not why the Phillies lost, 4-2, before a sellout crowd of 43,586. Although the outcome did pivot on what happened after starter Cristopher Sanchez departed.

Thomson let Sanchez, a lefthander, start the sixth to face lefty-swinging Brandon Nimmo with the score tied at two. After Nimmo singled, Yunior Marte came out of the pen. That was partly a left-right percentages decision and partly an acknowledgement that the next two Mets hitters, Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor, had hit the ball hard off Sanchez in their previous at bats.

Yunior Marte was brought in to induce grounders, and he did. Unfortunately for him, the first two made it to the outfield for singles, loading the bases. A potential double play grounder by Pete Alonso resulted only in a force play as Nimmo scored the go-ahead run. Then Tommy Pham singled to score Starling Marte with an insurance run.

Even if Soto or Alvarado had been available, Thomson almost surely wouldn’t have turned to either one in the sixth. That’s the role normally filled by Seranthony Dominguez, who is presently on the injured list with a left oblique strain.

When asked before the game how he weighs winning the game at hand against hedging for the following day, Thomson’s first impulse was that he’s 70 percent about doing what it takes in the moment. And that makes sense. Tomorrow’s game could be a blowout, one way or the other. Tomorrow’s game could be rained out. A bird in the hand, and all that.

After further reflection, he said he couldn’t really put a percentage on which way he leans. “You’ve got to have a balance,” he pointed out. “So I’m always thinking down the road about tomorrow and the next day and the next week.”

In the end, it didn’t matter this time. But managers have to plan for every scenario.

NOTES ON A SCORECARD

• Phillies leftfielder Kyle Schwarber, who rightly caught flak for dropping a catchable line drive that contributed to Thursday’s loss to the Braves, made a nifty grab going back on a line drive over his head on a hard-hit drive by Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor in the third Saturday. It was remarkably similar to back-to-the-plate running catch Schwarber made to take extra bases away from Lindor in the fifth on Friday.

• Rob Thomson said his entire coaching staff accompany him to Seattle for this year’s All-Star Game in Seattle on July 11. He’ll manage the NL squad by virtue of the Phillies being the defending league champions.

• Asked again about the Phillies so-so power and production numbers – they ranked 21st in baseball in both homers and runs going into play Saturday – Thomson repeated again that he expects his lineup to heat up any day now. Besides, he added, “The ’27 Yankees, there were times when they didn’t score runs.”

Well, yeah. But the Phillies have already been held to three or fewer 36 times in 76 games this year. The 1927 Yankees, often held up as the yardstick against which all offensive juggernauts should be measured, were limited to three or less just 40 times for the entire season.

UP NEXT

RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 6.34) is scheduled to face RHP Zack Wheeler (6-4, 3.48) in the series finale Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m.