October 03, 2024
When Bryce Harper arrived in Philadelphia in 2019, he was supposed to change the course of the Phillies franchise. He did. With some huge free agents in the years to come paired with homegrown talent, the Phils delivered two Octobers to remember in 2022 and 2023. They reached the Fall Classic during that magical '22 run and nearly found their way back there last year.
Increased expectations are here with the team's first division crown in 13 years and a first-round bye. They are no longer the team that's "not supposed to be here." They have a target on their back as Red October begins in earnest late Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
Until then, why not have some fun and look back on the best postseason home runs of this era? It's weird to call this an "era" so soon, but making the postseason three-consecutive years is a rarity for this organization. Here are my top 10 choices...
In honor of the Astros being eliminated from the postseason on Wednesday, I'll cheat a little on this one and go with a pair of home runs that Nick Castellanos hit in a series-clinching win off Spencer Strider and the hated Braves.
In a 1-0 hole in the fourth inning, Castellanos tied things up:
Then, to make it a 3-1 game and send Citizens Bank Park into hysterics, Castellanos went yard once more in a no-doubter right off the bat:
I was in the ballpark that evening. Phillies fans truly loved taunting Strider these last two postseasons.
A midseason acquisition in 2022, Brandon Marsh's status as a fan-favorite only rose after he bashed a three-run homer to get the party going in the Phillies' series-clinching win over the Braves in 2022:
Marsh was 24 with 13 big-league home runs to his name. "This Is Marsh" illustrated that anything that could go the Phillies' way, would go their way during those immaculate couple of weeks.
A 488-foot second-deck playoff blast from noted winner Kyle Schwarber is exactly why the Phillies signed him that offseason:
That's pure power off a multi-time All-Star pitcher in Yu Darvish.
You could even say... "That's what's in..."
In the first pitch he saw in his first World Series at-bat at Citizens Bank Park, Bryce Harper had Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. shaking in despair:
The Phillies had stolen Game 1 of the World Series on the road. They were about to go up 2-1 on the juggernaut Astros. They were home for the next two games with a chance to clinch in Philadelphia. Harper's home run was a "Holy s--t, they're really going to do this!" moment for me. Obviously, they didn't win it all and still haven't yet. Hey, what do I know?
I can't say I'm a big fan of Bryson Stott's walk-up song, once referring to it as "a song designed in a lab for me to hate," but the people like it and that's good enough. It's never sounded as good, however, as when the crowd at Citizens Bank Park soaked it up while watching Stott crush a first-pitch grand slam:
Great vibes!
The video version that has no commentary, just the crowd noise echoing out "AOK" is even better.
After word of the Braves mocking Harper after their Game 2 win over the Phillies, Harper was out for revenge. "Atta-boy, Harper!" came blowing back in Orlando Arcia's face when Harper stared him down following this upper-level shot:
I continue to see shirts featuring Harper's stare down around Citizens Bank Park and I imagine I will continue to do so for years to come.
Harper stared Arcia down on his second home run of the evening, too:
An inside the park home run to help knock off a hated rival who were the defending World Champs? J.T. Realmuto turned on the jets for this one:
This is one of my favorite Philly sports videos to rewatch as you can hear the South Philadelphia crowd hit a new level when it's apparent that Realmuto is rounding third and seriously heading for home. What an atmosphere it's been at CBP!
An extra-innings home run to win a World Series game?
Kids dream of that and Realmuto made it a reality:
Anything felt possible that night.
This is when the baseball world was forced to take the 2022 Phillies seriously. They went from a team that didn't quite belong in the postseason, limping into October, to a home run-jacking force. The 2020s of Phillies baseball can be divide into two time periods: before Rhys Hoskins' bat spike and after:
I've written this numerous times, but I've attended a lot of Philadelphia sporting events in the 21st century. Outside of Patrick Robinson's interception and scamper into the end zone in the 2017 NFC Championship Game, I've never heard a crowd as loud as the one after Hoskins' bash. That includes both halves of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS, etc. It was a moment.
"The swing of his life!"
'Nuff said.
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