October 26, 2022
Phillies fans are counting down to the first pitch of the World Series on Friday night, when the underdog Fightin's will continue their championship quest against the Houston Astros.
There is no feeling more palpable in Philadelphia than one of the four teams standing on the brink of a title, and the Phillies have defied all odds in dramatic fashion to punch their ticket to baseball's biggest stage.
The light poles were greased ahead of the Phillies' NLCS clincher over the Padres, and police viewed their heavy presence on Broad Street as a successful deterrent against any major celebratory incidents — so far, so good.
But the World Series will bring another level of energy to the city over the coming week. It's already morphing into a religious experience of sorts.
On Tuesday, a mural of Bryce Harper appeared on the side of the Dougherty Electric warehouse in South Philadelphia, at 45 E. Porter St., just east of I-95.
There’s a new Bryce Harper mural in South Philly
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 26, 2022
(via josephdougherty / IG) pic.twitter.com/9vZ9TAX6kZ
The mural was painted by Joseph Dougherty, who included Harper's favorite Phillies Phanatic headband. But fans immediately seized on the resemblance of Harper's likeness to Jesus Christ.
New mural in Philly!
— A (@aidan_34_powers) October 26, 2022
Not sure if the artist meant to make Bryce Harper look like Jesus? But after that series clinching home run, we’ll allow it pic.twitter.com/kfNIMWAwv3
We should be asking, why does Jesus look too much like Bryce Harper? https://t.co/VmZ5JUe84r
— Alec Vigliatura (@Alec_Vigliatura) October 26, 2022
By law, a photo of Bryce needs to be hung beside every tchotchke cabinet in South Philly #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/aDd6cZP8Dw
— Steph R 🎃 (@BroadStGhoulie) October 26, 2022
Anyone ever see Jesus and Bryce Harper in the same room???? Something to think about
— Nicko (@Nicko7200) October 26, 2022
Elsewhere, it's no secret that anyone hoping to attend a World Series game at Citizens Bank Park or at Houston's Minute Maid Park will need to fork over some serious dough. Yesterday, TicketIQ shared data showing that the average secondary market price for a World Series game in Philly is $3,228, more than double the $1,584 for a game in Houston.
Before the Phillies won the National League pennant Sunday night, a South Jersey fan from Gloucester City had a gut-wrenching experience on third-party ticket seller SeatGeek.com.
James DiLoreto told NJ.com he trusted his gut that the Phillies were going to defeat the Padres. Earlier Sunday, about 90 minutes before the game started, he decided he was prepared to spend $420 apiece for two tickets in the nosebleed section behind third base at Citizens Bank Park for Game 4. The total, including taxes and fees, came to $1,095.56, a relative bargain given the information above.
"Going to a World Series game would be a wonderful experience and would be a lifelong memory to share with my father, a once in a lifetime opportunity," DiLoreto told NJ.com, explaining that he viewed the tickets as an early Christmas present to fulfill a dream with his dad.
After making a credit card payment for the tickets, DiLoreto received an email explaining that his purchase was pending. Within a few minutes, he got another email telling him that the order couldn't be completed because the seller canceled it.
Within just those few minutes, it became obvious that DiLoreto wasn't the only one betting on the Phils. The prices of tickets in the same area of the stadium and elsewhere had doubled and tripled in a flash. DiLoreto provided screen shots to NJ.com showing that tickets in the same section and row where he had tried to buy seats had sold shortly after for $1,991 each.
"What was a $1,095 purchase with the fees would have come out to be over $4,000 for just the tickets," DiLoreto said. "The fees would have been close to another thousand give or take."
Seatgeek refunded DiLoreto's money and explained that its terms allow sellers a brief window to review a pending sale and cancel it without an explanation. A spokesperson implied that the seller "accidentally inputted the wrong price for tickets" and declined the order to bring them in line with other tickets in that area of the ballpark.
DiLoreto told NJ.com that he will never use a third-party ticket service again, and suggested that Seatgeek condones this type of seller activity because it ultimately raises profits in the form of higher fees when tickets are re-listed and sold again.
The window of opportunity to buy World Series tickets at a price that's at least reasonably high is now gone. Some fans may be able to justify spending several thousand dollars to be a part of the Phillies' magical run, but DiLoreto's experience is a cautionary tale in this type of frenzied championship scenario.
With a wild week ahead for Phillies fans, it's all but assured that more madness and unique Philadelphia fervor is on the way. The Phils and Astros will get the World Series underway at 8:03 p.m. on FOX, with Aaron Nola pitching for the Phillies and Justin Verlander expected to start for Houston.
