As a lifelong Philadelphia fan, I was ecstatic when the Phillies made the playoffs. They were seen as the underdogs in every game they played and still managed to beat every team in their path and make it to the World Series.

I will be honest: being a Phillies fan can be a painful journey that can wear your soul down. That’s why it is such a relief when they have a rare, successful season. What a blessing.

The Phillies have only been a good team twice in my entire lifetime, and, sadly, I was too young to remember the first time.

Philadelphia fans are unlike any other fans in the world.  They have been called fantastic, outrageous, deranged, obnoxious, insane, merciless, and a whole lot of adjectives:  but one thing is for sure — they are loyal to the death.

Phillies fans have rewritten the book when it comes to team devotion.  They will call in sick to work, and in some

cases, even quit their jobs in order to root for their favorite team.

It is also fair to say that Phillies fans have also rewritten the book on “getting on” their own players.  No fans have ever crucified their favorite players more than Phillies fans.  It may sound crazy, but that is part of their charm.  That is exactly what makes them the best fans in the world.

One could liken Phillies fans and the team they root for to a family.  Let’s not forget that this is the “City of Brotherly Love.”  Mind you, this is an old-school kind of love.  It is a brotherhood, one in which the fans are the big brother and the players are the little brother.   The big brother always feels the need to beat up on the little brother — but in the end he still loves him.  It’s just part of being a family.

The Phillies entered the playoffs as the National League’s sixth and final postseason team. The team accomplished this even after firing head coach Joe Girardi, after their 51st game of the season. Due to this, interim head coach Rob (Phillie Rob) Thomson stepped in and gave the Phillies a new life.

The Philadelphia Phillies have only made the playoffs in 15 out of their 118 seasons as a Major League baseball team. They have made the World Series in seven of those 15 playoff runs, but sadly only won the World Series twice, in 1980 and in 2008.

The fans were so loud at game 3 that there was a viral rumor their cheers caused an earthquake! This viral rumor was eventually debunked by a Penn State scientist, who said that Phillies fans were not loud enough to register on an earthquake detector.  It is fair to say, though, that the five home runs hit that game were of seismic importance to the Phillies’ fans.

Unfortunately, The Houston Astros did wind up winning the World Series 4 games to 2. Even though the Phillies did not come out victorious, the season was nothing to be ashamed of, and the playoff run was nothing short of epic, given their unexpected and dim prospects to even be contenders for the World Series.

The Phillies went from being an under .500 team to clinching the last spot in the playoffs and making it all the way to the World Series.

This 2022 run by the Phillies was magical and had every fan on the edge of their seat waiting for another Harper home run, or Segura double to keep them alive. This team was exactly what Philly stands for; they had a brotherhood like no other team before. Even when they got behind in the count, or lost a crucial game, they kept their heads up and cheered each other on to the very end.

Phillies fans can’t wait to see what this team will accomplish next season!