Phillies top Marlins in playoff opener, a win with a ring-fingered endorsement

The Philadelphia Phillies crushed the Miami Marlins on a night when their boisterous ballpark at the foot of South Broad Street officially became the most difficult playoff venue in baseball history for opponents, and they also lost themselves in the excitement of Citizens Bank Park.

It was evident when Nick Castellanos doubled off Miami Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo in the fourth inning, advanced to second, and balled his hand into a fist.

Only for a middle finger to appear, luckily the ring finger for the FCC and parents watching at home.

Castellanos claimed, “I just found myself doing it,” in the smoke-filled clubhouse of the Philadelphia Phillies, the site of a postgame smoke extravaganza. “I then wondered, did I just do that? It just came out.”

It was evident in the eighth inning as 45,662 spectators cheered as Castellanos hooked another double. Bryce Harper circled the bases, threw his helmet off his head, and came across a stop sign from coach Dusty Wathan at third base.

Immediately after, he smashed past it to score the game’s last run.

I didn’t pick up Dusty, sorry, Harper said. Yes, Castellanos acknowledged.

“Bryce does that all the time,” he remarked. “And nine out of ten times, he’s safe.”

Yes, it’s all happening once more: giddy South Philly audiences, a Phillies squad that combines juvenile antics with a palpable sense of unity across the clubhouse.

Last year, this combination led to the National League pennant and a season in which two victories missed the World Series championship.

They’re only getting started in October. However, they scored the first of what they hope would be 13 victories on their path to a title on Tuesday night with a 4-1 triumph against the Marlins in Game 1 of their NL wild-card series.

And there is enough proof they are capable of becoming at least as severe as the team from the previous season.

The expected stars of recent vintage showed up in Game 1 of this best-of-three matchup. With an incredible strikeout-to-walk ratio of 41-7 in seven career starts, starting pitcher Zack Wheeler’s playoff ERA is now 2.55 after he carried a shutout into the seventh inning while striking out eight and walking none. Alec Bohm scored the game’s opening run, Castellanos hit two crucial doubles, Harper had that wild-haired moment that went viral, and Bryson Stott scored a run and got an RBI.

And it’s not just because $300 million shortstop Trea Turner is now a part of the team that makes these Phillies appear like they’re so much more.

Turner got two singles and two stolen bases, but the Phillies’ bottom-of-the-lineup showed a depth that made them very unsettling.

Take Johan Rojas, the No. 9 batter. Before the Phillies called him up in July, he had never played beyond Class AA, but they were instantly impressed with his work ethic, strategy, and defense. In just 149 at-bats this season, Rojas managed to accumulate 2.4 Wins Above Replacement.

He only began the first game because the left-handed Luzardo, who has struck out 208 hitters this season, was on the mound. Rojas then broke him.

Rojas fouled off pitch after pitch to start the third inning in a breathtaking nine-pitch at-bat, blasting two rockets foul down the left field line before ultimately shortening up and hitting a single into left center.

The group woke up. On a wayward pitch that just eluded catcher Nick Fortes, Rojas scurried to second. The double by Bohm brought him home. It was 1-0.

Later in the inning, No. 8 hitter Cristian Pache, who had come over from Oakland with an all-glove, no-hit record in March, added an RBI single of his own to Stott’s.

A team that had six players hit at least 20 home runs was winning 3-0 with their ground game and two players who did not take part in the glory of last October.

But they are acting like seasoned players.

“They are who they are. The finest thing about them, in Harper’s opinion, is that. “Since he arrived up here, Rojas has been fantastic for us. He always seeks knowledge and asks questions. We have complete trust in them at this time, and they are aware of it.

Rojas, who in his brief career hit 302 with a 342 on-base percentage, agrees.

Through an interpreter, Rojas, 23, said, “From the moment I came here in this clubhouse, they welcomed me with open arms.” “Everyone has encouraged me to have fun and be myself. For a bunch of guys who have embraced or welcomed me in such a way, it’s difficult not to play hard for them.

In that regard, the group is particularly unique. The entire evening was fantastic. I must express my gratitude to the supporters for their uplifting support.

Those supporters, ah, sure. In his second season, Stott claims to have already learned to approach playoff games in the same manner as regular games. And yet, it’s difficult to resist getting restless once he gets to the park. In the long run, stifling the energy is fruitless; it’s preferable to capitalize on it.

It’s a link that extends from the clubhouse to the stadium and the city.

As for the Phillies’ locker room, Stott claims there are no cliques. Three of the men almost always hang out together. Everyone socializes with everyone else. Simply having a team mindset is important.

Since last year, I have been saying, “If you don’t finish it, someone behind you will.”

Sometimes, it manifests itself in the most bizarre ways, as seen by Castellanos’ apparent spontaneous gesture and other, maybe lewd hand motions that appear to praise a player’s, eh, intestinal fortitude.

Above all, it implies a cohesive unit.

Man, adds Harper, “That’s what this team is all about.” “In here, we’re a family. There are 40,000 individuals present, plus 26. We have the same mood.

“We have such a great team, great people who fit in with this community and fan base.”

It’s no surprise that the Phillies are currently 23-11 in postseason games at Citizens Bank Park, outperforming the Mets’ home-field advantage at the former Shea Stadium (.676 winning percentage) among venues that have hosted at least 30 playoff games.

They had a 6-1 record here the previous season, including three victories over San Diego in the NLCS. With one more win on Wednesday, they’ll be almost exactly where they were in October of last year: right here for Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS against the Braves.

“You can’t fake these experiences,” asserts Castellanos. And regardless of how skilled you are, you must avoid duplicating a situation like playing in this stadium during the postseason with the energy of the audience.

We are all extremely present and very focused on what we need to accomplish because we have all traveled down this road before and are now beginning the journey again.

Even if they occasionally go insane in the midst of the commotion.

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