🛎️ Red October Is Back!

_{LAST GAME: PHILLIES 3 - PIRATES 2}

_{NEXT GAME: Phillies (Ranger Suarez) vs. Pirates (Johan Oviedo) | Today, 6:40 EDT | NBCSCP, 94 WIP}

Good morning. The Phillies are back. We’re back. Red October is back.

A word of advice — enjoy it. All of it.

There will be plenty of time for anxiety over opponents, strategical maneuvers, and late-inning nail-biters in the days to come. Today, however, is about appreciating all of the moments that brought the Phillies back to the postseason for the 16th time in the franchise’s 141-year history. 

Like this one:

In the email today:

There’s a lot of optimism about the Phillies’ ability to run it all the way back to the World Series next month. Ask fans why, and they’ll point to the lineup, the intimidation factor of Citizens Bank Park, and the unquantifiable yet undeniable clubhouse chemistry this team possesses.

All valid reasons to believe, but you know, and I know that they need Aaron Nola to make this thing work — and right now, you have to feel as good as you have all season about the way he is throwing the baseball.

In his first three starts this month, Nola pitched to an 8.56 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .355 with a .969 OPS. Not great! In fact, he failed to complete five full innings in any of those three starts, this despite throwing an average of 93 pitches per game.

Not only was he inefficient and entirely hittable, his Sept. 15 start against St. Louis was particularly concerning in that he recorded just one strikeout.

But he’s turned things around the last two times he’s taken the ball, and he’s done so at exactly the right time.

• In starts against the Braves and Pirates, Nola logged 12 2/3 innings with a 2.13 ERA. Opponents have hit .213 with a .511 OPS.

• He’s racked up 16 strikeouts while issuing 0 walks. It’s just the third time all season that Nola has recorded back-to-back games without issuing a free pass.

Our take: Better late than never. For the second straight season, Nola turned in an absolute gem to push the Phillies across the finish line and into the playoffs. Not only has he looked more like himself on the mound, he has to be feeling good about himself, too.

Don’t think for one second this is insignificant following a season in which there have been plenty of doubts about his game.

2) 🤷‍♂️ There’s Something Undeniable Here

One of the fascinating things about the 2023 Phillies is just how many fun storylines are constantly swirling around this team. It’s a legitimately good clubhouse.

No finger-pointing, no panic when things go sideways. These guys stay the course, trust one another, win baseball games, and enjoy themselves while doing it (you will see plenty of this down in the next section).

Last night was just the latest example of the resilience, energy, and trust this team has continued to display dating back to when Rob Thomson first took over last season.

• As I noted in yesterday’s send, both Nola and Brandon Marsh had been going through it this month. In the case of Nola, this season. And wouldn’t you know, both Nola (who dealt) and Marsh (who homered) made key contributions in sealing the deal last night.

• Rookie Johan Rojas wasn’t even on the Phillies’ roster at the All-Star break, and there he was delivering a walk-off hit to plate Cristian Pache — a former top prospect that was essentially written off earlier this year by the rest of the sport.

• His big hit secured a win for 30-year-old Jeff Hoffman, who has arguably been the Phillies’ best and most consistent reliever — and also a guy that nobody expected a damn thing from just a few months ago.

Our take: This is a big-money roster, one loaded with talent, but the Phillies have gotten meaningful contributions from all over it. Beyond the production, however, is the way things just seem to come together for this group. Maybe the Phillies get bounced in the first round next week, but I would be shocked if they do.

It’s such a 2023 online thing to say, but the vibes with these guys, well, they truly are immaculate.

3) 🎉 Tweet(s) of the Day: Take the Pirates Today

Don’t expect the Phillies to be too fresh this evening, but enough of the words. Here are a bunch of tweets that will have you smelling the beer, champagne and cigar smoke.

4) 📊 Poll: How You’re Watching

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

…

Results from our last poll: Which team do you want the Phillies to face in the first round next week?

Your replies…

“The Marlins have the worst away record of the three and are 10 games below .500 against winning teams. We need to end this Marlins curse on our backs.”

“I keep waffling between the D-backs and Cubs. Ultimately, I say Cubs because the D-backs have a better lineup, even if they are less-experienced. Both teams have decent starters and a mess of a bullpen, so that's a wash. The Marlins have pitching injuries, but they just drive the Phillies crazy. Avoid them. ”

“Arizona is fighting for their life and have a very energized, young team. I think the Cubs would be an easier ride for the Phillies in the WC. ”

…

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• 🧭 The Phillies are back in the playoffs, but the journey was different this time.

• 🎧 Listen to Scott Franzke’s call of the walk-off.

• 😮 It certainly sounds like Orion Kerkering is in-play for the postseason roster.

• 👎 Rhys Hoskins is progressing, but he remains unlikely to rejoin the Phillies this postseason.

• ✍️ Last night’s game story from the Inquirer. 💰

• 😕 Bailey Falter took in the Phillies’ celebration by himself from the Pirates’ dugout.

• 📈 If you’re into stuff like spin rate and break, this FanGraphs dive into Orion Kerkering’s stuff is worth a read.

• 🐻💩 Meanwhile, in Chicago…

The newsletter today was written by: Bob Wankel (Follow on X)

Thanks for reading!