Editor’s note: The following Speak Up comments were submitted prior to the beginning of the World Series.
“Oh, my gosh. I just did that,” Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper said after a two-run homer in the eighth inning clinched the National League Championship series. The team’s wild card run in the playoffs then took them to face the Astros at the World Series, resulting in deliriously happy fans. How are you showing your Phillies pride? For lifelong fans, how special is the Phillies’ success to you?
- I was pretty young when they won in ’08, so this is such a big moment for all of the fans! — Cameron Woodward
- This is huge for me. — Sandy McDermott Lewis
- None. Orioles fan through and through. — Sandy Johnson
How are you taking in the Phillies’ success?
The Phillies played in their first World Series since 2009 last week. Are you a long-suffering fan who is happy with their success? Have you been sticking to the same routine while watching the games throughout the playoffs? Do you have any special memories about the team through the years that have come to roost now? Were you at the stadium when Bryce Harper hit his now-iconic home run?
- My dad passed away this past Oct. 6, 2022. He was laid to rest on Oct. 21, and we had a Phillies-themed funeral because he was a die-hard fan. I wanted the Yankees for redemption in ’09, but I’ll take what we got. We are winning this series for my pop. — Colleen Bartocci
- What a game! The weather wasn’t that bad early on. When the heavy rain started during the top of the seventh, and the Padres took the lead, you could sense another heartbreak in Philadelphia sports history was being written. Then, the bottom of the eighth happened. With one of the top closers in baseball warming in the pen, J.T. Realmuto singles to start the eighth. I thought, that’s it. Josh Hader will come in, much more difficult battle for Bryce Harper. Padres manager Bob Melvin doesn’t make the call to the pen. Bryce battles and delivered one of the greatest moments in Phillies playoff history. When the ball cleared the fence, the stadium erupted. Rally towels waving, fans jumping up and down, embracing each other. It was a moment of euphoria. I lost my voice screaming so much. Even with the shaky ninth inning, I never doubted that we would win after the Harper home run. My first Phillies playoff game and the best I’ve ever attended. Let’s go, Phillies! — Ian Moore
