While there will plenty of uniformed officials on the streets around the stadium complex in South Philadelphia Monday night, the Phillies want anything but a controlled crowd.
Much has been written, talked, promoted, analyzed and eulogized about the kind of factor Citizens Bank Park’s “Red October” crowds have had on the club’s performances these past two playoff seasons. And with another World Series one win away, they wouldn’t mind that 10th man in the stands to even turn it up to 11 come Game 6 of the NLCS.
“We hear it. We’re happy about it,” manager Rob Thomson said during a Zoom chat Sunday. “I think the atmosphere comes from the passion of the people that are the sports fans in this town, but it also comes from the fact that we’ve had some success, and that’s good. But I love the city and I love the fact that our fans are so passionate, on both sides.
“When you don’t play well they let you know about it and when you do play well, they really let you know about it.”
Thus far in this series, home field advantage has been clearly evident. The Arizona Diamondbacks, especially top two starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, who is scheduled to start Game 6, seemed somewhat rattled at times during the first two games of the series under a crush of noise from the stands.
But in Games 3 and 4 in Phoenix, it was quite the opposite, with several Phillies relievers uncharacteristically lacking command on the mound, especially (former?) closer Craig Kimbrel. But he was far from alone in his troubles, as that Chase Field echo seemed to reverberate all around him.
For the Phillies, the consternation of back to back losses eased in the form of starting pitcher Zack Wheeler, a rock in Game 5 Saturday overseeing a 6-1 victory that puts the Phils in position to return to the grandest of all baseball stages.
They need one more win to get there, and the waves of cheer will be with them Monday and Tuesday (if necessary) nights.
Asked to describe the noise as experienced on the field, Thomson said, “As loud as I’ve ever heard it in a stadium, and it’s not just how loud it is, but how long it goes. It goes from first pitch to the last pitch and they’re standing up the entire game.
“It’s just an incredible atmosphere,” Thomson added, “and I would suggest that people who have never been here before bring some ear plugs because it gets pretty loud.”
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Much was made before the series of how the young and speedy Diamondbacks could win games with their legs, a team that likes to run and uses it to full advantage.
Yet through five NLCS games, Arizona had exactly one steal, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doing the honor. If that weren’t so stunning, how about the Phillies having stolen six bases in this series, with Bryson Stott doing so three times?
“We’re extremely happy because that’s part of their game,” Thomson said of the Diamondbacks’ inability to run, which is coming partially from efforts to have some pitchers use a slide step. “They create momentum and they create chaos (that way), but we’ve limited that for the most part.”
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Thomson still seems to be holding out hope for Phillies’ slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins to come back from knee surgery in time to play in the World Series if his club gets there.
“He’s doing very well and feeling better,” Thomson said. “He’s got another (batting practice) session tomorrow and I believe Tuesday, and whatever happens, we’ll figure out where we go from there.”
Source: Berkshire mont