Back in January, Phillies’ manager Rob Thomson attended the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association banquet and shared a story about what an opposing coach told him about playing at Citizens Bank Park in October. 

Rob Thomson: Opposing teams called playing at Citizens Bank in October ‘4 Hours of Hell’

(via Tim Kelly, Phillies Nation)

“After everything was over, the World Series was done, I got a phone call from a friend of mine who was coaching with another team that we had played in the playoffs.

We were just talking about the games that we played and all that – all the things that went on – and I said ‘What did you think about the atmosphere in the Bank?’

He said ‘You know, our team, they couldn’t concentrate, they couldn’t think straight…’ 

He said ‘Playing in your stadium with the way you guys played and the electricity of the fans…’ He said it was ‘four hours of HELL.’

At the time, it was pretty easy to break down what manager said such a thing.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said CBP wasn’t a hostile environment while interviewing with the media before Atlanta made the trip to Philly. Unless he had a complete change of heart and actually admitted he was totally wrong, it was safe to say we could scratch him off the list.

That narrowed it down Bob Melvin and Dusty Baker.

We didn’t really think Dusty Baker would say something with the Houston Astros in the World Series so that left us with San Diego Padres Manager Bob Melvin.

Melvin, as we all know, put on a coaching disaster-class while in Philadelphia for the NLCS, leaving his “All-Star” closer on the bench in the bottom of the 8th inning in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Robert Suarez did not have enough juice left for Bryce Harper, who would take “The Swing of His Life,” sending the Phillies to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Bryce Harper finally faced Josh Hader over the weekend

Pretty accurate right?

Honestly, the best example I’ve seen since the 2022 postseason was over the weekend when the Phillies hosted the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

In the top of the 12th inning, “Hell on Earth” struck again when Rougned Odor struck out and a few children behind home plate let him have it, screaming at him while delivering some of the best “Strike 3” calls Major League Baseball has ever seen.

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Mind you, this was a game that was supposed to start at 1:05 PM on Sunday. There were people tailgating since the early hours of the morning, only to be hit with a 3 hour rain delay.

First pitch wasn’t even thrown until around 4 PM.

Any adult had to be drinking for 3+ hours before the game even started and even then you have younger kids completely LOCKED IN in the top of the 12th inning, ready to give the business to anyone who dares to step up to the plate at Citizens Bank Park, regardless of the day, time or how long they have been there. 

Sounds like hell to me, if I was someone from an opposing team.

Personally, I expected nothing less from the Phillies Phaithful.

Padres pitchers were literally punching themselves in the face in the dugout.

It was a sad sight to see from San Diego, who dropped to a miserable 44-50 on the season, a year removed from their trip to the NLCS.

The Phillies took the souls of San Diego yet again, winning 3-of-4 at Citizens Bank Park and improving to 51-42 on the season.

Phillies NL Wild Card Standings

Last night, the Miami Marlins lost again, dropping their fourth straight game. They are now 4-6 over their last 10 games. The Arizona Diamondbacks have also lost four straight games and are 2-8 over their last 10. 

The Phillies, on an off-day, gained ground in the NL Standings and the Wild Card. They are now just a half game behind Miami in the NL East and a half game out of Arizona and Miami for one of the three spots in the postseason. 

Aaron Nola will be on the mound tonight at Citizens Bank Park, opening up a 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

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