We’ve said our goodbyes to last year. It was a great year for the Phillies and for the fans of the team. It all seems a little like the weather we’ve had lately, dense fog. The season for the Phillies started out in a fog in 2022, we had optimistic outlooks for what was to come, but for some reason, it seemed like Joe Girardi wasn’t the proper fit for this Phillies team. The Phillies got off to a 22-29 start for 2022 and just like that, Girardi was shown the door by Phillies management.
Phillies 2022 Video Yearbook preview:
Rob Thomson took over the reins of the team, and players responded accordingly. Thomson’s mild manner seemed to resonate among fans as well, with his explanations of games and reasoning for certain moves during a game seemingly sitting well with them as well.
What happened after Girardi’s exit was amazing. First, the Phils ripped a 10-0 win on the very first game vs. the Anaheim Angels with Thomson at the helm. Then after this firing, Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations said that he still thought the Phillies were a playoff team. How right he was. A combination of luck and an extra wild card team in the MLB playoffs this year was the ticket for the Phillies to make it all the way to the World Series.
Players just responded to the change and suddenly the fans responded as well, the Phillies long drought of not making the playoffs was over. The team ascended to the World Series vs. a powerhouse of a team in the Houston Astros and just didn’t have enough in the tank to win that series. It was a ride though that many fans will never forget, Citizens Bank Park roared back to life in the playoffs with it’s red towel-waving fervor that hadn’t been seen, felt, or heard in many years. It was magical once again at Citizens Bank Park with Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and other players doing great things for this Phillies team.
What will 2023 hold? It’s always a mystery, that’s something we like about baseball. It’s a chemistry that has to be there, an alignment of the stars so to speak for all of the pieces of the puzzle to fit together for a team to make it to the World Series, and a great deal of luck. Will the Phillies have that luck, and more for 2023? We’ll find out as there are just 88 days until Opening Day for the Phillies in Texas this year!
