PHILADELPHIA -- Even at the time, Oct. 3, 2022, was a pretty consequential date in the history of the Phillies. It has become only more consequential since, especially now at the precipice of the 2024 season.
You might remember the date: 10/3/22. Check that: You almost certainly remember the date. The Phillies beat the Houston Astros, 3-0, at Minute Maid Park that night to clinch the franchise's first postseason berth in 11 years. The city could have held a celebratory parade the next day, and plenty of people would have shown up clad in red and white from head to toe. The Phillies could have flamed out in the wild-card round against the St. Louis Cardinals, and many fans, if not most, would have been cool with it. Hey, at least we got to enjoy two days of playoff baseball. It had been so long.
Except the Phillies did not flame out. They took everyone on a wild and thrilling ride. They launched home run after home run -- Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, and more. They got great pitching from Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and others. They wiped out the Cardinals, then wiped out the Atlanta Braves, then wiped out the San Diego Padres to reach the World Series for the first time since 2009, and even that six-game loss to the Astros didn't sting as much as it could have, because the month leading up to it had been so surprising and so fun.
It was the ideal set of conditions for a Philadelphia team to steal everyone's heart. That Phillies club was capable of making such a run, but since it was a relative underdog -- it didn't have home-field advantage in any playoff round in '22 -- the cloud of dread that can settle over a team with high expectations here never materialized. People felt freer to believe in the Phillies once that switch was flipped on 10/3/22.
Those good feelings lasted pretty much from that date through the first two games of the 2023 National League Championship Series. The signing of Trea Turner led to the remarkable performance in the World Baseball Classic by Trea Turner, which led to the epic slump of Trea Turner, which led to the standing ovation for Trea Turner, which led to the redemption of Trea Turner.
Another sweep in the wild-card round, this time over the Miami Marlins, this time at Citizens Bank Park, with a sellout crowd singing Bryson Stott's walk-up song before he hit a grand slam. Another four-game rout of the Braves, with Harper staring down Orlando Arcia. A 2-0 series lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks ... the best and most intimidating home-field advantage in Major League Baseball ... the clear-cut status as the team nobody wanted to face in a short series ... all seemed right in the world.
All was not.
There's no getting around the reality that the Phillies' collapse against the Diamondbacks, culminating with that Game 7 loss on Oct. 24, flipped another switch around here. The vibes are different. They just are. The expectations for this team this season are different. They just are. The 2024 Phillies will play with a measure of pressure that they didn't have to bear last year. Returning to the NLCS isn't likely to be another thrill ride. It's more likely to be a nerve-racking march back to the minimum baseline for success, and if the Phillies cross that threshold, then things will get really intense.
Already, the circumstances have changed enough to raise some concerns. Harper is no longer just a stud among studs who gets Philly like few other stars here have, a superman who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery faster than any other pro athlete could, a savant who seemingly learned overnight how to be a decent defensive first baseman. Now he has to play first base every day for the Phillies' lineup to be at its best and most productive, and he just capped a spring training in which he didn't hit a home run in 28 at-bats and is sitting out games with back soreness.
Turner is no longer adjusting to a new team, a new city, and a $300 million free-agent deal. Now he has to be more consistent offensively and defensively.
Wheeler and Nola are no longer pitching for contracts. Now they've gotten paid, and they have to justify the franchise's investments. Orion Kerkering is no longer just an intriguing phenom whose father, weeping with pride in the bleachers, makes him a heartwarming story. Now he's a key piece of the bullpen's back end. And on and on the examples go.
The honeymoon for the Phillies started on 10/3/22. It ended 10/24/23. A better October this time ... or bust.