The Phillies Advance: Takeaways

> Bryce Freaking Harper with the game-winning, career-defining, straight from a goddamned movie moment. He's played nearly the entire year hurt and unable to throw a baseball. He struggled down the stretch from coming back from injury too quickly. The career-long narrative -- a gifted player who makes too much money and isn't conducive to a winning atmosphere -- remained part of the idiot sports conversation right up until this afternoon.

And then he launched a ball to left, and watched it leave the yard as if there was no possibility that it wouldn't, despite the rain, gloom, cold and history.

The ball left the field of play.

The stadium and city shook. 

And everything changes. 

Sports, man. Gotta love sports.

> When a team wins a series 4-1, it should feel like they are just dramatically better... but in a series where the 5th seed loses to the 6th, that's not the sense. What was absolutely striking was the difference in managers. While Padres manager Bob Melvin was keeping LHP Josh Hader fresh for spring training, Phillies' manager Rob Thomson was sawing through his rotation like there was no tomorrow -- because there wasn't. You shouldn't win 4 out of 5 games just because you've got a better manager. That may have just happened.

> With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, Padres centerfielder Trent Grisham faced emergency reliever Ranger Suarez with one out and the chance to reverse a series-long ofer. He chose to try to bunt for a base hit against a pitcher who might be the best fielder for his position in the league. Ranger scooped it out, took the out, and then got weak-hitting catcher Austin Nola to pop out to right. Ballgame. And quite possibly a career-defining moment of WTF for Grisham and the Padres.

> During this entire run, people have talked about Philly Fan's impact on the game... and at 5-0, it's real. I don't know why this town is the only place where everyone is all-in from start to finish, but so be it. The rest of the world is looking at their phones and waiting to react. Philly Fan is cheering like sports fans used to cheer, and maybe more. 

> On deck after Harper is OF Nick Castellanos, who hit something like .200 for the playoffs, hasn't homered in forever, swings at every first pitch no matter where it is, and didn't hurt San Diego all series. You could have had Hader pitch to Harper; you could have pitched around him and went after this man who didn't rise to the moment all series. If you root for the Padres, you're going to spend the rest of your baseball life seeing this home run and wondering why your team gave him a chance to end your season. I don't envy your lot in life.

> MLB forced this game to continue in untenable rain that could have really gotten people hurt. They got away with it. They got so, so lucky.

> The Padres boast several stud players and a lot of good arms, but they also had a number of hitters that just gave them nothing in this series. They don't stop the running game, and their manager just totally failed in the spotlight in a way that has to bleed the confidence out of their people. They should be fine and there's only a few teams that really are trying to win, but yeesh.

> How happy, honestly, are the broadcast powers to have a major East Coast and top six metro team move on? San Diego is a lovely place to visit. Money, not so much.

> Philly Fan could not love Thomson more, and for a baseball lifer to just go all-in for new ways of thinking that works out is notable. The man they call Topper had nearly a dozen guys close games this year, and had the stones to know where the important outs were. Melvin, not so much. Hader's still available to work the bottom of the ninth, though.

> All credit to San Diego SP Yu Dervish, who gave his team every chance to win on a day where his fastball command just did not exist. The Phillies didn't play a perfect series, especially defensively; they just aren't that kind of team. But when their stars come through, they win. They aren't the best organization in the league, but playoff baseball isn't like that. 

> Nothing in sports beats joyous group song. For whatever reason, the Phillies chose "Dancing on My Own", and it's just part of what's made this run special. Keep singing.

> SP Zack Wheeler. 1.78 ERA with a 0.51 WHIP in this postseason, so far. When you make a run like this, your top starter does stuff like this, and he's remembered for it forever. (But not as much as, well, Harper. Dumb money, not so much.)