D-backs ready for hostile Philly environment in NLCS

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PHILADELPHIA -- Citizens Bank Park will be rocking tonight for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series between the D-backs and Phillies.

The D-backs respect the passion of the Philadelphia fans and acknowledge that it is one of the biggest home-field advantages in baseball, but they also feel they’re ready for it.

“Obviously you won't know for sure until you're in it and you feel it,” D-backs first baseman Christian Walker said. “But my personal stance on it coming in is I'm going to try to harness it. It's going to be a lot of energy. It's no secret. It's for the Phillies, but also there's a certain buzz in the air. It's hard to explain. Dodger Stadium is a really cool environment as well. If you're not careful, the momentum can switch there pretty quickly. We're familiar with that a little bit. Each stadium is different and the time of the year is unique. But, yeah, I think there's a way to harness it and let it excite you without it unraveling the execution.”

Zac Gallen, who grew up nearby in New Jersey, will get the ball for the D-backs in Game 1 and he knows the atmosphere will be intense.

“If you're scared, stay home,” Gallen said. “So worrying about the crowd noise, worrying about all that stuff, you just have to go about your process, go about what you do well, execute the fundamentals, and you'll be fine.”

Home-field advantage has been a real thing for the Phillies, who are 26-11 in home playoff games since the team began playing at Citizens Bank Park in 2004. That .703 winning percentage is the best by any team in any stadium in postseason history (20 games).

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo is confident his team can handle the noise and energy inside Citizens Bank Park and what gives him that confidence is the way the D-backs played in winning two games at American Family Field in Milwaukee and two at Dodger Stadium during the postseason.

“We went into a pretty hostile Milwaukee Brewer stadium, I know it's a scaled-down version of what we're going to expect tomorrow, but we didn't blink,” Lovullo said. “Then going into L.A., which traditionally can be a very hectic venue for us, we came out and excelled. Now, I don't want to compare and contrast the teams and the fans. I've played here and I've been in this stadium when it's rocking as a staff member. I don't think we're going to go out there and be glossy-eyed to the point where we can't execute. And that's my biggest concern, and I feel very comfortable knowing this team is prepared for that.”

To get them ready, Lovullo had crowd noise pumped into Chase Field for the D-backs' intrasquad game last Friday.

The idea was not only to get the players used to noise, but also to make sure they could communicate in the dugout over the noise and that coaches were able to relay directions to the players on the field.