Phils have team-bonding party ... to watch baseball?
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiThis story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki's Phillies Beat newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PHILADELPHIA -- A smattering of Phillies got together at Nick Castellanos’ house on Wednesday to do something they don’t typically do.
They spent their off-day watching baseball.
“We do cookouts like that stuff pretty regularly throughout the season,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said on Friday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. “That was probably the first time we've ever done one and actually watched baseball. Usually we're just hanging out, maybe watching a football game. None of us have ever sat around and watched a baseball game together. That was kind of interesting. It was different. It was enjoyable. We enjoyed it. We had fun together.
“The food was really good so that was a plus.”
The Phillies took a busman’s holiday together because they wanted to see who they would play in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Saturday afternoon: the Mets or the Brewers.
It’s the Mets, of course -- who are creating as many good vibes as the 2022 Phillies on their way to the World Series.
“I definitely see a lot of similarities,” Realmuto said. “This game is such a game of momentum, and success inside of baseball, it's very contagious. So when you start gaining confidence and you start feeling good about yourself and you see your teammates succeed, and then you come [through] in a big spot, that's extremely contagious and it just gives you confidence going forward.
“I think that's something you're seeing with the Mets right now. They're a really hot team, they have a lot of momentum -- and that's very similar, like you said, to us in 2022. You get in late, you're riding the high and then you just roll with that confidence and it takes you through. I think it's important for us to be able to come out and start well in this series and try to put an end to the momentum they've clearly gained.”
The Phillies think they have a chance with Zack Wheeler on the mound in Game 1. They will follow with Cristopher Sánchez in Game 2, and Aaron Nola in Game 3 at Citi Field.
“They’re on a roll,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said about the Mets. “And you can lose it, as you well know, watching us last year against Arizona, you can lose it awfully quick. It's all about the next day starting pitcher. But we've got a good club.”