For the fourth straight year in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies are heading to the playoffs as Red October skies begin to settle over the city. Ahead of the team’s return to the postseason, The Rally for Red October Bus Tour also makes its return to the City of Brotherly Love.
The Phillies, in partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC10, and Telemundo62, welcome fans aboard for a playoff celebration that will include special guest appearances by the Phillie Phanatic, Phillies Ballgirls, team broadcasters and former players.
The excitement takes place on Thursday, Oct. 2 — two days before the Phillies make their postseason debut in the NLDS — as The Red October Bus Tour will travel from Center City to select South Jersey locations, making stops for rallies to celebrate the success so far of the Phillies, and cheer them on for a strong playoff performance. Along the way, fans should be on the lookout for free giveaways of playoff-themed team swag, including rally towels, cheer cards, beads and more.
Where will The Rally for Red October Bus Tour stop?
The tour will make four stops in total. It all begins at 11:45 a.m. at the Comcast Center Plaza (1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd). From noon until 12:45 p.m., there will be a live Q&A with members of NBC Sports Philadelphia and some special guests courtesy of the Philadelphia Phillies. The bus will then travel to City Hall with an expected arrival time of 1 p.m. before heading over the bridge toward South Jersey.
The first stop over the bridge will be Ballard Park (15 Pitman Ave, Pitman, NJ) at 2:15 p.m. before heading to Haddon Square (51 Haddon Avenue, Haddon Township, NJ) for the tour’s final stop, expected to be at 3:30 p.m.
Is this the year?
The Philadelphia Phillies finished the MLB season with a record of 96-66, the second-best record in baseball and the team’s best record since the 2011 season. For the second year in a row, the Phillies were named National League East champions, securing the division by an impressive 13 games.
Philadelphia notably lost star pitcher Zack Wheeler to venous thoracic outlet syndrome related to a blood clot located near his right shoulder. While Wheeler was no small loss, the team rallied around his absence and posted the second-best record in Major League Baseball since Wheeler was put on the IL on Aug. 16.
The Phillies finished the season tied with the second-best team batting average in baseball, the second most hits, the second most wins by a pitcher, tied for the second most saves, the third most strikeouts, and a commanding lead in quality starts (when a starting pitcher pitches at least six innings and allows three earned runs or fewer), with 12 more than the second-place Boston Red Sox.
On the individual front, Trea Turner led the National League (NL) in average (.304), and finished second in the NL in hits (179) while Kyle Schwarber led both the NL in home runs (56) and the league in RBIs (132). Cristopher Sanchez finished tied for the second-best ERA in the NL and tied first in quality starts (22), while Jesus Luzardo threw the second-most strikeouts in the NL.
Nothing can be definitively said until the team takes the field later this week, but on paper, this Phillies team might be their best bet at bringing a World Series back to Philadelphia since the 2008 Championship team.
