The sound of the ball hitting the bat and the roar of the crowd in late October is something Citizens Bank Park has been missing for more than a decade. This season has been generational. For the first time since 2011, the Philadelphia Phillies are back in the postseason. 

Over fall break, the team advanced to The National League Championship Series (NCLS). This Sunday, the Phillies won against the San Diego Padres in game five on Sunday, Oct. 23. 

This is huge for the Phillies organization. Fans, players and executives have waited many years for this success.

Eleven years is a long time, and things looked very different the last time the Phillies made the playoffs. In 2011, Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title, Games of Thrones was just released, Jay Wright had yet to win a national championship, The Commons was still a parking lot and Bryce Harper had just been drafted by the Nationals.

While it has taken three U.S. presidents and a pandemic to reach this moment, the Philadelphia area and Villanova students are celebrating the Phillies once again.

At Villanova, many students have been going to the games, including junior and Pennsylvania native Hannah Phillips, who spoke about what the Phillies’ success means to her and the Philadelphia area. 

“As a diehard Philly sports fan, this sports season has been absolute insanity,” Phillips said. “From the Eagles’ undefeated record to the Phillies’ first playoff run in 11 years, the energy in this season has been unmatched.” 

When asked about the atmosphere inside the stadium, Phillips emphasized that it is one she is still in awe of. 

“In the game’s leading up to the playoffs and our first playoff game in years at Citizens Bank Park, the energy in the stadium is indescribable,” she said. “Absolutely electric. One of my favorite things is the passion this city has, and that has been on full display during the playoff run.”

In celebration of this improbable run, Phillips has been celebrating with friends who are Phillies fans and is looking forward to a potential parade on Broad Street. 

Along with Phillips, sophomore Drew Hanson is also cherishing every moment of the season. 

“This means everything for Phillies fans,” Hanson said. “We’ve been waiting 11 years for a playoff berth, and it’s finally here with a team that everyone counted out.”

For Hanson, who was still in grade school the last time the Phillies were in the postseason, defeating the reigning World Series Champions was “especially meaningful.”

Sophomore Nick Reed was also at the games over fall break and described the atmosphere as “incredible.” 

“The Phillies’ success has been huge for me as a fan because we’ve done basically nothing for the last 11 years,” Reed said. “It’s tough seeing most everyone else in the league have success while we haven’t. Seeing people rally around a team that has been down for so long was super cool, and it helps when you win both games, but the amount of positive energy from a sold-out stadium was unmatched. Best games I’ve ever been to.” 

Not only have students been making the trip to Citizens Bank Park, but so has arguably the most famous Villanovan, who was spotted at the game over the weekend. Caught on TV swinging around a bandana and proudly wearing a Phillies jersey, Jay Wright was all smiles, taking in the atmosphere inside the ballpark. 

Everyone is taking notice of the team’s success, and fans around the area are completely locked into the series with the Padres. This matchup has been one where Phillies fans have needed to be the loudest, which they have been all year, and one where the team has needed to play its best baseball of the season. 

While it may have taken 11 years for the Phillies to obtain a winning record and a postseason presence again, the passion and support of Philadelphia fans, even during struggles, will never go away. It would have been easy for Phillips, Hanson and Reed to have turned their backs on the team, but they stuck with them through the good and the bad, which has made the atmosphere of baseball in late October worth the wait and “indescribable.”