These Phillies are dead men walking, or at least that's what their mannerisms suggest following another relatively lifeless performance against the now-heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies at-bats have been unprofessional at best. Their baserunning was questionable and their pitching mistakes poorly-timed. A fanbase hoping for one more fiery postseason run from a roster that could look drastically different after this offseason has received the opposite – a lackluster effort that reeks of desperation and a constant aura of 'here we go again'.
These Phillies have fallen in disappointing fashion the last two Octobers. This year would be the third. In 2023, Philadelphia was heavily-favored against the underdog Diamondbacks and took an early series lead, only to squander another chance at the World Series. In 2024, Philly lost in four games to the rival Mets in the NLDS. A winless postseason – should the Dodgers take care of business on Wednesday in Los Angeles – would be another step back, and a reason for Dave Dombrowski to look in the mirror this winter before making some major changes.
The Phils' Game 2 defeat was much of the same. These Phils lack spirit and spunk. There is little to get excited about, despite the names on the back of the jersey reading the same as they always have. In the ninth inning, Philadelphia finally provided some fight. The Phillies were down just a run after entering the inning facing a four-run deficit. Nick Castellanos, who had doubled in the previous at-bat, stood on second base. Rob Thomson put the bunt sign on to move Castellanos over to third base, only for Bryson Stott to stab the ball right to Max Muncy, who threw the Phils' baserunner out at third base.
.@JimmyRollins11 had to take another look at Nick Castellanos' base running with the MLB on TBS crew pic.twitter.com/fBHN3jPNT3
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 7, 2025
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Phillies fans have grown frustrated with this brand of baseball
Phillies fans booed, as they have for the vast majority of these two games. They booed Kyle Schwarber. They booed Castellanos. Heck, they booed Thomson, as they should. It is their right, after all, considering what these Phillies have put them through the last three postseasons – reaching great regular-season heights, only to let the entire city down when it mattered most.
Postgame, Castellanos grew frustrated with the fanbase's reaction to the Phillies' miscues. That frustration will only grow for a veteran who may have just played his last game at Citizens Bank Park in the home dugout anyway.
“I think that the stadium is alive on both sides, right?” Castellanos said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. “When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back, but when the game is not going good, it’s wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.”
Don't worry, the 33-year-old wasn't done. Castellanos detailed how the Phillies players tend to react when they're booed in front of the home crowd.
“When everything’s going good and you’re rolling it’s a [pain] to play here when you’re an opposing team because the environment is amazing,” Castellanos said. “But if we run into adversity and the tide shifts and now we’re playing more tight because we don’t want to be reprimanded for something bad.”
What Nick Castellanos – and the Phillies – are missing about Red October
With Monday night's jarring loss, the Phillies have dropped five of their last six games at home in the postseason. While players like Castellanos may note that they'd prefer if the fans were on their side cheering them on, rather than jeering out of frustration, they are missing the point. These fans are inherently Philadelphia. Castellanos said it best, though I'm not sure he knew he was making the point for me. Phillies fans are ride or die. During the good times, players can do no wrong. In the bad times, buckle up.
The 2025 Phillies have done nothing to earn the so-called good times. They're winless through two postseason games, and haven't won a World Series since 2008. Castellanos, ironically enough, was responsible for their last postseason victory at Citizens Bank Park – a walkoff home run in Game 2 of last season's NLDS vs the Mets.
If these Phillies want to bring back Red October, they'll have to do so on the road. And should they be lucky enough to earn another opportunity in front of these great fans, embrace the good and the bad. It's what playing in Philly is supposed to be about.