Snake-Bit: Phillies face elimination after premature pole-greasing

It's a year to the day that Phillies fans took to the streets to celebrate their 2022 NL pennant victory. Those Phils defeated the San Diego Padres in six games, winning in front of their home fans at Citizens Bank Park.

There were many similarities to that team and the 2023 Phillies, so it's fair for fans to expect a similar result. The only problem? The Arizona Diamondbacks would not go away.

Merrill Kelly redeemed himself for a rough Game 2 start at this same ballpark, and Torey Lovullo's choice to pull Kelly after five innings of work did not come back to haunt Arizona. That's why he's one of the best managers in the sport, after all.

Prior to the game, the city of Philadelphia ensured that if their team won the pennant this time around, they wouldn't be able to create...as much havoc.

Did Philadelphia grease the poles too early for rumored Phillies fan celebration?

I mean, look, what was the city supposed to do? Seemingly every time a Philadelphia team wins a championship or critical playoff game, fans take to the streets and turn their city into a playground. After the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, fans climbed poles across the tri-state area, even making their way to city hall. It was all in good fun, of course, but it's the city's job to make try to reign its citizens in during such moments.

Had the Phillies won Game 6, you can be assured they would have done the same thing. But climbing poles which have been greased down is far tougher than doing so normally, which is a simple explanation for the events.

Yet, if the Diamondbacks are in need of bulletin-board material heading into Game 7, they have it. To Phillies fans, Arizona was an afterthought. Now what?