PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Jimmy Rollins is at it again.
In 2007, the Phillies all-time hits leader famously said they were the team to beat in the National League East, and that led to five consecutive division titles, two World Series appearances and a world championship.
Now, J-Roll is calling on Phils fans to make the ballpark feel like the golden days of Rollins, Utley and Howard.
Rollins, currently a special adviser to Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, tweeted during the Phils’ 4-3 rally against the Marlins, “This Phillies team has IT!!”
But he said he’s “still seeing too many empty seats at the Bank though. Where are the sellouts that get the bank rocking and make Philadelphia the best sports town in the world?!!!”
The Phils had a paid attendance of more than 23,000 at Citizens Bank Park Wednesday night during their remarkable comeback against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. They rallied with a three-run eighth inning against one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. Phils radio broadcaster Scott Franzke said the crowd sounded like double the attendance.
“I thought our crowd was outstanding tonight,” said interim manager Rob Thomson. “They fired the guys up.”
The Phils are 40-19 under since Thomson took over. But frankly, the ballpark hasn’t been what Rollins described because the Phillies have missed the playoffs for 10 seasons in a row — the longest drought in the National League and second-longest in Major League Baseball.
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During their great run about a decade ago, they had 257 consecutive paid sellouts from July 2009 through August 2012. “Red October” made Citizens Bank Park one of the most exciting places to be in Philadelphia. The team was winning consistently.
The 2022 Phillies have been very, very good the past couple of months. However, they have to prove they can get over that September hump.
Entering Thursday, the Phillies have a slim lead for the second wild card in the National League. Of the three wild cards, only the first one is guaranteed to get home games. If the Phils end up with the second or third wild card, they would have to advance to the NLDS to have at least one home game.
That Red October feeling has the potential to exist in the final months of the regular season before possible postseason play, but the Phils have to keep winning and give this outstanding fan base a reason to “get the bank rocking,” as Rollins put it.
So far, this ballclub — with a record of 41-19 since June 1 — is doing just about all they can to do that.
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