Oh, how I wish I were pregaming.

Three years ago today, I stood in a basement in South Philadelphia while the song “Dancing on My Own " by Calum Scott played on repeat.

When the Phillies finally got to Verlander in the game, we were listening to that song, so of course, it played the rest of the night. My father-in-law was chain-smoking cigarettes, and not a damn person could sit down.

It was October 28th, 2022, Game one of the World Series against the Astros.

It was one of the most wonderful nights of my life.

How did we get here, years later, where I'm sitting on my couch in pajamas at four in the afternoon, writing about how the Phillies will no longer be the Phillies?

2022 was lightning in a bottle. Our opportunistic bats, combined with Wheeler and Nola's dominating performances, got us to where we ended up. The Phillies were the only team in the 2022 postseason to beat the Astros! The last resistance.

Bringing in Turner felt like getting a professional haircut. The 2022 Phillies were vibe monsters and party animals. In 2023, the Phillies had a clean shave and a brand new suit. Trea Turner was supposed to be the pivot. In the 2023 postseason, the Phillies' OPS dropped one hundred points, and the bullpen ERA jumped a point and a half while they hit the Mendoza line with RISP. 

The last two years blur together as the same problems occur. Our worst nightmares came alive as fans, and our team routinely achieves great things in the regular season and fails terribly in the Postseason.

Sound Familiar?

Funny enough, I was also with my father-in-law for this game.

The lack of a longer postseason also hurts Philadelphia businesses, with bars and restaurants missing out on what could have been easy chances to fill their venues. Playoff tickets disappear instantly when they go on sale. The ballpark remains steady at the top of attendance, yet the performance doesn't change.

As much as sitting in pajamas on a Tuesday afternoon sounds fun, I’d much rather be pregaming somewhere in South Philadelphia again.