HOUSTON — The Astros popped champagne. The Phillies opened open some beers, down the hall but a universe apart, a clubhouse’s worth of mournful Coors Light and Bud Heavy. After a month of alcohol consumption that necessitated safety goggles and protective coverings, the roster was forced to reacquaint themselves with drinks intended for consolation rather than celebration.
They had lost 4-1 to the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series, their third consecutive defeat. A series that appeared to be in their control has fallen completely out of it. The outcome was a type of baseball misery unfamiliar to most of the room: the Phillies had broken an 11-season postseason drought to get here, and then, unexpectedly, in the last berth created by a newly enlarged playoff format, they’d made it all the way to the World Series. The experience had been whirlwind. It also made the final loss that much more difficult to accept. This squad was mostly experienced with September collapses, horrible blowouts, and seasons that never really got off the ground in the first place.
This was disappointingly new.
Alternatively, as described by Aaron Nola, the longest tenured member of this squad and the lone player remaining present from when the club bottomed out in 2015:
“It sucks,” the pitcher said. “It stung. But what an incredible run… Nobody expected us to be here but us.”
They have pulled off some of the most dramatic comebacks in recent postseason history. They had offered a month’s worth of bizarre, intriguing, and unexpected moments. They had done it all as a squad that won only 87 games during the regular season and dismissed its manager in June. And now the journey had ended.
