'They're winning the World Series': South Jersey fans react to Phillies' magical run
The first phone call Mike Ricci made Sunday night following the Philadelphia Phillies' latest storybook victory was to Dick's Sporting Goods in Cherry Hill.
"They didn't say hi; they didn't ask what we were looking for; they just said, 'We have the T-shirts,'" Ricci recalled. "And I said, 'Thank you. I'll be right over.'"
Ricci, a 52-year-old Haddon Heights resident, compared the scene at Dick's to the shopping frenzy on Black Friday.
"Cars parked directly in front of the store, people getting dropped off, the line was wrapped around the store," Ricci said. "I've never seen it like that in my life."
The crowd, like Ricci, came for Phillies World Series merchandise.
Philadelphia defeated the San Diego Padres, 4-3, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on a rainy Sunday to clinch its first trip to the Fall Classic since 2009.
The Phillies improbable run to the World Series, where they'll meet the Houston Astros starting Friday, has captivated South Jersey fans — Ricci included.
Ricci, a father of four, made it to about a dozen games this season with his family. He said this group of Phillies "is a fun team."
"Everything about this team — the way they play, how much they really care about one another, you can tell they love one another," Ricci said. "They're so easy to root for."
Ricci commemorated the moment with a $270 Dick's bill consisting of shirts, stickers and pennants.
For Ricci, getting to share this "great ride" with his son Nicholas has meant a lot.
"To see the joy for my 10-year-old, he hasn't experienced this ever," Ricci said. "That's priceless."
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While many like Ricci enjoyed the Phillies' win from the comfort of their couch, Michael Valella had a different vantage point for the historic victory.
Valella, a Pittsgrove resident, was at Citizens Bank Park Friday, Saturday and Sunday for each of Philadelphia's NLCS home games.
The biggest moment of the series came in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday, when Phillies superstar Bryce Harper connected on a go-ahead, two-run home run to help lift Philadelphia to victory.
"What a legendary moment," Valella, 46, said of Harper's homer. "Will be replayed forever in Phillies highlights — an heirloom game and moment. Will tell generations that follow about this day."
Valella, a partial season ticket holder, attended Friday's game with his mother; Saturday's with a friend; and Sunday's with his wife, Erin in section 115. He also got to share Sunday's monumental victory with his father, Dominic, who serves as a Phillies usher and was working sections 114 and 115 for Game 5.
Valella described the atmosphere in the ballpark as "absolute bedlam" following the final out.
"And then of course the crowd singing along, on key, to (the Calum Scott song) 'Dancing on My Own' immediately followed by Harry Kalas' 'High Hopes,'" Valella said. "So emotional that they have reached this point considering they narrowly qualified."
Some diehard fans had to get creative in order to catch Sunday's game, which started shortly after 2:30 p.m.
For Blackwood resident Stacy Smiriglio, her son's soccer game could not come at a more inconvenient time.
Smiriglio, 42, spent parts of the Phillies game listening on the radio and streaming the broadcast to her phone before finally making it home in time for the conclusion of the contest, which she watched with her boyfriend, Kevin Stewart.
Smiriglio said they are "huge Phillies fans," attending 10 to 15 games this season. Her children are in the Phillies Kids Club, and her and Stewart are members of the Phillies Fan Club.
Sunday's victory came with a lot of emotions for Smiriglio.
"We were teary-eyed, actually," she said. "It was so exciting. We were screaming so loud."
Smiriglio said they never lost hope, even when the Phillies were down 3-2 in the eighth inning. Then Harper came up to bat.
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"Kevin said, 'He's going to hit this out, watch. It's going to happen,'" Smiriglio said. "Then it happened and it was like, you can't write this stuff. We were in complete shock, yelling and screaming, and texting with all our friends. We had to get a million texts because our friends know we're the biggest Phillies fans."
Smiriglio doesn't see anything stopping the Phillies now with the team just four wins away from their first championship since 2008.
"The icing on the cake has been going through this journey with them," Smiriglio said of the Phillies. "Watching them go through different struggles, changing managers, what a story. If they don't turn this journey into a movie it would be so disappointing."
Smiriglio went online following Sunday's win to buy her World Series merchandise as she gears up for the season finale.
The Astros are favored to beat Philadelphia in the best-of-seven series, but fans like Smiriglio remain undeterred.
"They're winning the World Series," she said of Philadelphia. "Their passion and dedication — they're having fun and that's the pure beauty of watching the Phillies. The team camaraderie, they just keep going. Let them be underdogs. At the end of the day, they're going to win because of their determination."
A South Jersey native, Anthony Coppola has handled a variety of beats at The Daily Journal, Courier-Post and Burlington County Times, including award-winning work in sports and business coverage. Coppola, who joined the staff in 2008, now focuses on public safety enterprise reporting.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Phillies' World Series trip relished by South Jersey fans
