Oct 2, 2025 - News

This Philly artist is capturing the Phillies playoff feels

Isaac Avilucea

Philly artist Keni Thomas' cartoon renderings: A pink ant wearing a Phillies cap above text that says "High Hopes" and a pigeon wearing a Phillies hat and Liberty Bell chain. — Phillies-themed cartoon sketches. Photos: Courtesy of Keni Thomas

While the Phillies are looking to etch their names in history, Keni Thomas is sketching away.

Why it matters: The Philly artist's sports-themed cartoons come at you like one of Jhoan Durán's 103-mile-per-hour fastballs.

Driving the news: Thomas, known by his art name Tomcat23, is finishing up a five-year artist residency at Cherry Street Pier early next year. And he's churning out new Phillies-centric pieces for the playoffs.

He releases them on his Instagram and you can cop one of his illustrated T-shirts here.

The intrigue: Thomas' art is a little bit New Yorker wit crossed with Marvel Comics.

His "Harry K" homer pigeon, pictured above, is an homage to Harry Kalas, the late sports broadcaster known for singing Frank Sinatra's "High Hopes" after Phils wins, Thomas tells Axios.

The bottom line: The Phils have had "High Hopes" for years. But everyone is a little bit ant-cy for a championship banner.

If they win, Thomas says he'll cook up a new cartoon of the industrious little ant finally lifting up that "rubber tree plant" — a fitting nod to those famous Sinatra lyrics.

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This Philly artist is capturing the Phillies playoff feels

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