Phillies fans believe this is the year as Red October heats up

• After the Phillies made key moves, including adding closer Jhoan Durán at this year's trade deadline, fans are back to thinking it's finally their time.

The big picture: The Phillies won 96 games this season, including a record 55 at home, clinched their second-straight National League East title and secured a first-round bye — powered by a healthy veteran roster built for high-pressure moments.

• It's been a year filled with Schwarbombs, spindly Durantula entrances and Big Bader energy.
• Kyle Schwarber was the league's home run king, Trea Turner the NL batting champion, and Harrison Bader the sure-handed centerfielder turned team hype man.

"Baseball is a vibe sport," Philthy in Philly podcaster Vic Nappen tells Axios.

• "Those vibe guys are what can get you to the next level."

State of play: Across the region, Phillies fans are matching that energy — fueling hopes of a playoff run that ends with the team's first championship since 2008.

Case in point: Tony "Tornado" Penecale, who dons an Uncle Sam-Apollo Creed mashup costume and delivers boundless enthusiasm for the team — even through a 10-year playoff drought from 2012 to 2021.

• For Penecale, it's not just a World Series banner. It's an emotional palate cleansing.
• It's fulfilling a promise the 49-year-old made about a decade ago.

Flashback: Penecale made a pact with a ballpark attendant that, one day, they'd pound Jack Daniel's shots in a championship toast to the Phils.

• The attendant died before that day came.
• "I want to say, 'Ron, we did it. We outlasted" the haters.

For Bette's Triples founder Beth Overmier, it's about keeping her late mother's memory alive — while supporting a cause close to her heart.

• Overmeir donates $100 to a local animal advocacy charity for every triple the Phils hit. It's her way of honoring her mother, a die-hard Phillies fan and animal lover who died from complications of cancer in 2023.

• Sitting under a big red banner she hangs at home games, she encourages fans to get involved, too. Overmier has raised nearly $10,000 so far.

Then there's "Santa Rick" Reilly, a retired 61-year-old civil engineer from New Jersey.

• He sought connection after his wife died in 2020. She was the one who, decades ago, pulled a Santa cap out of a closet and put it on her husband's head.
• He's donned it ever since as a professional Santa during the holidays — and the long-bearded fan obsession at baseball games.
• Reilly says he gets misty-eyed thinking about all the kids and adults who share their wishes with him every year.

The bottom line: What does "Santa Rick" want for the holidays?

• "I want world peace," Reilly says. "In lieu of that, I'll accept a World Series and another Super Bowl championship."