Yankees bring playoff atmosphere to Phillies, Citizens Bank Park

The Yankees and Phillies played before a sellout crowd on Monday night with about half of the 44,000+ seemingly rooting for New York. The series continues in Philadelphia Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Phillies sold out 257 consecutive home games from 2009 to 2012, a period where the Phillies were in the midst of five consecutive trips to the playoffs, including a World Series championship in 2008 and World Series loss to the Yankees in 2009. 

The Yankees returned to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since the 2009 World Series on Monday night. 

The vibe from that golden era of Phillies baseball returned as well. Will it stay or will it depart along with baseball’s best road show when the Yankees leave town after Wednesday’s game and the Washington Nationals come in? 

The Yankees – baseball’s flagship franchise by virtue of its 27 World Series titles, home base in the country’s biggest city and willingness to spend to win – saw about 20,000 of their fans make the just over 100-mile journey to Citizens Bank Park on Monday night. 

The split sellout crowd gave the Yankees’ 4-2 win on Monday night a Big Five basketball kind of feel. It also gave the building Phillies – who could complete a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 – a look at what pennant-race baseball feels like. 

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Monday’s crowd was 44,136, the second-biggest home crowd of the year behind the home opener and the first non-opening day sellout since 2013. In their last home game against the competitive St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies drew 26,120 and their average attendance of 25,225 is 19^th in baseball.

At 41-35, the Phillies are a half-game out of a National League wild-card spot. The Yankees have baseball’s best record at 51-25. 

Even in late June, a Yankees game brings an atmosphere that mirrors September. The Yankees lead the majors in road attendance at 33,454 per game. 

“I’ve never been in a playoff atmosphere,” said Phillies second-year slugger Rhys Hoskins. “But I imagine that’s what it’s like. 

“It was a close game and It was loud late into the game. It was cool. It was cool to see, and the energy was really cool and it was cool to see that energy in June.” 

What will it take to keep that energy flowing? 

“If you win,” said Hoskins. “We’ve been playing pretty good baseball lately and if we continue to do that fans will show.” 

That may be the case, though it is bound to take time. The Phillies won the National League East in an incredible comeback against the New York Mets in 2007 and won the World Series in 2008 though didn’t start their sellout streak until the following year. 

The upcoming four-game series against another National League East rival in Washington should theoretically draw well, but the Nationals won’t bring the fans or the buzz of the Yankees more than likely. 

First-year Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, who played for the Boston Red Sox for four seasons of his 12-year major-league career, has seen his share of big games against the Yankees. 

“When it felt like the stadium was shaking and it seemed like 45,000 people hate and despise you,” recalled Kapler. “It gives you thick skin. If you fail and fall on your face, you come back the next time and be resilient. Failures aren’t the worst thing. 

“It’s one of those bigger-than-life experiences. You’re playing one of the best teams in baseball and there’s a lot of Yankee fans. You’re better for next time having that experience.”

Even though the Yankees are used to playing in front of near-capacity crowds more than the Phillies, New York slugger Aaron Judge appreciated the buzz on Monday in his first visit to Citizens Bank Park 

“It’s a good ballpark,” said Judge. “The fans were electric. It was packed. It’s a good place to play. It’s pretty close to New York, plus we’ve got some minor-league affiliates around this area, so … There are Yankees fans everywhere.”

Bill Evans can be reached at [email protected] or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Like our High School Softball Page on Facebook.