High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - There's Nothing More Painful Than Phillies Playoff Baseball

Episode Date: September 29, 2026

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz give their instant reaction to the Phillies' crushing Game 1 loss to the Braves on Tuesday afternoon and wonder if the Phils can get themselves off the mat one more time and take Game 2 behind Cristopher Sanchez.Presented by Miller Lite.

Miller Light, the official beer partner of your Philadelphia Phillies, is proud to serve as presenting sponsor of WIP's High Hopes Pod. So whether you're listening to the game, catching off on the latest High Hopes pod or at the ballpark. Remember, it tastes like Miller time, Phillies fans. Celebrate responsibly. This is the High Hopes podcast. High Hope! On the Odyssey app and Sports Radio 94, WIP.

The crowd is singing, hey, hope. I feel a little less alone. It is another edition of Diop's podcast sponsored by Miller Light, official partner in Philadelphia, Philly's tastes like Miller Time, Philadelphia, celebrate responsibly. That sucked, dude. Like, we all went in kind of not, no expectations and kind of just like, you know, blah or, you know, excited for the playoffs, but not really expecting anything. And like, of course, they gut us. They find a way to make it as painful as possible.

And, you know, it sucked. That sucked. Austin Riley, the bane of this podcast, maybe the biggest villain in this podcast history. I hate him. He sucks, dude. He has sucked all year. Like, Austin Riley has been horrendous all year long. And all of a sudden, for the first time all year, he can turn around a 99 mile out of fastball.

Why? why this team does he have to do it to us? He has no fear against his team. He has zero fear against his team, and I can't stand it. I cannot stand Austin Riley. He has been the worst or one of the worst contracts in baseball. He has nosedived what looked like a great career, and this guy hits that home run in that spot.

It felt like the death of an era. It felt like the death of an era losing that game. tonight they they they showed heart they fought their way back into it they took a freaking lead they got ballsy by putting deron in the seventh i thought it was his best move ever maybe maddingly like it just process wise it was it was the right move this the the stupid michael harris hit up the middle i was already talking myself and hey you got to let him go three you have to let him go three he's at 15 pitches and michael harris hits a nonsense little ball to the shortstop with tray i don't blame trade. That's a tough play to make.

It wasn't getting him either way. He wasn't getting him no matter what. I don't get why we just learned about he has a crooked finger and that's why he can't get the ball out of the glove a little bit. Joey Votto, Joey Votto, who I love, and I know I'm taking a sharp tongue here with Joey Votto, I thought did a great job. He said multiple times with Duran that going up there to the plate is you know you're going up there for an out. How did you think that was going to go?

And it's just like, someone could have muted Joey Votto. mute Joey Votto. Turn his mic off. Where's Krucky? Turn the mic off. Like, it's just, damn it. They were right there. They were right there to steal a game just like they were a couple years ago when they put the Ranger plan out there.

And they just, oh, one pitch, one pitch, one pitch, one pitch, damn it. I know, man. And if I'm with you, it felt like, because it did feel, look, we're getting ahead of ourselves in, I'm assuming they were going to go to Alvarado in the ninth if Duran got out of it in that spot after getting that. So like, you know, it would have been a scary ninth. And that's the problem with this team. You know, look, they fought today.

I'm with you. And there are some people you can call it not defensively. Trey Turner, like, what a disastrous hitter that guy. What a waste of $300 million. Like, what a set it on freaking fire. Like throw it out of an airplane over ocean. Like, what a disaster for the video. Honestly, I'll be an airplane video of $300 million flying out of the plane into the water

would be better for the world than Trey Turner playing on the Phillies. Like what an awful, awful hitter he is. What just lifeless, limpid. And look, again, other guys fought, I mean, the Harper non-home. Oh, never going to forget it. And Harper even knew it. I mean, he didn't even run. Like, he just knew it.

And I thought it was gone. I thought it was gone. We all did. And the Derek Hill almost catch. I feel like he's caught that ball a hundred percent of the time this year. I mean, it just felt like it just like again, I felt like I, I felt like I wasn't going to let myself get as emotionally invested in them to playoff game starts. It's impossible. And Zeus, man, like to go out there and give him five strong like he did.

It's just, it's really frustrating. And to your point, look, J.T. getting the most unlikely hit of this season, maybe of the whole era with that hit at that moment, it's just, it's infuriary. And for it to happen that way and for it to be so close and for it to just slip through the fingers. And, you know, look, the whole era being over is an aggressive statement. But I appreciate it. I mean, look, Sanchi, biggest start. You know, I know he had the start in L.A. last year, but this feels like the biggest start of his career just based on what the era is weighing on. But, you know, it- Well, it- It feels like this was a hard to get, come back up from- That's what I was going to say. Like, that's what sucks about this one.

Like, what sucks about this one is, you have the steal of a game against that team. By the way, I mean, was it half full? Have you ever seen so many blue seats? It was an embarrassment. Honestly, a disgrace. Like they should be Every praise fan Who watch that game on TV

Should be embarrassed It was like a getaway day I mean that was the energy in the stadium It was a getaway day type energy From from the Atlanta praise fans And what just It's so hard When you invest so much into that game

And it really felt like that they I mean they they they poured a lot Into try to winning that game today And now by the way You're going to go into a game tomorrow With Sanchez And you're most likely going to be down Duran

I mean, now all hands on deck. I bet that Duran tomorrow says, I'll take the ball. I don't care. Give me the ball. And now it certainly won't be in the seventh, but it will be only for one inning in the ninth. But to. Hopefully, right. Hopefully.

This team has had a lot of ups and downs this year. They've had some really big highs. They've had some really, really, really, really, really damn lows. That's going to be a hard one to, listen, I will give this team, all the credit in the world if they find a way to win a ball game tomorrow because I think that when you invest and put that much into that one and you have it right in your grasp and it just slips out of your hands like that, I would be floored if they come out and win that baseball game tomorrow. I really would. I think that is a total and complete gut punch and I think it's like,

it's one of those feelings you have of are we just ever, are we just never going to get it done? I mean, I walked out of this. Well, the curse is probably strong. It's only been 18 years since they 1. If you're a player on the team, I'm saying if you're those guys, you're like this, we're cursed.

We can't. This keeps happening us. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I had a three two prediction. It felt like a three two fills in. It's like it was setting up perfectly.

And he had a home. I just, it's not Joe Carter, but you know, of the of the gut wrenching home runs. It's, it's pretty up there. It's pretty freaking up there.

It's not your Don. It's not your Don. But I know it's the first round wildguard game. And the series isn't over for what it's worth. I know. I know. I'm just saying I'm with you. Look, it feels that way.

It's just like if they do win the next two, which again, I am with you. I think they will lose tomorrow. But if they do, then that Homer becomes a footnote in a win. But to your overall point, I do think it feels incredibly unlike. that after it felt like, you know, they went all in today, you know, emotionally and mentally and all that where it's like, you know, we have to win this baseball game. We have to find a way and do whatever it takes. And they kept finding ways to fight and to come back and to, you know, when they went down to one, it felt like, oh, God, really was sales, still on the hill and dealing.

And then they take the lead. They get sale out of the game. I mean, they almost stole a cruise and he is. I mean, that guy, they're like, he's one of the all time just watching on your couch and being like, I know, I'm not Elliott Turparks. I know that never in a million years with a million of bats could I ever get a hit off a major league, much as I'm running a hit off major league pitcher. I feel like Chris Sale feels like among the most impossible to hit. It's like Randy Johnson. You know, it's like, like I couldn't even like, I wouldn't be able to stand in the box.

So to have that opportunity, it does feel unlikely. But I'll go back to what I said before. I think like this is an all time. The only way they win tomorrow is if Chris Sanchez gives them like, eight shuddy or seven shut and it's just lights out and is like i am a sye young caliber pitcher and no one's getting hit off me today like and that's and that is possible but that it feels like a very small margin that that's the likelihood of what's going to play out especially because you know sancho hasn't been that guy you know really in a couple months yeah yeah yeah oh man

it feels like we're doing this uh about they they they lost the series spot like yeah I look and I agree I do not think they will win tomorrow like full stop but you are far more down than I am about like I think they have a chance to win tomorrow at least they don't have it never right like I just I just they had it and like they pull sale they pull sale and I don't know how I can never be a manager because I just don't know how you pull sale and I know that he like the stuff was starting to drop off a little bit like you you got him out in a pretty good spot. And like you took advantage of it.

And they like that's that sucks. Like what sucks? All right. There's a lot of things that suck about today. There's a couple things that suck is that is that Lazzardo was heroic. And that was about as good of an outcome as you could have asked for. Oh, the best case scenario. And I'm not going to fault him because my head said pull him.

But man, my heart said keep him in there. Like I just I know it was 75 pitches, I believe is when they pulled him. But he like it's one of those look your horse in the eye. And it's unfortunate when McFarland had that inning, Derek Hill just missed that one. Just miss it off the wrist. It's like, dude, baseball. He's caught so many harder ones this year. And it feels like that's like it feels like if you said, all right, this ball is going to be hit to any player in the Phillies.

Like Derek Hill might be my choice of the last like decade for the guy I want to go for that ball. Yeah, and it's just like baseball, man, I love it so much and man, I hate it so much. It is, it is mental, it's mental torture. These games are, these games are freaking torturous. They are torturous. You have, you have Hill just missing a ball. You have the heroics from Lazardo. You have the Harper ball that just millimeters foul.

You have Duran going in the seventh inning. you have like you get j t that j t hit i mean that was the j t hit and just when you start believing wow they're really going to go into it land and steal game one have a chance to close it out with sanchozen and not a game two it just they come and they just it just rips your heart out it rips your heart out i'm gonna me i'm gonna think about that raleigh home run for the rest of my leg like this is this is this is this is just a gluttonous sport it's truly it's truly the worst i mean it is a if you if you put your heart and soul into it, it's going to beat you down. And that is what this sport does better than any other sport in the world.

Like football games, you can feel almost a beat down coming. Sure. The out of nowhere, all of a sudden, game flipped on its head, nature of this sport is, it's so cruel. It's so cruel. I don't know how to put into words how I feel today. I am sick to my stomach. Look, I think you're dead right about that.

because I think we always say, I think that by far, and I will fight anyone who wants to disagree with this, baseball and hockey's playoffs, like elevate above the other sports. And the intensity of playoff overtime hockey might be the single most, like intense thing you can see in the playoffs.

But both teams know that one team's going to score a goal and the game's over. Like there's that finality of it when it happens where you're like, it's not shocking. It's not like, oh my God, I can't believe it ended. It's like, oh, that's how it ended. Or, yeah, it ended that way. baseball has that thing that you just talked about where in in a moment all of a sudden you go from

from two outs and duron going through two clean and just feeling great to two runners on base and a guy who stunk all year hitting a ball that they got over the fence by this much this much this much you got over there it just it hit the top of the fence and it just went out didn't even like it was like it's it's that it's that thing it's the harper ball that is is you know this far from being a home run. That's something that no other sport can match. And it is the most devastating thing because, look, it's a sport of failure.

We know that. But we talk about it for the players a lot. We talk so much about, oh, it's a sport of failure, and they have to be good with failure. And that's true. But you know what else to us to be good with failure? Us, the fans watching it. We have to watch the vast majority of it bats in the season are out,

our bad outs or this. We have to watch. Show me bad pitching performances. And yes, you get mad. with it at times and you get the moments and all that. But to your point, when the failure happens in the biggest spots and it happens in these dramatic ways, it's soul crushing. It is the worst feeling in all of sports.

I believe that fully. And obviously, like losing a championship game individually, I get that. I'm just saying as a general feeling watching a sports playoffs, there is nothing as painful as baseball. It's the most painful sport already. And then it's just ant. I feel like I'm going to sit in front of the TV tonight for an hour. Just watching the Riley home run.

I know, just over and over. Just, you know what? You know what hurt the most? It's going to be hard to wake up tomorrow morning, dude. I'll tell you. There are some days,

like I'm very lucky. I love my job and all up. There are certain days where I really, really don't want to get a bed at 3.30 in the morning. Tomorrow is going to be one of those days. Like, I don't want to go in and talk about this anymore. And I know we're doing. By the way, tune in at 6 o'clock on WIP, Jack now. Oh, yes.

Yes. Yes. I just, it really, this one, and again, the series is over it, it does feel,

it feels like really, like the whole city is just going to have a pall over it. And everyone's just going to be like, this sucks, man. Yeah. Yeah. Well,

now, listen, 15 and 1 when you win game one of the series. 15. Is that the number of the wild card? In the wild card era. In the game series, it makes sense.

I mean, wow. Yeah. So who's the one? I think the Yankees last year. I think the Red So, of game one and then they won the last two. But what hurts about

the Riley home run is that like Hill kind of slowed down like he thought he might be able to get it. And I was like, no way. Did they just dodge a huge bullet? But like the way that Vascoorgian called it, it sounded like it was a bomb. I know. That guy, dude.

That guy, he's just been so terrible for two years. And when he sees the Phillies pinstripes or Phillies uniform, he's just like, you know what I am? A hall of famer. I'm the best to ever do it.

I'm the best third baseman to ever exist. I am Austin Riley. That is how he when he's talking to himself in the mirror. Oh, look, it's the Phillies. I am great. Perfect. It's time to get right. It's time to, it's time to show these guys that I am worth the, what, $225 million

contract with assigned me to when I hit $216 this year. That'd be like the Braves-Long home run. to boom in a yeah or allowing it to Turner is what it would be if you want to do the money thing and all that I mean let's do he has he ever just grind it out in the bat just grind one out

he honestly like forget to take the money thing out of it like obviously because that it's impossible for that not to influence how we feel about him it's just what it is it's life but like outside of that just in terms of a player who's supposed to be good he might be my least favorite Philly to watch

on a night's basis like or at least one of the ones that I remember, who's supposed to be a good player. Like he is, to the point, he's such a limp player. He's limp in the way he plays offense, defense,

he's like attitude. Like, he just feels so lame. He might be the, the least inspiring athlete, I think I've ever watched. Yeah, that's a great way to, dude,

that's such a good way to put it. I have no faith in him in a big spot. Every time the balls hit his way, I dread it. Hold your breath. Hold your breath. The amount of weak, contact that he puts together.

The fact that he's never worked in a bat in his entire life. And listen, they didn't lose tonight because of Trey. I mean, but they lost a micro. Yeah, he's a microres. But they, I mean, he contributed. Well, the fact that they put him back and lead off with the year that he's had, you just have to do it. Now, that's more about getting

Schwerber in front of Harper and things like that. But either way, I would love to know the teams that are competing in majorly baseball this week and through the playoffs that would have a guy hitting 242. with a six-something OPS in the lead-off spot. They're going back to the old days

of just get the fast guy on instead of like an impact hitter. But we have to keep this facade up that he's an impact player, even though he's been an impact player once here. And I know he finished top five an MVP last year. It just, it's never felt like we have an impact player on our hands.

But holy cow, that sucked. Drink up, baby. Fantasy football happy hour is here to get you wins and have some laughs. Matthew Berry here. and my podcast, Fantasy Football Happy Hour, has the sleepers bus and starts it advice you need to win your league. We're diving into the tape or crunching the numbers to bring you sleepers,

bus weekly starts it advice, whether you're defending a title or desperately avoiding last place. I've got you covered every single weekday. The bar is open. It's Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, wherever you get your podcast. Oh, that sucked. And again, if they come back tomorrow and Sanchez deals

and they take it to the Braves, it will show a lot about the heart of this team because I think that that is a game that's tough to come back from. That is a game that is really, really tough to come back from. Hope I'm wrong, would die to be wrong more than anything in the entire world if they come back and steal this series.

But when you lose a game like that, with what they invested into it, with how Lazzardo through, with the moments they had. That's what we talked about, James. What did we talk about? Just have moments. And it's just like the JT triple last year

against Otami where it's like there's it like three runs three runs is what have you're not asking for the moon. You need three or four runs and with this pitching staff you have a chance and you have your your superstar closer on the mound in the eighth inning. I was I was very, very interested to see how they were

going to close that ball game out. I don't know what they were going to do Arborato. I think they were going to Arborato. I think they would have gone to Nola. To close the game? Yeah, I do. Bolin, I know he warmed up. All right, I need Dave, you have to ask Mattingly post game what your plan was,

because I need to know. That would be nuts. So Alvarado, I'm not put on the mound in Atlanta in a one-run game. Here's my case. Here's my case. I wouldn't either. I'm not saying I'm right with Alvarado. I'm just guessing.

Here's my case. Bolin's first game off the IL. Do you really want to put him out there? I know he's warming up earlier, but it's different. No, but no, let's never pitch out the bull in his life. Easy. I got it. I got it. Bolin did warm up earlier, but it was not a leverage spot.

Him and the knife, I was worried about. I'd be worried about Alvarado. There is no, like, I put the tweet out, and people were like, Painter. You kid, I love Painter. There's no freaking way I'm putting Painter on the mound. First playoff inning. First playoff inning. Nola was out there.

He is cool, calm, and collected. I don't think the moment would be too big for him. He's had moments against the Braves. I think it was going to be Nola. I think it was going to be Nola. I don't think it was Wheeler's bullpen day. I know there's been this new with Alcantra closing out games on his on his on his on his bullpen day. But I think that if you want him back on short resting game three, I don't think, well, I guess when I may not even get to a game three.

I was very curious to see how he's going to close that one out. And maybe they would have blown it anyway. Maybe they would have blown it anyway. But you know what? I was happy. I was happy. I was happy with the game tomorrow, Jack. Got another game tomorrow.

I was happy with the effort they put out today. I thought it was a proper effort. I agree 100% last thing. And then you're going to go because I know you got to get on the year. And again, if you're listening to watching this live, Jack and I'll be on at 6 to react on WIP. But first of all, I'll agree with you. If they fight back and win tomorrow, I think it, like, it says so much about this group and their toughness and their fortitude. So, you know, you'd love to see that.

But also, we can't let this pod go out without, you know, mentioning that, you know, all these things we're talking about. You got to blame Dumbraowski. You got to blame the roster construction. The fact that they had to go to Duran in that spot. The fact that they don't have anyone else you can even trust. The fact that we're talking about is Aaron Nola going to pitch the ninth inning of a, but at that time, potentially a one-run game in Atlanta for the first time coming out of the boat.

And that's all because they didn't do enough. And the fact that Brooks really isn't even on the playoff roster. And again, I'm not saying he should be. But like, what a disastrous, disastrous trade deadline from that perspective. When we all said, hey, you don't want enough relievers to be in with. go get some freaking relievers like full stop and killing it's hurry campaign but it's not like we're killing him is going to pitch in that spot based on what are you done and then really it's been a disaster so you know i don't think we can can finish about that saying now all i mean it mean all three of those

guys not being active for this is is is is horrendous yeah all right um so uh check us out w i p and our we'll be back after the game tomorrow to tune if you're tune in if you're a true glutton for punishment yeah please please we need you call in that'd be great all right um Go do your thing, Jack. I'll see in a little bit. Until that, he's written themselves.