That included some late nights cavorting with the locals at the adjacent Philly Live! complex and seeing the city respond emphatically to their success.
And finally, come Monday, a day of rest after eliminating the Padres.
“I will say I’m probably drained, but I can’t really feel it,” says catcher J.T. Realmuto, whose last day off behind the plate was Sept. 8, save for Game 2 of a doubleheader. “Everything is so exciting, we’re having so much fun that the tired feeling won’t kick in until this is all over with. It’s been such a roller coaster ride. There’s so many emotions the last four weeks.
“You kind of felt it, the first day after we clinched (the NL pennant), the body let me know hey, you’re a little sore today, more than normal, but after having a few days off we feel recovered and ready to go.”
They were heavily favored against the Washington Nationals in 2019. Enjoyed homefield advantage once again against the Atlanta Braves in 2021. And enter undefeated, rested and at home against a Phillies team that won just 87 games and pieced together an unlikely postseason run.
So maybe this time, the Astros can take care of business against an ostensibly inferior NL East team?
Not so fast. The Nationals relied on a six-man pitching staff and timely hitting to win all four games at Minute Maid Park and a seven-game World Series title in 2019. The Braves overcame Charlie Morton’s broken leg in Game 1 and got a closeout pitching performance for the ages from Max Fried to win Game 6 in 2021.
