It's wild to think Philadelphia is sitting moments away from the first pitch of a World Series contest involving the Phillies, but here we are.
The Phillies will try and play the role of spoiler to knock off the favored Astros, who entered the postseason with the most wins of any American League club.
The good news for Philadelphia is that Rob Thomson and Co. are familiar with the underdog role. The club squeaked into the postseason and has proven pundits wrong throughout October, creating an improbable story in claiming the National League pennant.
We've hit the point now where the regular season doesn't matter.
Whatever happens over the next few days, this Phillies club has established a connection with the city of Philadelphia that hasn't existed in a decade.
Fans have fallen in love again with baseball.
If you think about it for a moment, the pressure in this situation should be sitting squarely on Houston. The Phillies were an afterthought in June, and it seemed the pieces weren't there for this club to contend for a postseason berth.
But baseball can be magical.
Bryce Harper has picked up Philadelphia and hoisted the entire city on his back. There's a swagger with this club, an endearing factor, that just wasn't there when the season opened in April.
It would be a massive win, an exclamation point on an already fantastic storyline, if the underdog Phillies claim another series victory and bring a parade to Broad Street.
At the very least, it seems this cast of characters has kickstarted a rekindling of the love of baseball in Philadelphia.
Ownership has put the organization in a place to succeed. Dave Dombrowski has the core of the roster locked in for the foreseeable future, and a few prospects in the farm-system appear to be the real deal.
Baseball is flourishing in Philadelphia.
A win in the Fall Classic would be outstanding, but if nothing else, this season needs to be considered a massive success.
The foundation is in place. The window of opportunity is there.
Baseball is finally back in the spotlight in Philadelphia.
It's been far too long.
