Rise and Phight: 7/18/2023

I think I can speak for most Phillies fans when I say that we all needed a break after that weekend of games. The Phillies won 3 of 4 against the Padres and each game was somehow more insane than the last. Sunday’s walk-off winner was a game many might remember for a long time, especially those of us that sat at Citizens Bank Park for almost nine hours through a rain delay and a game that laughed in the face of MLB’s pace of play rules.

While we’re on this subject, can we please get better in regard to rain delays? I think everyone knew the game wasn’t starting at 1:30, but it would’ve been nice to know ahead of time that it wasn’t happening until at least after 4 PM. To their credit, the Phillies were better with updates this time than they were last time when they delayed a game against the Braves for over two hours with no update until postponing it. But look at what the Mets did Sunday:

That update was given around 10 AM, thus giving fans enough of a head’s up so that they won’t sit at the ballpark with nothing to do except spend money for hours before the game even begins. If the Mets can do it, so can the Phillies.

Boomer rant over. On to the links!

Phillies news:

• The Phillies have to make a decision on Noah Song soon, and another Navy graduate-turned pitcher is reaching out with support.
• Speaking of Sunday’s game, the Phillies believe it shows their resiliency.
• Here’s a large review and breakdown of how the Phillies fared in the recent MLB draft.

MLB news:

• Could a legends home run derby actually happen? Some former greats are all in.
• The Reds called up third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and the 88th ranked prospect in MLB has already made history.
• Get well soon wishes to ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan, who suffered a broken back from a falling tree branch.