Phillies Vs. Padres: Memorable Scenes and Quotes From Phils' Clubhouse Party

Memorable scenes and quotes from the wildest Phillies party in years originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies have gotten used to ending their weekends with a celebration and the clubhouse party Sunday night was the loudest, wildest and weirdest of the four this month.

Beers, cigars, toasts, guys running around half-dressed embracing whomever they run into next.

There were, of course, multiple renditions of Dancing on My Own, which has become the theme song of the city that no one can get out of their head.

There was a group of 10 Phillies circling Nick Castellanos and hyping him up to rap a verse he knew every word to.

There was Garrett Stubbs wearing an empty Budweiser case on his head like your college roommate's buddy everyone considered a wild card.

There was Seranthony Dominguez pouring an entire beer over Ranger Suarez' head as he was being interviewed, then going to find two more beers to pour over Suarez' head.

There was rookie Bryson Stott with the selfie stick looking to capture as much as he could.

The Phillies are going to the World Series. The Padres are headed home, just like the Braves and Cardinals before them. The Phillies are the last National League team standing.

Bryce Harper, who delivered the dramatic game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Phillies' 4-3 win in Game 5, made a comment Saturday that it's cool to peer at the out-of-town scoreboard in right field and see nobody else playing.

The Philadelphia Phillies will be one of the last two teams playing.

It hasn't sunk in for much of the city. It hasn't sunk in yet for some of these players.

"Not yet. I don't want it to feel real yet," said Castellanos.

"You really can't make it up," said Noah Syndergaard.

"This is the best feeling of my career," said Kyle Gibson.

"You envision going to the World Series and going to the playoffs and stuff, but once you're in it, it feels so natural, it feels so normal," said Zach Eflin.

"We were already a close-knit group and then the additions we got, they contributed and got us to where we're at," said Zack Wheeler.

"All you've got to do is get a ticket into the postseason. The team that's hot wins and this team is hot," said David Robertson.

"I didn't know I'd be in the World Series, but you work for it. Thank God we're here, and we're gonna win," said Dominguez.

The Phillies will face the 106-win Astros in the World Series, which begins Friday in Houston. They won't be intimidated, not after all they've experienced this month. Not after coming back time and time again when facing elite starting pitchers or late-game relievers throwing 100 mph.

"There was a moment, it was really funny, I was sitting in the bullpen in San Diego in that first game," Gibson recalled. "I turned to D-Rob, I was smiling and laughing. He was like, 'What are you laughing about?' I was like, 'Dude, it just has the feel. We're going to the World Series.' 

"And this was in Game 1. I still don't know if it's completely sunk in. Enjoying the moment right now. There's nothing better."

It took more heroics from Harper to put the Phillies ahead after Dominguez gave away the lead in the seventh inning with three wild pitches. It rained all game and was heaviest when Dominguez was on the mound, but he was too overjoyed afterward to blame the weather.

"I pitched today? Man, I don't even remember," he said. 

"I'm so happy that we won. Nothing else matters right now. Just celebrate and be ready for the World Series."

Dominguez is one of many good stories on the Phillies. He hurt his elbow in June 2019, had Tommy John surgery 13 months later, missed all of 2020 and made one appearance in the final game of the 2021 season.

Then he returned to the Phillies and has grown into one of the league's most electric and overpowering relievers this postseason.

"I was injured for two years but the thing about that is that I had an opportunity to keep working mentally, think positive and get ready for this moment," he said. "I didn't know I'd be in the World Series, but you work for it."

Jose Alvarado followed Dominguez with a scoreless top of the eighth, retiring Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth with two men aboard to keep the game from slipping away with the Phillies already down a run.

After Harper put the Phils ahead, Robertson recorded the first out of the ninth, walked two batters and was pulled.

In came Suarez, who has the perfect personality for such a tense spot. Go-ahead run on base, pennant on the line ... ho-hum. Suarez threw two pitches for the final two outs.

"Honestly, man, he's got the biggest balls I've ever seen in my life," Eflin said. "But that's what's great about this team. I probably shouldn't say this but we play with our balls. We don't play with our head. We definitely expect to get outs, we expect to get hits and we expect to score more runs than the other team.  

"Pumped to win four more."

Friday night. The Phillies are representing the National League in the World Series, reinforcing the notion that you never really know a team's full potential until the dust settles.

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