PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of Citizens Bank Park during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 26,2021 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia,PA. (Photo by Rich Gra PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Howard swung and stumbled, belly flopped onto the dirt, then hobbled a step or two before he crumpled to the ground in pain.
He sat with his head down while a swarm of St. Louis Cardinals buzzed past him and celebrated their clinching win in the 2011 NL Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.With one final swing of the season, Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies went down in a heap.Howard, the once-feared slugger and 2006 NL MVP, never regained his 40-homer, 100-RBI form.The Phillies never recovered their postseason greatness, either.For 11 years, Howard’s groundout in the season’s final at-bat served as a flashpoint for a franchise that briefly ruled the NL East, only to fall into a chasm of bad baseball and meaningless Septembers.
The Phillies run of five straight postseason appearances -- that included the 2008 World Series championship and 2009 NL pennant -- ended with Howard needing help off the field after a 1-0 loss to Chris Carpenter and the eventual champion Cardinals.Howard's injury in a way became symbolic for a team that limped through most of the last decade with dwindling fan support, the wrong managers, incompatible rosters and wide-open calendars in October.Well, look who’s back in Philly.About 4,025 days later, the Phillies are indeed home for a playoff game when they face Atlanta in Game 3 of the NLDS on Friday.
It's certainly been a long time — their big slugger now, two-time MVP Bryce Harper, hadn't even made his major league debut.