Red October is upon us. The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the postseason as they look to defend their National League pennant and finish the job in the World Series.

Johan Rojas, a rookie center fielder who has become one of the best defenders in baseball after being called up from Double-A in July, hit the walk-off single that punched the Phillies' ticket to the playoffs. It also put the team ahead of their win total from last year with five games still to play. Philly needs just two more wins to reach 90, which they haven’t done since 2011.

Before igniting a huge celebration in the clubhouse, Phillies manager Rob Thomson congratulated his players and told them what he sees in them that makes him believe they can go the distance.

“What an unbelievable team we have…I'm so proud of you guys,” Thomson said in the Phillies locker room. “You guys have overcome a lot of things. This is the most resilient team I've ever been around, and that plays big in the playoffs.”

While the Phillies did have big expectations coming into the year, and thus making the playoffs was the bare minimum, they have had their fair share of bumps in the road that made the accomplishment cathartic and exciting.

Bryce Harper missing the first month of the season (and being relegated to a DH role rather than a field role for much of the year) and Rhys Hoskins missing the whole campaign after tearing his ACL in Spring Training hurt the Phillies' depth. Top prospect Andrew Painter, who was poised to compete for a rotation spot, injured his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. Key pitchers like Jose Alvarado, Ranger Suarez and Seranthony Dominguez each dealt with their own injuries during the season.

The Phillies also had some dents in their spirits to buff out at certain points of the season. Players went through and eventually broke out of cold spells. None were more extreme than that of Trea Turner, the huge, splashy signing that was relegated to the eighth spot in the lineup not too long ago. After receiving some uplifting love from the crowd, he has been playing out of his mind, regaining the superhero form he showed in the World Baseball Classic.

Resiliency is the name of this Phillies squad, as exemplified by their run to the World Series last year. After clinching the final Wild Card spot in their final series of the 2022 regular season, they launched a six-run, ninth-inning rally to take Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the St. Louis Cardinals. They took that series, then defeated the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres to make it to the Fall Classic.

Falling to the Houston Astros after taking a 2-1 series lead in the World Series was disappointing. But the fact that they got there proved that this Phillies team is never to be counted out. With a stronger hitting core and the vibes of last year's run still swirling, the Phils are ready for the calendar to flip over and get another crack at the ultimate prize.

The resilience of this Phillies squad shows that they still have it in them to wreak havoc in the postseason, which they will begin with a home series. Rojas' late-game heroics at the plate clinched their spot as the top NL Wild Card team. Philly will face the Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds or Chicago Cubs to kick off their postseason.