Red October never really was red, was it?

Philadelphia fans were stunned last year when the New York Mets shut the Phillies down in the divisional series, as the offense collapsed, leading to a four-game exit. They were torn apart. They were ridiculed. They were heavily criticized. 

However, 2025 brought a new year and a new chance for the same lineup to seek redemption and push for Philadelphia's first World Series title since 2008. The Phillies powered their way to a 96-66 regular-season record and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, leading to yet another divisional-round appearance, and it would start at Citizens Bank Park.

Fans crowded the seats, rally towels swinging in the air. The nerves and excitement surrounding postseason baseball created an atmosphere so loud, you couldn't hear the person sitting next to you without screaming your head off.

This atmosphere was full of hope. It was the city giving the players a chance to rewrite themselves and prove to Philadelphia fans, once and for all, that they wanted to win and they wanted to win now.

Instead, for the second year in a row, the Phillies' offense took that hope and stomped on it. They wasted the passion of the fans, the advantage of playing at The Bank and a historical performance from its pitching staff, and threw it all away, losing in four games to exit the postseason.

After exploding for eight runs in Game 3 of the series to avoid elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies' offense lost itself, scoring one run in 12 innings of baseball.

After a 2-1 final in extra innings, the Phillies' season is over. It's done, but it seemed like the offense gave up before it even began. 

Philadelphia was one of the top contact-hitting teams in baseball this season, slashing a .258 team batting average in the regular season, which was tied for second highest in the MLB behind the Toronto Blue Jays' .265. 

They had the second-most hits in all of baseball, were four teams under the league average in total strikeouts and were fourth in on-base percentage and slugging. Philadelphia was hot in September, using powerful offensive weapons like Kyle Schwarber, Harrison Bader and Brandon Marsh to propel them to a No. 2 seed and home-field advantage in the divisional round.

Yet when the lights were the brightest, and the expectations were the highest, the big names disappeared, and the offense sputtered. 

Schwarber went a combined 3-15 in the series, and was a large part of the only win Philadelphia snagged in the NLDS, but was absent when it counted, going 1-5 in the final match. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner were no better, with Harper going 3-15 and Turner going 4-17, with their stat line also being inflated due to Game 3.

As a team, the Phillies garnered 28 hits through four games, and scored 15 runs, but lost their stuff when it counted the most. The pitching staff gave them a major buffer, and the Dodgers' pitchers provided the batters numerous opportunities to expand on or take a lead in every single game.

In the end, it's all hindsight. There's nothing to change, nothing to work on before the next game. There is no next game. For the fourth year in a row, the Phillies have broken the hearts of its fans, and left a bitter taste in their mouths.