Here's everything you need to know ahead of Game 1 of the National League Division Series this weekend.
When is the first game?
Game 1 is set for Saturday, October 4, at Citizens Bank Park. The game will be held at 6:38 p.m.
Who will they face?
The Phillies will play the Dodgers.
Starting pitchers
The Phillies will send LHP Cristopher Sánchez, and RHP Shohei Ohtani will start the game for the Dodgers.
RELATED | Phillies gear up for playoffs with a new mantra ahead of the NL Division Series
Full NLDS schedule
- Game 1: Dodgers at Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 4 (6:38 p.m.)
- Game 2: Dodgers at Phillies, Monday, Oct. 6 (6:08 p.m.)
- Game 3: Phillies at Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 8 (9:08 p.m.)
- Game 4*: Phillies at Dodgers, Thursday, Oct. 9 (6:08 p.m.)
- Game 5*: Dodgers at Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 11 (8:08 p.m.)
*if necessary
Share your fan photos
Don't forget to share all your Red October fun with Action News. You just might see it on TV!
You can upload photos and videos here.
Fan Lineup for Game 1
- 10:00 a.m. - New Era Phillies Team Store open until 3:00 p.m.
- 3:30 p.m. - Phillies Postseason Block Party, Citizens Bank Way
- 4:08 p.m. - All gates open; all fans receive Postseason rally towels
- 6:00 p.m. - Be in your seats for the on-field festivities surrounding the introduction of the Phillies and Dodgers. Ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Hall of Famer and 1980 World Series champion Mike Schmidt. The National Anthem will be performed by Tasia Jungbauer, in partnership with Ensemble Arts Philly and SIX the Musical. Jungbauer plays Catherine Parr in the SIX the Musical national tour.
- 6:38 p.m. - Phillies vs. Dodgers game begins
- 7th Inning - "God Bless America" performed by Delaware State Police Captain Jonathan Packard
Extra SEPTA service
SEPTA is adding service to accommodate fans heading down to the Sports Complex on Saturday and Sunday for both the Phillies and Eagles game.
On Saturday, SEPTA will run six extra Sports Express trippers on the Broad Street Line [B] from Fern Rock Transit Center every 10 minutes starting at 3 p.m. before the game to supplement regular service.
On Sunday, SEPTA will run Express trains on the Broad Street Line [B] from Fern Rock Transit Center every 10 minutes, starting at 10 a.m. and running until 12:30 p.m.
9-9-9 Challenge box
If you're interested in attempting the famed 9-9-9 Challenge at a Philadelphia Phillies game this postseason, the club has you covered with a ready-made kit ... sort of.
Confused as to what the 9-9-9 Challenge is? The premise is simple: A participant must consume nine hot dogs and nine beers over the course of the nine innings of a baseball game.
With scores of fans certain to be flocking to Citizens Bank Park for the 2025 postseason, the Phillies decided to make the challenge easier for fans by packaging it into a convenient one-stop bundle purchase.
Well, a version of the challenge, that is.
Presumably aiming to be a little more approachable for the average fan, Philadelphia's 9-9-9 Challenge box reins things in a bit. The hot dogs are "fun size," and the beers are "petite."
The box does come with a built-in scoreboard, so fans can check off the hot dogs and beers as they're consumed throughout the game. It will be sold in Section 128 and will cost $54.99.
The Phillies' postseason run -- and an unknown number of mini 9-9-9 Challenges -- will begin on Saturday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers traveling to Citizens Bank Park for Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Why they can win the World Series
Kyle Schwarber is made for October, and he will hold court, along with Bryce Harper, Cristopher Sanchez, Jhoan Duran and the rest of the cavalcade, in front of the most raucous crowd in baseball at Citizens Bank Park. Those are the featured players, but the Phillies' run could hinge on their four starters' capacity to go deep into games.
The bullpen is top-heavy, and the top is good, but if they aren't scared off by the third time through the order like so many others, the Phillies can ride their rotation far.
Schwarber and Harper have combined for 38 home runs in 510 career postseason plate appearances and are two of the best playoff performers of their generation.
If the Phillies can hit some timely home runs -- eight others on the roster reached double-digit homers -- their case, already perhaps the most compelling in baseball, gets that much stronger.
If they win it all, the 2025 World Series MVP will be...
We have two logical choices here: Schwarber and Harper. Both have been outstanding in the playoffs.
Schwarber has a .906 OPS and 21 home runs in 69 games, and Harper has a 1.016 OPS and 17 home runs in 53 games.
Schwarber, of course, had a monster regular season. Let's go with Harper, though. He knows how to lock in for October better than any other active hitter, and with time possibly running out on this aging Phillies team, it might be now or never for Harper to win a World Series.
Ready for his October close-up
Jhoan Duran got a taste of postseason baseball with the Twins in 2023, but he has never experienced it quite like at "The Bank," with his walkout song blaring through what is widely considered the loudest, most boisterous ballpark this time of year.
The Phillies' front office beat out a bevy of suitors for Duran at the trade deadline, and he has been everything the team could have imagined, locking down the back end of a leaky bullpen and looking very much like the final player of a title quest.
Soon, the ninth inning will come, and "El Incomprendido" will play. Philly will be ready.
ESPN contributed to this report.