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Playoff Notes: Why Phillies team chaplain doesn’t need to pray for wins

Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies in Game 2 of the NLCS. (Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

SAN DIEGO — Prior to Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, a handful of Phillies players, coaches and staff gathered in the visiting dugout in St. Louis. Countless meetings take place before every game, but this one was a little different.

Jeff Boettcher, the Phillies team chaplain since 2018, was holding a chapel service in the middle of “baseball heaven.” Better known as “Pastor Jeff,” he’s the lead pastor at Christ Church on 2nd & Moore in South Philadelphia. He comes to Citizens Bank Park every Saturday to speak with players, coaches and staff on both teams, but Boettcher was able to travel with the club for the special occasion.

He’s part of a ministry that provides team chaplains to all 30 clubs and minor league affiliates called Baseball Chapel, which was established in 1973.

A number of Phillies of Christian faith rely on Boettcher for spiritual guidance during the season. They can attend Bible study with Boettcher or meet one-on-one to discuss anything that could be going on in their life.

During the height of the pandemic, Boettcher released a video series called “Phillies and Faith” with a number of players over recorded Zoom sessions to discuss how faith shapes their life on and off the field.

His services are needed now more than ever as the club looks to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

“It’s actually important to keep messaging the same,” Boettcher said. “And that’s one of the big parts of our faith. Whether we’re doing great or whether we’re experiencing challenges, God’s unchanging.”

As a huge Phillies fan, he tries to separate his fandom from his job, but it’s satisfying for him to see so many of the people he’s gotten to know on a personal level succeed.

“To see them grind through it all, stay persistent and overcome a lot of adversity this year and to be where they are and to be able to experience the city in the playoffs for the first time, I’m really excited for them to have that opportunity,” he said.

One of the players he’s gotten to know and guide over the years is Aaron Nola. He was on the mound that day in St. Louis, so he wasn’t around to hear Boettcher preach. He threw 6 2/3 shutout innings in a series clinching victory that night.

Did Boettcher’s prayers help Nola that night? The answer is a resounding no.

“I always pray for every guy that they will be able to play to the best of their abilities and that they will honor God and if they do that, then whatever the score is at the end of the day, that’s what really matters,” Boettcher said.

“I don’t think my prayers have any kind of difference in the outcome of the game, to be very clear. They make no difference whatsoever.”

Schwarber’s clubhouse value

The baseball world is still talking about Kyle Schwarber’s historic blast in Game 1 of the NLCS. His value on the baseball field is in his power and on-base skills at the top of the lineup, but he’s also the glue that keeps the Phillies clubhouse together.

Dave Dombrowski previously revealed that Rob Thomson called Schwarber, “the best clubhouse presence I’ve ever been around.”

When asked after Tuesday’s game, reliever José Alvarado gave a great answer on how Schwarber connects with all ends of the clubhouse:

“He’s excellent,” Alvarado said through a team interpreter. “He’s a great person. He’s an awesome teammate. You know, he always tries to make sure that we’re all calm, we’re relaxed. Sometimes at the end of the game, he gives us a quick summary of what went right, what went wrong.

“But at the end of the day, he wants you to perform well, do well and so he’s going to have your back. He talks to us all the time. He’s a great communicator. And so it’s great to have someone like that in the clubhouse with playoff experience and someone that can pretty much guide you through what’s going on right now.”

What Rob Thomson learned about the Phillies

There was a lot of pressure on the Phillies to break an 11-year postseason drought. The team’s 11-14 record in September made it evident. After losing 13-4 against the Washington Nationals in game one of a doubleheader on the first day of October, it looked like it was all slipping away. Another loss in game two could have taken them out of the playoff picture with time running out.

But when the Phillies clinched a postseason berth in Houston on Oct. 3, the burden was lifted and the Phillies began playing a more looser brand of baseball.

Considering that the Phillies have to win three of the next six against the San Diego Padres to clinch the franchise’s first pennant since 2009, it makes sense.

“I always felt that the most pressure on our club was just getting in the playoffs, and once we got in, I thought that we’d be fine,” Thomson said Wednesday morning.

“I see everybody being so much calmer now than they were in September and coming down to the end because of all this talk of the September swoon, and I think it was kind of eating at them a little bit. But now I just see a really relaxed, calm, poised club”