Red October — again | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Phillies are back in the postseason.

Let that sink in for a bit.

OK, now let’s look at how they got there. Aaron Nola gem? Check. A little extra drama? Check. The similarities to 2022 are striking — though this year’s squad is different in several ways.

The Phillies won in very Phillies fashion on Tuesday night, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates on a 10th-inning walk-off single by Johan Rojas after the bullpen blew a late lead.

With the win, and the Cubs’ own collapse, the Phillies have secured the top wild-card spot and will face Chicago, Arizona, or Miami on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Get ready.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓Which team would you most like to see in the wild-card round and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Way back in 2007, Orion Kerkering watched a young phenom named David Price pitch in the Tampa Bay Rays’ only win in the 2008 World Series against the Phillies. Price had jumped from high-A to the majors and onto the Rays’ postseason roster that season.

Now, Kerkering has a chance to do the same thing. The 22-year-old righty who shot through five levels of the Phillies’ farm system made his major-league debut on Sunday, with his father on hand to watch. Our Alex Coffey caught up with Todd Kerkering, who shared what it was like to watch his son pitch at the highest level.

J.T. Realmuto, Kerkering’s batterymate on Sunday, has bonkers home and away splits. But during the current homestand, manager Rob Thomson feels the catcher is getting his timing right now.

Next: The Phillies are back in action tonight against the Pirates (6:40 p.m., NBCSP). Ranger Suárez (4-6, 3.89 ERA) and Johan Oviedo (9-14, 4.12) are scheduled to start.

The Eagles are 3-0, one of just three NFL teams still undefeated. Josh Tolentino explores the numbers behind the Birds’ win, while EJ Smith analyzes what we learned Monday night.

It was something of a homecoming for rookie defensive lineman Jalen Carter, as 50-plus family and friends gathered to watch him play his first NFL game in his native Florida. And he gave them a show.

He wasn’t the only Eagle to show out. St. Joseph’s Prep fans may recall watching D’Andre Swift and Olamide Zaccheaus star in high school. The Prep alumni have reunited this season, and both flashed Monday night.

Zaccheaus had a solid outing, but the passing game as a whole was uneven. Jeff McLane offers his take on Jalen Hurts’ two-interception night.

Britain Covey also provided a special-teams highlight and helped set the tone with his career-high 52-yard punt return. And he won’t be playing it safe this season.

Next: The Eagles will look to make it 4-0 on Sunday as they welcome the Washington Commanders to Lincoln Financial Field (1 p.m., Fox29, 94.1 WIP FM).

College sports has always been big business. It’s just now, since the advent of name, image, and likeness deals, the student-athlete gets a share of the pie — and, with that, for some, the power to choose where to play.

Full rides to top schools? If you’re a blue-chip recruit, that comes standard; now it’s all about the dollars. What this has caused is a bit of parity, perhaps more than ever before as colleges and universities fight to keep up.

So what effect does this new college landscape have on Philly’s six Division I schools? In our series, Collective Effort, The Inquirer’s Mike Jensen takes a look at how collectives fueled by big dollars from boosters are providing an assist to Big 5 programs to strategically remain competitive. Up first, a look at Villanova and how the dollars being pumped into its basketball program mimics the professional game.

Noah Cates’ rookie season exceeded all expectations, as the former fifth-round pick not only earned an every-night spot in the Flyers lineup but established himself as one of the best defensive forwards in the game.

While John Tortorella loves Cates’ defense and play away from the puck, he has challenged the forward to add more offense to his game. Jeff Neiburg looks at Cates’ development and why Sean Couturier’s return could unlock a new level for Cates.

The Flyers trimmed their training camp roster to 52 on Tuesday following a 6-0 preseason loss to the New Jersey Devils. See which five players were let go here.

Next: The Flyers will hope for a better preseason results at 7 p.m. tonight on the road against the New York Islanders.

The Union boast two of the most reliable centerbacks in Major League Soccer with Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott. And for that reason, Jim Curtin tends to ride them, maybe even a little too much.

But Glesnes’ injury and Elliott’s recent suspension forced Curtin to rotate his central defenders a little bit. Could this be a blessing in the long run? Jonathan Tannenwald looks at why a little rest now might go a long way come playoff time.

Next: The Union host FC Dallas tonight at Subaru Park (7:30, Apple TV, free).

We asked you: Who was the last Eagle to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns?

Answer: B: Roman Gabriel. The former Birds signal-caller led the league in several statistical categories, including his 23 passing touchdowns in 1973. Stephen T. was first with the correct answer.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Mike Jensen, Jeff Neiburg, Gustav Elvin, Jonathan Tannenwald, Anders Pryor, and Devin Jackson.