The NL East champion Phillies have a new post-win mix, thanks to three brothers from Northeast Philly

NEW YORK — A few weeks into spring training, Garrett Stubbs had an idea. The Phillies had been using the same post-win playlist for the past two years. They’d continued to add songs to it, but some fans — and players — were ready for a change.

Stubbs, the backup catcher/team DJ, decided to bring in professional help. He sent a message to the Armentani Brothers, a DJ trio from Northeast Philadelphia.

“Do you guys want to make a mix for us?” Stubbs asked.

The Armentani Brothers — George, 28, Jimmie, 26, and John, 22 — did not hesitate.

“It was one of those pinch-yourself moments,” George said.

» READ MORE: Phillies playoffs: Schedule, tickets, opponent, and everything we know now that they’ve clinched

The brothers were raised in Bustleton, went to high school at Holy Ghost Prep, and played baseball at Drexel. They began creating music together in 2019, and have grown their audience over the past few years. They’ve headlined shows across the United States and worked alongside artists like Steve Aoki and Kaskade, but this project has brought a different kind of thrill.

For the past seven months, George, Jimmie, and John have been curating the sound of the Phillies clubhouse. Sometimes, when the brothers are watching postgame interviews on TV, they’ll hear their mix ringing in the background. For a group of Phillies “sickos,” it has been a surreal experience.

“I think Garrett said at one point that [Bryce] Harper came over and said, ‘What is this? I like it,’” George said. “And I was like, ‘Hell, yeah. This is awesome. The guys like it.’

“It’s just the coolest thing ever. No matter what happens, we were a little part of what was happening in that locker room this year.”

When Stubbs contacted the brothers in late February, he didn’t know where any of this would go. But when he began to play the mix, the players liked it, so he decided to keep it going. It is very much a living document. Throughout the season, players have asked for additions, whether it’s a quote, a song, or something else.

Stubbs will put those additions in the notes section of Dropbox for the brothers, who will mix it in.

“I’ve kind of played a producer role in it,” Stubbs said. “This is what my thoughts are — let’s see what we can come up with. And they come up with something and I’m like, ‘OK, this is great, but this part, that’s not what I was thinking.’

“They’ve done a great job. Their creativity is through the roof. The mix is really funny. It’s very playful with the sound bites. It reminds me of parts of the season.”

» READ MORE: Murphy: Phillies division title party is unspoiled by unfinished business. Now, get the first round bye.

From beginning to end, the mix is about 50 minutes. It’s uninterrupted, with one song flowing into the next. As Stubbs alluded to, there are sound bites. Brandon Marsh’s “Stay Loose and Sexy” quote from the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast in May is in there. So is José Alvarado’s quote from spring training: “I’m [expletive] fat.”

“On the ‘Dancing On My Own’ remix we made, you hear [Alvarado] going, ‘I’m [expletive] fat,’” George said. “And then the drop goes crazy. The guys really liked it.”

The brothers quickly realized that making one long remix for an entire 26-man roster would enjoy would not be easy. There were many musical preferences to account for. Marsh likes rap. Harper likes country, and recently requested a remix of “American Nights,” by Zach Bryan. Aaron Nola likes alternative rock — or “2000′s pop punk,” as George puts it.

“There’s ‘Stacy’s Mom,’ ‘Mr. Brightside’ type of songs on there for Noles,” said Stubbs. “Panic at the Disco. Stuff like that. There’s rap. Country makes an appearance. But house music is definitely the overall vibe of it.

“Like, everything is kind of — even if it’s a country song or a rap song, it’s got some sort of … as if you were going to go to a Diplo concert or something. Something like that.”

Added Jimmie: “You want to keep this upbeat party mix, but you also want to appease everyone in the locker room. So Stubbsy relays that to us. It’s so funny … sometimes, when we’re on calls, you can see him envisioning himself in the locker room. He’s like, ‘This is going to work, this is going to work. It’s fire.’”

The brothers have made five or six versions of the mix, and will continue to tweak it throughout the playoffs. Stubbs visited them in person to work on it a few weeks ago, at their home studio in Center City. It’s all been a labor of love.

» READ MORE: Finally, these Phillies have something new to celebrate: Their first NL East title since 2011

“We put a lot of time into it,” George said. “We work on a lot of music, but we’ve made this a big priority of ours, just because we want to nail this. We want the guys to love it. The hope is that it’s something that is helpful to the team, and helps them have a great vibe and great energy in the locker room and that translates to the field.”

Added Stubbs: “I think the fact that it’s original, everyone likes. And that’s it’s just for our team. Every single song that’s in there — some of them are original, but most of them are mixed in some sort of way that’s specific to our team. I think that makes it unique.”

There is another component to this post-win mix rollout, which Stubbs is very excited about. He has collaborated with Breaking T to sell postseason themed T-shirts. A local artist, The PACA company, designed them.

The T-shirts show Stubbs and Kyle Schwarber celebrating a playoff win, under the message “Winners Win.” All proceeds will go to Schwarber’s charity, Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes.

“I’ve never been able to be in a position to do anything for charity, really,” Stubbs said. “And I feel like now, I have a place where I can do something. And I felt like this was a great way to give back. Roll out the playlist with the T-shirt.

“Every single dollar will go to Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes. I’m hoping the city can rally behind that. And raise a lot of money for a really, really great cause.”