SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The next round of Major League Baseball playoffs begins tonight, and no team seems to be having more fun than the Philadelphia Phillies.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Oh.
DETROW: The Phillies locker room celebrations have taken on a life of their own, with videos circulating after each round of the players whipping around their long hair and their burly beards as they douse each other in beer and champagne, smoke cigars, wear shirts with custom catchphrases and, for the second playoff run in a row, belt out Calum Scott's version of "Dancing On My Own."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) I'm giving it my all...
DETROW: After last round's win, the team migrated to a nearby bar and sang along with celebrating fans from a balcony.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) I'll keep dancing on my own.
DETROW: As the Phillies try for a second straight World Series appearance, they've added on even more quirky traditions.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
DETROW: The team's massage therapist rings a profanity-engraved bell after each win, as she did on a seemingly endless loop in one of those celebrations while smoking a cigar. The players celebrate hits with gestures referencing the decades-old movie "Major League II." And when shortstop Trea Turner was deep in a slump earlier this year, the team's fans started giving him standing ovations after each at bat. And he has since put together a stellar postseason. So far, it's all helped the team eliminate the Atlanta Braves, who finished with a far superior regular season record for the second year in a row. It all goes to show that for a statistics-obsessed sport, the most important thing in October may be one that's hard to specifically quantify - good energy.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE BEATNUTS SONG, "PARTY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.