Corey Phelan, of Greenlawn, was a son, a brother, a teammate and a friend. He was someone you wanted in your corner time and time again.
His energy and smile were unmatched, always enthusiastic and ready for the next obstacle. Cancer seemed like just a speed bump on his road to achieving the dream of making it to the top of the chain of professional baseball.
The heartbreak of loss in the wake of his passing earlier this month – losing such a bright soul at such a young age – has been a gut-punch to the community just as much as his strength continues to inspire. What we can do now: live our lives to the fullest, and live each day with a smile, thereby keeping Corey’s memory alive in all of us.
To follow out our own dreams, forever being grateful for the lives we lead.
A fundraiser has been started in honor of Corey that will go towards an upcoming foundation for pediatric cancer patients per Corey’s wishes, says the Phelan family. All proceeds will help other families faced with similar battles. Community players have already begun by purchasing Corey Phelan in-memoriam Phillies’ jerseys via freshprints.com.
When tragedy strikes, poetry is often found. Well, how poetic is this? The local Yankees and Mets may have been eliminated, but the Philadelphia Phillies who first gave Phelan the chance to turn pro have made it to the World Series during the same playoffs Phelan passed.
Cinderella stories make the sports world go round. After not making the playoffs since 2011, the Phillies clinched the final wild card spots thanks to yet another playoff picture expansion rolled out by the MLB.
In their opening round, the Phils took on the St. Louis Cardinals. There, the magic began. Trailing by 2 in the 9th, the Phillies put up a 6-spot to win Game 1. They shutout the Cardinals in Game 2 after that, en route to an unlikely sweep in St. Louis.
In the next round, Philadelphia took on the defending champion and division rivals, the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies struck first in Game 1 and staved off a late Braves rally to take an early series lead. They ultimately went back to Philadelphia and finished off the series in 4 games, 3-1. The highlight of the series: a bat-spike after a home run from slugger Rhys Hoskins.
The Phillies were rolling now, and they were one series win away from the World Series. All that stood in their way were the San Diego Padres, a team on a Cinderella stretch run of their own.
Once again, an emotionally high-intensity Game 1 win set the tone for Philly. After the Padres answered back to tie it at 1 game apiece, the Phillies won all three games at home. Their ticket to the World Series was officially punched on an 8th inning, game-winning 2-run homer by Bryce Harper that buried San Diego beyond recovery.
It was everything a playoff series should be– dramatics, theatrics and more. The fans in Philadelphia brought it every game and now the Phillies are 4 wins away from their first World Series title since 2008.
With their own angel in the outfield now, they’re going to try and close this thing out. It would be so fitting for the Phils to win this for Corey, and they have the support of many. The Phillies will take on the daunting Houston Astros, who have not lost a game yet in the playoffs.
The interesting thing about the playoffs is it isn’t always about who has the best team. Many times, it comes down to who the hottest team is.
The Braves and Nationals won their World Series in ‘21 and ‘19, respectively, as teams with lesser records who defied the odds with the amount of wins and winning streaks they compiled. The World Series will run from Friday, October 28 to as late as Saturday, November 5 if the series goes 7 games.
If you would like to donate to the Corey Phelan foundation, you can visit: https://www.freshprints.com and order a shirt. All orders are greatly appreciated.
