PHILADELPHIA — Preston Mattingly walked into the Phillies’ clubhouse at about 6 p.m. on Oct. 15. With an 8-3 win over the Braves, his team had just clinched a spot in the National League Championship Series. Few expected them to be here. The postgame celebration was bound to be rowdy and Mattingly, the Phillies’ director of player development, was excited to be a part of it.
But something was nagging at him. Two days earlier, Phillies minor leaguer Corey Phelan passed away from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a very rare and aggressive type of cancer. Phelan was only 20. Mattingly had stayed in touch with the family, and suddenly felt the urge, as champagne and beer sprayed around the room, to FaceTime them.
His call failed on the first attempt. But on the second, the Phelans picked up. They’d been following the Phillies since their son signed a minor league contract in August of 2020, and had been following them even more closely this year. Baseball sustained Phelan, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in April of 2022. The Phillies, and their improbable playoff run, sustained him more.
On that Saturday night, Chris and Christie Phelan saw the players singing and dancing, dousing each-other with champagne and beer, and smoking cigars in the clubhouse, all of them in a state of unadulterated joy. It was the type of thing Corey would have loved, so the FaceTime calls quickly became a tradition.
When the Phillies won the National League Championship Series on Oct. 23, Mattingly called the Phelans again. This time, they came with a message.
“Hey, I expect one more of these calls,” Chris said.
“I’ll do my best,” Mattingly replied.
He might make good on that promise. The Phillies are now two wins away from a championship, and on Wednesday night, the Phelans were at Citizens Bank Park to witness it all, sharing a suite with First Lady Jill Biden for Game 4 of the World Series.
Initially, Chris wasn’t sure he wanted to go. His last memories with his son were in this same place. But Christie gave him a push.
“I didn’t think I would ever come to a baseball game again,” Chris said. “But Christie reminded me this was the only place he ever wanted to be. So, that’s why we’re here today.”
They were right. Corey Phelan was never happier than when he was at a ballpark. He grew up in Long Island, watching the Yankees with his father, and always dreamed of being a professional baseball player, like most young boys do. But few of those young boys had Corey’s work ethic.
Phelan was undersized for his age, a “runt,” in his parents’ words, and as he began reaching out to colleges, he received one rejection after another. He saved them all and began to go to the gym with Chris at 4:30 a.m. to put on some muscle.
All of that work paid off when the Phillies signed him. And while Phelan made only five relief appearances with their rookie league team, he savored them all. He felt like he’d found a community.
Which is why, after he was diagnosed, he would attend Phillies games as often as he could. His doctors weren’t crazy about that idea, but he told them he’d sign himself out of the hospital if he had to. It was at Citizens Bank Park where he developed a friendship with Zach Eflin, Zack Wheeler, Brandon Marsh and Aaron Nola. It was at Citizens Bank Park where he became close with Dickie Noles and Larry Bowa, whom he affectionately called “Uncle Dickie” and “Uncle Larry.” Whenever he needed some extra motivation, Phelan was able to find it in South Philadelphia.
Eflin said this playoff run will be dedicated to Corey. However it ends, Phelan will always have a place in the Phillies organization, and his parents will never forget that.
A few hours before game time, Christie reached into her bag. She found a note on Corey’s phone after he passed, and decided to print it out on prayer cards. She brought some to the ballpark on Wednesday. She will spread her son’s message to anyone who will listen.
“I hope no one has to go through what I have been through to see how beautiful life is,” Corey wrote, “but I hope everyone is able to see how beautiful life is the way I see it.”
