For those about to rock, how Phillies went AC/DC on Dbacks in NLCS, shook them all night long

PHILADELPHIA − We saw the intimidation with the Miami Marlins in the wild card round, the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, and now the Arizona Diamondbacks.

They have all crumbled under the red-towel waving 45,000-plus Phillies fans who jam their way into Citizens Bank Park. They stand through the entire game, shouting and taunting and cheering the Phillies on.

And they don't stop when the opposing team is ready to submit. It only makes them yell and wave their towels even more.

The fans gave the Braves business after shortstop Orlando Arcia taunted Bryce Harper with "Haha, Atta Boy Harper!" Harper responded with two home runs, And they gave it to Diamondbacks Game 2 starter Merrill Kelly, who said before the game that he has experienced a louder atmosphere.

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Kelly pointed to the United States’ World Baseball Classic win over Venezuela in the quarterfinals last spring, on Trea Turner's grand slam no less, as the loudest crowd he ever experienced.

"I would be very surprised if (the crowd) trumped that Venezuela game down in Miami," Kelly said Monday.

Silly mistake.

Turner scoffed, saying the Citizens Bank Park crowd had the decibel level of an AC/DC concert, and that Kelly would find out for himself.

And then the Phillies and their fans, to quote an AC/DC classic, “Shook (Kelly and the Diamondbacks) All Night Long,”and sent the Diamondbacks onto their own "Highway to Hell."

By the time the Phillies' offensive barrage was finished with its "TNT" demolition of the baseball, the Diamondbacks were left "Thunderstruck" with a 10-0 loss in Game 2 of the NLCS.

The Phillies have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, just two more wins away from returning to the World Series as the two teams head to Arizona for Games 3, 4 and 5, if necessary, from Thursday through Saturday.

But after Turner homered in the first inning and Kyle Schwarber added two solo blasts, along with two-run doubles from J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm, the Phillies were clearly "Back in Black" or at least in total control of the NLCS.

The Phillies have hit more home runs (15) in a four-game stretch going back to the demolition of the 104-win Braves in the NLDS than any team in postseason history, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

And the fans have loved every minute of it.

"(The crowd) is definitely a factor," said Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, who threw six scoreless innings. "They’re up all game on their feet from pitch No. 1 till the end. I feel like you don’t really see that too much around the league. That just shows you how passionate and into the game they are. They know what’s going on, and that helps us a lot."

But the Phillies also know what's going on. To quote another AC/DC song, "Money Talks."

And the Phillies have a veteran, playoff-tested team with a $245 million payroll, the fifth highest in baseball. The Diamondbacks are in the postseason for the first time since 2017. Their payroll is about $117 million, or about half that of the Phillies'.

Granted, spending the most money doesn't guarantee anything, as the top three teams in payroll − the Mets, Yankees and Padres − didn't even make the playoffs.

And Nola, who had an uneven season with a 4.46 ERA, could be the next $100-plus million man as he's about to strike it rich in free agency, whether he returns to the Phillies or signs somewhere else, after his third straight postseason gem.

It was reminiscent of last season when the Phillies found a way as the wildcard and made it all the way to Game 6 of the World Series. Then they added on with Turner, signing him to a $300 million deal last spring.

And well, here they are again.

"Absolutely. It definitely matters, without a doubt," Nola said about playoff experience. "We were in that same boat last year (as the Diamondbacks). They’re scrappy. To get these two wins is big. And to have a lot of guys that have experienced it now, helps."

So Turner got it started with his homer in the first. Schwarber added another in the third and yet another to lead off the sixth to make it 3-0.

Kelly allowed two more baserunners in the sixth, then was taken out to a loud, derisive ovation. His night was over, but the Phillies weren't close to done. Realmuto doubled both runs in, and Brandon Marsh doubled in Realmuto.

It was 6-0.

But we really saw the Diamondbacks fall apart in the seventh, just after Bohm doubled in two runs to make it 8-0. The noise level was deafening as Bryson Stott hit a pop up between the pitcher's mound and third base.

Three Diamondbacks fielders converged on the ball. They couldn't hear each other calling for it, and they all backed away as the ball dropped in.

Naturally, the crowd got even louder.

"Look, we could be playing on the moon," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "Everybody is talking about coming into this environment, and I don't care. We have to play better baseball. Everybody has to be better.

"Our competitive focus − and those are things that I've been talking about this past month − was lacking. We've got to catch that pop-up. That's baseball 101, and that is absolutely more than unacceptable to me."

Bohm couldn't believe what he was seeing, or hearing, either.

"That’s one of those things where home-field advantage comes into play," he said. "You got a ball in the air, and a little miscommunication, and you just can’t hear each other."

Soon after, the onslaught was finally over. The Phillies had closed out the Diamondbacks behind their top two dominating starters in Zack Wheeler and Nola.

Combined, they have given up 2 runs in 11 2/3 innings in the first two games of this series. They might not have to pitch again until the World Series begins a week from Friday.

"Any time we can play here, it’s the best," Nola said. "We have the best home-field advantage in my opinion. And to play in front of our crowd, we’re grateful."

That's Nola's way of telling the fans in AC/DC parlance, "For Those About to Rock, (the Phillies) Salute You."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How Phillies went AC/DC on Arizona in NLCS, shook them all night long