Flyers Make Predictions on Phils-Astros; Kevin Hayes Exchanging Texts with Bryce Harper

A lot of hockey players are huge baseball fans, and the Philadelphia Flyers are no exception.

No one is a bigger Phillies fan on the Flyers than left winger Joel Farabee, who grew up rooting for the team because his father is from the Philly area. Kevin Hayes is friends with Phillies star Bryce Harper and exchanged texts with him after his epic homer in the NL Championship Series. John Tortorella is a long-time Yankees follower — even though he grew up in Red Sox territory — but has quickly converted into a Phillies fan.

With the Phillies-Astros World Series starting Friday night in Houston, several Flyers said they will be following the action closely. Here are some of their comments:

Kevin Hayes

“I grew up a baseball fan. My dad was way more into baseball than hockey,” said Hayes, who hit two homers at Citizens Bank Park when several Flyers took batting practice there this year. “He was my baseball coach pretty much my whole life until I took hockey seriously. Every place I’ve played, I’ve followed the Red Sox, big-time.”

Growing up, Nomar (No-mah) Garciaparra was his favorite player.

“And it’s funny, when you play for a sports team, you meet other guys. When I was in New York, I met some Yankees and Mets,” Hayes said. “And then I came here, and I’ve gotten to know Bryce pretty well.  I text him all the time.”

Hayes was on the training-room table Sunday, getting ready to face the Sharks, when Harper hit his historic homer.

“I was going to text him, but it was too close to my game, and I didn’t want him to judge me as if I was on my phone too close to my game,” Hayes said. “So I waited until after our game and I texted him.”

Hayes congratulated Harper.

“Thanks a lot,” Harper texted.

“Four more games and you guys got this,” Hayes replied.

Added Hayes: “I text him pretty much after every series. Three down. Four more to go. He gets back to me a lot. He’s a great kid. He’s a complete A-list superstar. It’s nice when you see guys like that and you see how humble they are.”

More Hayes: “I’m a big baseball guy. I love watching it. I can sit there and watch the whole game. My fiance doesn’t really like to watch a full game, but I can do it, and she works, so I get a chance to do it.”

Prediction?

“The Astros haven’t lost yet (in the post-season), and I think if the Phillies can win one of the first two , they’ll win in seven. Both teams have (quality) pitchers and they’re going to have a ton of rest. One swept and the other won in five. I was shocked MLB gave them five days off, but it’s just TV deals, probably. The rest kills momentum, I think. If your team is going good, you just want to play. … But I just think they (Phillies) have the mojo going.”

.⁦@bernieparent⁩ bangs the drum, then draws laughs as he pulls off his #Flyers jersey and has a #Phillies shirt underneath. pic.twitter.com/QkekAavNcq

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) October 27, 2022

After contributing two assists in the Flyers’ 4-3 win Thursday over Florida, Hayes ended his post-game scrum with two words: “Go Phillies.”

John Tortorella

The Philadelphia Flyers’ new coach is a lifelong Yankees fan despite being a Boston native.

Now, he says, his allegiance is with the Phillies.

“I’m as Phillies fan. I’m no longer a Yankees fan,” he said. “I walked into the building the other night prior to our game, and that’s when the guy (Rhys Hoskins) hit the first home run. I got out of my vehicle and it just happened, and (the ground) was shaking all around us. That was pretty cool. That’s what I love about being here. That complex over there and all the sports and all the buildings being there is so cool. And to listen to the noise during that game — and I just happened to get out of my car when he hit that home run. I walked in and saw the replay — and it was pretty cool.”

Another reporter then asked Tortorella a question about left winger Noah Cates.

Tortorella interrupted him.

“We’re talking baseball,” he said, drawing laughs. “… We’re talking World Series.”

Tortorella declined making a World Series prediction.

Joel Farabee

“Houston’s buzzing pretty good. They’re a pretty good team.  I think if we can just steal one in Houston and come back here, I think we give ourselves a pretty good shot. But they’re definitely going to be pretty tough to beat.”

Farabee and several of his teammates were playing soccer — a pregame ritual — in the bowels of the Wells Fargo Center Sunday when they heard a huge roar from fans watching the Phillies-Padres game on the arena’s scoreboard.

“We heard all the rink staff and people going nuts, so we kind of figured it out,” he said of the roar that followed Harper’s epic homer. “And we were able to see the end of the game, so that was pretty cool.”

His prediction: Phillies in seven.

Draws big roar at WFC. #Flyers #Phillies pic.twitter.com/8yX1LsiOXM

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) October 28, 2022

Noah Cates

Cates was on the bench, getting ready for Sunday’s game against San Jose, when he watched the final outs on the Wells Fargo Center scoreboard as the Phillies beat San Diego and clinched the NL pennant.

“It’s obviously super-cool that they’re going to the World Series,” said Cates, a Minnesota native. “I just think it’s so cool that all the stadiums are down in one place. You kind of get that energy when they’re playing.”

He likes the Phillies to beat Houston in seven.

Morgan Frost

“I’m a Blue Jays guy, but I’m hopping on the (Phillies’) bandwagon right now,” Frost said with a smile.

He has watched many of the Phils’ playoff games.

“Pretty impressive what they’re doing. It’s been awesome to watch, and I think that kind of gets the whole city going,” he said. “It’s exciting for us to see that.”

Like the rest of the players asked, he picked the Phils in seven.

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