The historically bad Phillies franchise became the first major American sports team to reach 10,000 losses in 2007, but its Fightin’ fortunes were starting to turn. Who can forget the Phillies, down 7 games behind the first place New York Mets with just 17 games to play, fiercely coming all the way back and winning the 2007 NL East pennant?

Ever since, the team has had lots of post-season success, including three World Series appearances and one World Series title.

Here’s a list of Latino players who have been a big reason for the organization’s success in Red October over the last 20 years:

Romero’s winning ways

The Phillies signed J.C. Romero, a native of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, in the summer of 2007 after he was released by the Boston Red Sox. He proceeded to be the most important left-handed reliever for the 2007 division champs and the 2008 World Champions, winning two games in the Fall Classic. In the decisive Game 5, Romero was called in with two outs in the 7^th inning and a Tampa Rays runner on base, then drew the ground ball that Chase Utley famously faked to first base, then threw home to get the runner out at home. In the 8^th inning, Romero gave up a single to Tampa Rays outfielder Carl Crawford – the father of current Phillies centerfielder Justin Crawford – but Romero induced B.J. Upton to hit into a double play, killing the threat.

Feliz Filadelfia

The player who drove in the winning run to make Phillies fans everywhere very happy was third baseman Pedro Feliz, who was signed more for his solid glove than his bat. The native of Azua, Dominican Republic came up in the 7^th inning after a Pat Burrell double and a Shane Victorino ground out, which moved pinch runner Eric Bruntlett to third base. Feliz then hit a ground ball into centerfield for a base hit, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Two innings later, the Philadelphia Phillies were world f—king champions.

Pedro and “Rauuuul”

Pedro Martínez, the Hall of Fame Dominican legend, was not in a Phillies uniform long, but it was indeed memorable. Signed in the middle of the 2009 season, Martínez proved to be Philly’s second most reliable starting pitcher behind Cliff Lee. Despite the Phillies losing two of Pedro’s three post-season starts, it wasn’t his fault. He pitched seven scoreless innings in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the Phillies went on to win the game, 2-1.  Martínez then lost twice to New York Yankees starter A.J. Burnett in the World Series, including a close, 3-1 defeat in Game 2. Raúl Ibáñez was a big free agent signing before the 2009 season began, and carried the Phillies early in the regular season. In October, the Cuban American hit a home run in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, helping the Phillies win 8-6, and homered in Game 5 of the World Series to help keep the Phillies’ championship hopes alive. Ibanez batted .304 with four RBI during the series.

Chooch caught it all

The pride of Panama had his glove prints all over Phillies fortunes in the 2008-2012 era. Carlos Ruiz, whose fans affectionately called “Chooch,” was behind the plate or in the batter’s box for so many memorable moments. Ruiz hit that choppy ground ball to win a crucial Game 3 of the 2008 World Series, then caught the final out in Game 5. Ruiz caught Roy Halladay’s memorable playoff no-hitter in 2010, making a tricky throw to first base to record the final out. Ruiz also had a front row seat to some painful moments. He hit a home run in a Game 1 2010 National League Championship loss against the San Francisco Giants. Ruiz also caught Roy Halladay’s fantastic start in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS, when the Phillies painfully lost 1-0 to St. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter.

Segura started a magical run

After finally clinching the post-season for the first time in 11 years, the 2022 Phillies found themselves in the National League Wild Card Series down two runs in the 9^th inning against St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. Philly proceeded to load the bases, then Dominican infielder Jean Segura – in his first ever post-season series of his career – hit a two-run single to begin a dramatic comeback. The Phillies went on to win this game 6-1 and eventually won the series. Segura followed up this big hit with a .533 on-base percentage in the National League Division Series win against the rival Atlanta Braves, helping Philly reach the World Series.

Castellanos crushed homers

Hialeah, FL’sNick Castellanos had an up and down tenure with the Phillies, but his highest high took place during the 2023 National League Division Series against the hated Braves. In Game 3, the Cuban American hit two homeruns in a 10-2 route. Then down 1-0 in the decisive Game 4, Castellanos hit a home run off of Spencer Strider to tie the game, then hit a second homer in the 6^th inning to extend the Phillies lead.

Cristopher and Jesus bless us with pitching

The current Phillies aces, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesus Luzardo, will be tasked with carrying Philly this coming post-season. Last year in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dominican Sánchez pitched over six innings, giving up just one run and striking out five batters. In a tight spot later in this heartbreaking loss, the Venezuelan American Luzardo pitched 1.2 innings, leading up to Orion Kerkering’s tragic, game-ending error in extra innings.

Ranger Suárez: Legend status

Maybe the most accomplished post-season performer in Phillies history, Ranger Suárez has been one of the most dominant playoff pitchers in Major League Baseball history. He has four career playoff wins for the Phillies, compiling a 1.48 career post-season earned run average. In Game 3 of the 2022 National League Championship Series, Suárez gave up just one earned run over five innings to outlast the San Diego Padres. In Game 5, the native of Pie de Cuesta, Venezuela came out in relief to close out a 4-3 victory, clinching the 2022 pennant. In 2023, Suárez pitched in two wins against the Braves, including a big 3-1 win in Game 4. Even in defeat, Ranger was the bright spot in four heartbreaking losses: He gave up just three runs over ten innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 National League Championship Series; he fought through a gutsy, four-plus innings with eight strikeouts against the New York Mets in the 2024 National League Division Series; and he helped secure Philly’s only victory in the 2025 National League Division Series, giving up just one run over five innings in Game 3.