Angel in the outfield: Local man believes late wife helped carry Phillies to World Series berth
Angel in the outfield: Local man believes late wife helped carry Phillies to World Series berth
A video making the rounds on the internet shows Joe Ashdale pointing to the sky as he celebrated the Phillies NLCS win at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. Joe lost his Phillies-loving wife Arlene just days before his 65th birthday and brought a prayer card to game 5 of the NLCS for good luck.
PHILADELPHIA - A local Phillies' fan who recently lost his wife believes she was watching over the Phillies as they continued their unlikely march to the World Series.
A video making the rounds on the internet shows Joe Ashdale pointing to the sky as he celebrated the Phillies NLCS win at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday.
Joe lost his Phillies-loving wife Arlene just days before his 65th birthday and brought a prayer card to game 5 of the NLCS for good luck.
"She was at game five with us in ‘08, and she just loved the Phillies," Ashdale said. "She loved this whole series, none of us can watch a game without saying or thinking ’mommy would have loved this'."
Joe's wife Arlene died just before his 65th birthday.
The video of Ashdale's fighting back tears after Nick Castellanos caught the final out has garnered thousands of views on social media, proving that sports are about more than just the players on a field.
"Seeing him break down it was actually good it was nice it was nice to see that side of him you know, and I went over and hugged him right after that happens, so it was special," Ashdale's son-in-law John Hunter said.
With Arlene watching from above, Ashdale believes the Phillies will get the four more wins they need against the Houston Astros to bring a World Series championship to Philadelphia.
"We still need her help we got a win for more games, so you know she can’t let us down!" Ashdale said.