Red October returns as Phillies make first postseason appearance since 2011

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- It's been more than a decade since the Phillies made a postseason appearance, but that long wait for fans is finally coming to an end. It's the return of Red October. 

The Phillies are in St. Louis this weekend, playing the Cardinals in the MLB Wild Card. Game 1 is Friday at 2:07 p.m. 

Phillies ace Zach Wheeler is scheduled to pitch this afternoon and the Cardinals will start Jose Quintana. 

The Phillies have a 40-41 record in road games and an 87-75 record overall. The Phillies rank fourth in the NL with 205 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game. St. Louis has a 93-69 record overall and a 53-28 record at home. Cardinals pitchers have a collective 3.79 ERA, which ranks fourth in the NL.

The last time the Phillies were in the playoffs was in 2011. It's been a while, but fans are excited to watch October baseball. 

Fans started the postseason party on Thursday, with a rally with the Red October Bus Tour. 

First, the bus stopped to surprise some young Phillies fans at school, before making stops in King of Prussia, Conshohocken, Drexel Hill and South Philadelphia.  

The Phanatic was on board getting the crowd pumped up. Fans also got to sign the bus, grab a Red October rally towel and meet former Philly Micky Morandini. 

The players and the manager say it's a great feeling to be back in the playoffs. 

The Phillies released a video Thursday night on Twitter. 

The last time they were in the playoffs, they were eliminated by the Cardinals, and Ryan Howard got hurt on the final play of the series. 

So, there's no doubt Phillies fans will have revenge on their minds when these two teams meet up for the best-of-three series. 

Here's the schedule for the bus tour. 

CBS3's Ross DiMattei contributed to this report. 

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