PHILADELPHIA -- Zac Gallen went to high school 15 minutes from Citizens Bank Park. Despite the proximity, the D-backs’ ace pitcher didn’t grow up a Phillies fan. Instead, his love for Mark McGwire turned him toward the Cardinals.

Nevertheless, Citizens Bank Park is where the 28-year-old right-hander grew up attending games. It’s the ballpark where he would visualize himself as a big league player. It’s the place he once hoped to pitch as a pro.

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Since he reached the Majors in 2019, Gallen has lived out that dream -- pitching in Philadelphia three times. Each of those times, he has been inundated with ticket requests from family and friends. 

Gallen has been open about the emotions that come with pitching so close to home. There’s a different level of energy. But when Gallen takes the mound on Monday for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Phillies, the level of intensity will be on a whole different level.

“I think it’s interesting, for sure, to start Game 1 in the NLCS at the field, stadium you grew up coming to as a kid,” Gallen said. “But, I mean, this is about the NLCS. That’s really where my emotions are. Still going to go through my routine. It’s about the NLCS. The external factors, I’ll block them out as best I can.”

While Gallen’s focus is on the NLCS, it’s impossible to tell his story without the connection he has with the area. When Gallen was 5 years old, he refused to play tee ball because he wanted to compete against the “big boys.” That led his dad to coach in the Somerdale Little League in order to draft his son in the third round.

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Four years later, when Gallen was 9 years old, Somerdale officials didn’t want Gallen playing against kids his own age because he was “too dominant” and kids were “too scared” to face him, according to a 2016 newspaper story in the Courier-Post. That forced him to play against kids up to three years older than him. 

As Gallen grew older, however, he felt he was often overlooked. Before his junior year of high school, Perfect Game ranked him the 341st player in the country. That made Gallen want to prove everyone wrong. After excelling as a junior, Gallen had a scholarship offer from just about every major program in the country and established himself as one of the best high school arms.

“The one thing that I know I can say about Zac Gallen is that he is as good as anybody I’ve been around at slowing down the moment and not being too overexcited,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “For those that don’t know him or haven’t talked to him, you can tell how his mind works and how he is very slow-moving and process-oriented with everything that he says, does and executes on a daily basis.” 

That process, the one that started about six miles from the mound at Citizens Bank Park, is what has carried Gallen throughout his career. Pair that with the motivation of wanting to prove people wrong, and he has quickly made sure that people recognize him as one of the best pitchers in the Majors.

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When Gallen got traded by the Cardinals and Marlins, he heard all the criticism that he was never going to be an ace of a team. When he wasn’t included in a couple of NL Cy Young ballots last season, Gallen saved the photo of the results on his phone to use as motivation in ’23.

Every step of the way, Gallen has wanted to get better. Before Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Gallen saw likely Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw working out in the outfield. Gallen walked over to chat with Kershaw, asking him about a few pitch grips and trying to pick his brain. 

“I’m trying to get better every day that I touch a baseball,” Gallen said. “You only get so many throws when you are out there.”

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As Gallen sat in the press conference room at Citizens Bank Park, his focus was palpable. He rarely cracked a smile as he answered questions about the Phillies or his hometown. 

Gallen admitted that he’ll be able to appreciate that he’s pitching in a postseason game near his hometown after he walks off the mound on Monday. But right now, he’s just looking to overcome yet another challenge. It’s fitting that it’s happening where it all began. 

“I got my mom some tickets for the World Series last year. Her boss wanted to go,” Gallen said. “The energy [at Citizens Bank Park], she said, was unmatched. It was like, ‘One day I hope you get to be in an environment like this, pitching in the playoffs.’ The fact that here we are a year later and it’s in the same spot where she had kind of mentioned the environment, the energy … I’m excited.”