The Miami Marlins face a seemingly daunting task as they get set to take part in the postseason for just the third time in 20 years

The Marlins play the defending league champion Philadelphia Phillies in the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday night. All three games will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Left-hander Jesus Luzardo (10-9, 3.63) in the regular season is set to start Game 1 for the Marlins against Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.61).

Philadelphia is known for its rabid – and sometimes hostile – fans. The Marlins are aware of that because they play in the National League East with the Phillies.

And while the Marlins are the underdogs in the eyes of the oddsmakers, they do not seem intimidated.

“It’ll be a good challenge, but we’ve played them tough all year and I think it’ll be a good fight,” infielder Jon Berti said.

Indeed, the upstart Marlins haven’t backed down from the talented Phillies in 2023. Miami won the regular-season series 7-6, including winning four of six.

“I think it will be fun,” Berti said. “We’re a group that will embrace this atmosphere. This is what you play for. You want that crowd at home but for us to do that we’ve got to take care of business first in this series. We just need to embrace the craziness that will be Philly and enjoy it.”

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, in his first year on the job, agrees.

“We’re going into a very tough environment in Philly but it was one of my favorite places to play when I was a player on the road because you can feel the crowd,” Schumaker said. “We’re going to come and bring it. It’s going to definitely be a home field-type of advantage with that crowd. It’s always fun to play in front of that crowd with those passionate fans and I’m looking forward to seeing our guys step up.”

The Marlins had stepped up throughout the season and reached the postseason for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. They knocked off the Chicago Cubs in the wild card round before losing to the Atlanta Braves in a division series.

However, the Marlins haven’t played in the postseason during a full season since 2003 when they upset the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Both Marlins’ series in 2020 were played without fans in attendance because of pandemic restrictions. Berti was part of that team and is looking forward to the different atmosphere this time.

“Obviously a little odd but you still knew the importance of it,” Berti said of the 2020 playoffs. “You still knew the pressure of it and everything so I feel I can draw from that experience. Obviously, it will be a little different with the fans, but it will only make it better.”

If the Marlins continue to play in October like they did throughout the regular season, they seemingly have a chance to knock off the Phillies.

Miami had an 84-77 record despite being expected to finish fourth in the NL East by most prognosticators. The Marlins also that many games despite being outscored by 55 runs.

“Resilient,” Schumaker said when asked to describe his team. “The fight that they have. The resiliency. We’re going to come and bring it every day.”