3 reasons the Phillies can pull off a World Series upset
The World Series-bound Philadelphia Phillies will be huge underdogs in a potential matchup against the Houston Astros, but there are reasons for optimism
The Philadelphia Phillies are headed to the World Series.
Just four months ago, that fact would’ve defied belief. The Phillies were 21-29 when the calendar switched over to June. Only four teams had ever advanced to the Fall Classic after being that far below .500 through 50 games. Manager Joe Girardi was fired and replaced by Rob Thomson.
Then the Phillies took off. Thomson won his first eight games as manager. They finished the year 65-46, the fourth-best record in the National League, enough to sneak into the postseason as the third Wild Card.
It’s a run that culminated on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, when Nick Castellanos squeezed a fly ball in right field for the final out as the Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres four games to one in the NLCS and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2009 and eighth in franchise history.
Their opponent will likely be the Houston Astros, who hold a commanding 3-0 series lead on the New York Yankees in the ALCS. On paper, it seems like a colossal mismatch.
The Astros won 106 games this season. The Phillies won 87. Their 19-win differential would be the largest in World Series history. The Astros have a star-studded lineup with plenty of World Series experience, from Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, and Yordan Alvarez. The star players of the Phillies, such as Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and J.T. Realmuto, will be appearing in the Fall Classic for the first time, with only Kyle Schwarber having played this deep into October before.
The Astros have the Cy Young-favorite in Justin Verlander, plus Framber Valdez and Lance McCullers Jr. in their rotation and a deep bullpen. The Phillies’ bullpen largely struggled throughout the season. Manager Dusty Baker has nearly 30 seasons of experience and two pennants; Thomson has been a big-league manager for four months.
But, despite the long odds, when the World Series begins on Friday there are plenty of reasons the Phillies should be confident in their ability to shock the world. They’ve already done it just to get here; and, as Harper said while accepting the NLCS MVP trophy on Sunday, “We got four more. Let’s bring this s**t home.”
1. It’s Bryce Harper’s moment
Bryce Harper was pegged for stardom since he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16. Now a week past his 30th birthday, he’s largely met those lofty expectations, winning two MVP awards and building a career resume that should get him to Cooperstown one day.
But that success had never translated into the postseason. Harper hadn’t even won a series over his 11-year career until this season. He had never had that magical playoff moment, with the eyes of the entire baseball world on him.
Until today.
Harper’s two-run, opposite-field shot in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Phillies the advantage they needed to move past the Padres and into the Fall Classic for the first time in 13 years. It will be Harper’s first World Series after a career spent building up to this moment.
Harper is batting .439 so far this postseason. He has a hit in 10 straight games, tying Lenny Dykstra in 1993 for the longest single-season streak in franchise history. He has seven multi-hit games. He’s had nine games with at least one extra-base hit, including five home runs. Harper is only the third player in postseason history to have a nine-game span with an average that high as well as at least 10 extra-base hits and five homers, joining Kike Hernandez in 2021 and Carlos Beltran in 2004.
“As good as it gets,” manager Rob Thomson said after the Phillies clinched the NL pennant. “He’s proved to me over and over and over again that there’s no moment that’s too big for him. He’s come through so many times. You just kind of expect it when he goes to the plate.”
Harper is taking over October as few players can. He’s already enjoyed a magical ride through the first three rounds, one that, if it continues when the World Series begins on Friday, may be enough to push the Phillies past the Astros.