Baseball’s new expanded playoff format has resulted in a unique David vs. Goliath matchup in the World Series. In the first year of a sixth playoff team, the Phillies immediately became the first sixth seed to reach the Fall Classic, scoring upsets over the Cardinals, Braves, and Padres along the way to claim the National League pennant. In the American League, the top-seeded Astros held serve and swept both the Mariners and Yankees for a perfect 7-0 record in these playoffs.
Ironically, the Phillies and Astros met in their final series of the regular season, and Philadelphia didn’t actually clinch its ticket to the postseason until a 3-0 win over Houston on October 3. 2022 was almost like two seasons in one for the Phillies, as the team held a 22-29 record when Joe Girardi was fired on June 3, yet the change to interim manager (and now full-time manager) Rob Thomson immediately provided a spark. The Phils went 65-46 the rest of the way to earn their first postseason berth since 2011.
The roll has continued through October, with the Phillies knocking out three higher-seeded opponents due to a mix of strong pitching and timely hitting. While several Philadelphia players have had heroic moments, the 2022 postseason is increasingly looking like Bryce Harper’s moment, as the slugger is batting .419/.444/.907 with five home runs during the playoffs. Trailing the Padres 3-2 in the eighth inning of today’s Game 5, Harper crushed a two-run homer that put Philadelphia ahead for good in the 4-3 clinching victory, and unsurprisingly captured NLCS MVP honors.
Harper and the rest of the Phillies lineup will be challenged, however, by Houston’s dominant pitching staff. The Astros have a collective 1.88 ERA over 72 postseason innings, with more strikeouts (89) than hits (46) and walks (21) combined. The “weak link,” so to speak, is Justin Verlander with a 6.30 ERA over 10 innings, as Verlander was hit hard by the Mariners in Game 1 of the ALDS — however, the future Hall-of-Famer rebounded with a dominant six-inning performance against New York in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Considering how Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker have been struggling at the plate throughout October, the scariest part of Houston’s 7-0 record is that the team is arguably not even firing on all cylinders. The Astros cruised to a 106-56 mark during the regular season and is now back in the World Series for the second consecutive year, and the fourth time in six years. The only Series triumph came in 2017, and since that title is forever shrouded in controversy by the sign-stealing scandal, winning another championship might be the only way for the Astros to escape that cloud and earn more recognition as a mini-dynasty.
Houston is 1-3 in previous trips to the World Series, while the Phillies are 2-5 with their last championship coming in 2008. This isn’t the first postseason meeting between the two franchises — back when the Astros were a National League team, Philadelphia and Houston met in the 1980 NLCS. In what was when a five-game maximum, the Phillies needed all five games to barely outlast the Astros in a series regarded as a classic. The Phils went on to win their first-ever World Series crown that same year, and Philly fans can only hope that karma repeats itself in this latest matchup against the Astros.
Who’s your pick to win?
(poll link for app users)
Like 95% of baseball fans, I want the Phillies but expect the Astros to win.
Probably closer to 97%
99%
99.5%
I actually hope the Astros win so Dusty Baker can finally get a World Series ring as a manager and maybe (hopefully) put the 2017 Series to rest
Dusty Baker was the absolute perfect choice to take over this team following the report on the cheating scandal. Even better given Jim Crane’s alleged history.
forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/06/14/why-jim-cr…
Still rootin’ for the Phils.
Why should we want Baker to get a ring? He had his chance in 2002, with NL MVP Barry Bonds in his lineup, and he lost to Mike Scioscia’s Angels.
As for putting 2017 to rest, how does that work? They cheated. It’s history. Whatever they do now has nothing to do with that.
The only guys who got punished for that sorry episode were Luhnow and Hinch, and later Cora. The players who participated suffered no penalties in return for their admission of guilt and their cooperation with Manfred’s investigators. Some apologized, some hedged, some (like Evan Gattis) said it was fun and they had no remorse.
It’s over. If they win the World Series now, it doesn’t make the past any better. That was then, this is now.
It’s the Susan Lucci syndrome, you stick around long enough people root for you to win. But most fans identify with teams, then players, much less so managers or front office types.
Astros have played 7 games in the playoffs and won them all. They were head and shoulders above anyone in the AL and they steamrolled their way to the World Series. Along comes a team that is worse than the 2 teams they just swept, so what do I expect to happen? More of the same. Astros will win, pretty easily. No I don’t like the Astros, but that is the way I see it.
If you look at the 2017 Astros team, they were just better than the competition. They weren’t a known commodity at the time. Mike Fiers actually carried the pitching staff mid season until he faltered the last month. It was a brave move to leave him off the post season roster.
The Yankees were caught cheating but fought the eventual outcome for years.
As far as the World Series, AJ Hinch out managed Dave Roberts. Hinch was a master in game 3 and game 7. Roberts over managed and pulled Rich Hill early for no reason in both his games.
They didn’t “steamroll” Seattle.
They swept the Mariners – that’s a steamroll, sillywabbit
Hinch is a hell of a manager. I don’t get why other managers don’t tell their players not to swing at any of Kershaw’s breaking balls after seeing how successful that strategy was for the asstros
Hinch is a hell of a manager. I don’t get why other managers don’t tell their players not to swing at any of Kershaw’s breaking balls after seeing how successful that strategy was for the asstros.
AJ Hinch is a hell of a manager. I don’t get why other managers don’t tell their players not to swing at any of Kershaw’s breaking balls after seeing how successful that strategy was for the asstros.
Yanks caught cheating???? Lmao really?
Please explain to me how the Mariners are a better team than the Phillies. And there is a way less difference in the teams than you think. The Phillies have been a different team with they fired Girardi and the Astros play in a much weaker division than the Phillies.
Ha, haven’t ever seen an All My Children reference on this site. Well done!
2015 AND 2016… Manfred tried to cover it up…
It is interesting that only two other teams have swept the DS and LCS like the Astros just did and they both lost in the WS.
There’s much more pressure on the undefeated teams. Phils are rolling with house money. Stros still deserve to be heavy favorites though.
All teams cheat. Read Jim Bouton’s book “Ball 4” if you don’t believe me.
The Yankees were NOT caught cheating. The Red Sox were caught cheating and fined. The Yankees were accused of cheating, but not found guilty. No fine. I’m no Yankee fan, but those are the facts. Any other story, including the one about Beltran teaching the Yankees to cheat before he went to the Astros, is an unsubstantiated fabrication. I hate b.s. Yankee-hating lies. It’s childish and intellectually dishonest.
Not all teams cheat, and all cheating isn’t created equally. Presumably no one is cheating now so let’s just enjoy.
Nope
“What the public didn’t know was that MLB had also found that the Yankees had stolen signs using the video room and the bullpen phone — a scheme which Manfred said was “similar” to what the Red Sox had done.”
The 02 Giants was Barry Bonds and Jeff Kemp on offense, Jason Schmidt and Kirk Reuter in the rotation, Robb Nen and Tim Worrell in the pen and middling veterans filling in every other position. It was not the best team in the NL. The Angels outclassed that team. Dusty Baker did a great job with that team.
Utah Cornelius: The Yankees were in fact caught cheating. In 2017, MLB caught the Red Sox using electronics (an Apple Watch) to relay stolen signs. This was widely publicized. MLB also investigated the Yankees at that time and found that the Yankees used electronics (stadium phone system and dugout phone) to relay stolen signs. This was not publicized and MLB covered for the Yankees by saying the Yankees illegally used the dugout phone. The Yankees fought for years to keep the letter from MLB to the Yankees containing the truth from being released to avoid damage to their reputation. The letter was released earlier this year and here it is:
nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/26/sports/baseball…
A stadium phone system certainly is electronic. MLB let the Red Sox get crucified in the media, but covered for the Yankees. Very unfair.
The mariners were only more than 1 run down for a single inning of the entire series. Could have won all three games. Not a steamroll bro.
Susan Lucci? You need to quit using so much soap…
It didn’t matter that they cheated because they didn’t win anything was their logic
Your righteous indignation is amusing but, yes, the Yankees WERE caught cheating and WERE fined by MLB. Your unwillingness to accept documented FACT as such is not germane. But is really funny. Ooh you’re just so mad.
In no world are the playoff Mariners and Yankees better than the Phils. Astros are a powerhouse, and I still ecpect them to win, but the Phillies are absolutely the best team the Stros meet in the postseason. T
The Yankees were caught codebreaking 2015-2017 using replay room to steal signs and relay them to Yankee coaches directly or through the road team’s dugout phones where the replay rooms were too far away. They were only fined $100,000 and MLB kept it quiet. There’s two standards!
Its only “childish and intellectually dishonest” when it doesn’t fit your narrative.
If anything, losing the series would be the karmic punishment they deserve.
Astros in 5.
It’ll never go to rest
The Astros have shown time and time again that they are the superior team to the Yankees. And, they have also outlasted the Dodgers in many of these Series,
So to me, 2017 like the 2020 Covid Season should not be “overblown”
Where do you bet 95% from? Some of you need to move on with your lives if you’re still butthurt from 2017. The stros have proven they are one of the top run organizations. Accept it
Not a fan of either but I don’t think the number is that high just based off of how horrible most Phillies fans are.
Intelligent comment
Phillies fans are not horrible. You would know that if you attended as many games as I have. The organization has zero tolerance for any bad fan behavior. But don’t let the facts get in the way of following stereotypes. On the other hand, there is more than enough bad Eagles fans to give Philly a bad name.
Phillies fans might be good now but, I went to a few Phillies games in the 80s and I thought the fans were pretty rude. They were downright filthy toward former Phillies but they also heckled and booed Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt even when they were good.
@GarryHarris,
I was a regular at Phillies games during the 1980s, and I don’t remember being particularly filthy. On the contrary, I remember being being somewhat well behaved. Careful with those stereotypes. I know they can be a real timesaver, but they often miss the target.
I giving my testimony. The fans around me were pretty mean. Your experience and mine are very different.
I see your point. I was at an Angels game in 1998, and a few guys were rude to me and my date; therefore, Angels fans are dicks. Thanks, that was easy.
Thanks, Tcsbas! Love you, and your less than successful ball club, too!
Please stop. Who is your team again? Phillies fans are literally the best in all of the MLB. Look at the home field edge they’ve provided their team with during this postseason. No other base comes remotely close.
We can also use this as an opportunity to point something else out. Supposedly one of the ‘best’ fan bases in sports, the Yankees, quit on their team. Game 4 ALCS tickets were as low as $20 yesterday per mlb.com. Marinate on that one a little.
Kruk’s Left Nut;
Come ‘on……
Yankee fans are the most entitled, arrogant, baseball-challenged, front-running fans of any team in American professional team sports. No other fan base is close.
I do not hate the Yankees. I hate the spoiled brat fans!
Samuel — To call Yankee fans en masse those things you do is just childish and dishonest. I’ve know dozens of Yankee fans and I think like two have fit most but not all of your description. I’ve also gone to games in Yankee stadium and the loud-mouthed bratty Yankee fans are in the extreme minority. It’s like criticizing ALL Yankee fans for the fact that once in a while a fan or two make a suggestion to trade Andujar for Mike Trout or something. To criticize all Yankee fans for that is dishonest, blatant hater hater behavior. No attempt to even be honest at all. To paint the entire Yankee fandome with one description as you do is totally dishonest and descpicable.
Look at Samuel throwing out insults and then hiding behind the mute button. I suggest muting me to Suzie. You are way to weak to take what I’m going to throw.
Samuel — And the Yankee fans actually booed Aaron Judge. Aaron Judge!
Doubt they were good seats at 20 dollars. Do some real research if you’re going to say that because it’s not telling the whole story.
I’m not a fan of Bryce Harper whatsoever and not a fan Dusty Baker and his bromance he had with Barry Bonds. So I hope the Astros win it. There’s hardly any of the core left from the cheating anymore. Yeah I dislike Harper that much. The real question for me is when is Cashman and Boone getting fired?
“I’m not a fan of Bryce Harper whatsoever and not a fan Dusty Baker and his bromance he had with Barry Bonds. So I hope the Astros win it.”
You do know Baker manages the Astros, right?
Yes. But I also said I dislike Harper more. I agree with you by the way on another article on Cashman. George would’ve fired him years ago. Unbelievable the Yankees last won a World Series in 2009 especially being a perennial big spender.
I understand that people don’t like Harper, but I think it’s a bum rap. It started when he was a teenager in the minors and he blew a kiss at a pitcher after homering off him. The press made a big stinking deal about it and hung the bad guy tag on him, and it stuck. I think it’s BS. He seems a good dude who, like a lot of people, has grown up since he was a teen. He’s a married father of two who donates time and money to charity.
He might be a bit gullible in that, since I read that he encouraged people to donate to a shady “charity” run by a former federal agent and QAnon weirdo pretending to rescue children from “sex slavery” while collecting tens of millions in donations. But I suspect that Harper naively got taken in by the scam. He’s donated a lot to legit charities too.
I just don’t care for his attitude. I’m actually shocked he didn’t end up a Yankee btw in free agency. Cashman whiffed on that.
The best thing I saw all year was Bryce Harper trading his hat to a fan for theirs in the middle of a game…
Lol. What attitude? The court of public opinion just makes things up sometimes.
Harper was super obnoxious when he came up here in DC with the Nationals. Seems to have matured a bit since then.
I don’t even think he was that bad on the Nats. He was a kid whose every move was publicized. Thought he played hard every game.
Nice try, flam.
The attitude of always playing hard and being a great teammate? His clutch performances? Never understood the hate, maybe it is the trout v harper thing. I cannot imagine anyone saying “no thanks, I’ll pass on the guy with elite stats who always busts his tail.”
That hustle approach wasn’t always there with the Nationals. It’s part of how he’s matured as a player and leader since signing with Philadelphia.
I remember watching Harper his rookie year in Atlanta… he his a routine single to rf, he busted it out of the box, saw heyward playing it like a routine single and busted it out for a double.
I also remember Harper playing through injury a lot in dc, kind of like this year… I’ve always seen the hustle and hard work.
Ask Jonathon Papelbon about Harper.
You’re using Jonathan Papelbon as a paragon of virtue? Wow, you probably couldn’t have come up with a worse example of a decent human being.
I don’t understand how Cashman has kept his job this long. He rode the coattails of Gene Michael and Bob Watson with ’98-00 teams and the only championship team he built was in ’09 after spending ridiculously on Sabathaia/Burnett/Teixeira.
Boone simply is overmatched by most of the managers in the league. If not for the ridiculous start to the season the Yankees had they probably don’t even make the playoffs. It’s time to bring Donny Baseball home to the Bronx
Ask everyone who played with Papelbon about Papelbon. Great closer. Bad human.
Always playing hard? I think he has matured but he definitely didn’t have the greatest attitude coming up and he didn’t play as hard as he could (see source below).
washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2018/…
I give Harper extra points for knocking Papelbum on his ass.
The Black Lives Matter Foundation, which collected millions, was hit with Cease and Desist orders by both California AG Xavier Becerra and New York AG Letitia James. They were unaffiliated with any of the locally organized BLM offices that represent a grass-roots movement, most of which qualified to file Form 990-N allowed by the IRS for charities with less than $50,000 annual revenue. In other words, the legit BLM offices got comparatively little in donations.
ag.ny.gov/press-release/2020/attorney-general-jame…
documentcloud.org/documents/6945175-CaliforniaAGCe…
Re your tag: How about Joe Jackson for Hof?
I wouldn’t say Papelbon was bad, just somewhat of a jerk and outspoken. That’s what got him in trouble.
I have a suspicion that Boone’s hands are tied with the Front Office and analytics dictating most of his on field moves.
Cashman and Boone should be “cashed out”
The rest of MLB will love it if they remain in their present positions another 10 years and don’t win a World Series in that time.
Trump has that beat with all his phony charities, and raising hundreds of millions not used for phony election challenges and stuffed in his pockets.
I think we can all agree Papelbon is a dick.
John Rocker
drasco036 — Hunter Strickland.
I don’t think it happened that way.
Fred….
I’m with you it’s time to make big change in the Bronx u can win 100 games every year but championships is what matters!!!!! The question is who do you replace them with? George may have been a bit job in some ways but he wanted to win every year ….i get the feeling Hal is not on same page as his father its all about money ….
Very interesting winter coming up !
Astros remaining from 2017:
1B Yuli Gurriel
2B Jose Altuve
3B Alex Bergman
SP Justin Verlander
SP Lance McCullers Jr
RP Chris Devenski is on the Phillies.
I don’t gotta pick…. I just hope it goes 7 games
Yes. Hoping for 7. That said; pulling for the side with the much lower payroll.
The Phillies are in the fourth-largest sports media market and the Astros are in the eighth-largest. This year, the Phillies had the fourth-largest payroll and the Astros had the ninth-largest. They had identical TV deals, with each earning $70M.
The Phillies’ deal gave them a 25% equity stake in Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, while the Astros deal gave them the largest equity stake in CSN Houston, at 46%.
sportsmediawatch.com/nba-market-size-nfl-mlb-nhl-n…
blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-update-the-estimated-loca…
Are you against owners spending what they can afford to put a good product on the field? You’d prefer that they pocketed the money?
I assume the entire state of Texas and locals like Western Louisiana follow the Astros too.
Here’s a map, for what it’s worth:
seatgeek.com/tba/articles/where-do-mlb-fans-live-m…
Note that the measure they go by is the number of counties, so it’s kind of a BS map. There are single counties that dwarf a multitude of others in population.
Why would you assume that 95% of baseball fans want Philly to win? Philly is a disliked team as much as Houston is. Their fans are the worst in sports, by far.
Excuse me, the dodger fans gotta have a claim to that. Even as a dodger fan I’ve gotta admit we are terrible sometimes. Nearly killed Giants fan. Fans all suck, literally every fan has done something crappy.
@tstats – I’ve only been to Dodger Stadium once – this year here in May – and I saw the Phillies overcome the Dodgers 9-7 at the start of a 3-1 series win. We were in the cheap seats back in the bleachers, surrounded be a lovely Hispanic family, a couple of aged hippies, a couple of hot lesbians – in other words a whole mix of people who were great fun to chat too. Oh and a young kid who promised he was Dodger but had an Aaron Judge Yankees shirt.
There were a few boos of Harper and a silence when he popped one into the bleachers.
The fans I chatted with were all of the same opinion – they’d all be a better coach that Dave Roberts.. That’s a tough gig.
If Dodgers fans can be naughty (anywhere other than against the Giants) I’d be surprised.
Nonsense, joey. Whatever fan base you’re a part of is pretty awful based solely on your participation.
joeyrocafella;
I watch a lot of games on MLB.TV
The past 2 years I’d say I watched parts if not all of at least 150 games. Maybe 50% were played at Citizens Bank Park. I can’t remember one bad incident from the fans in the stands. There were a few times they booed after the team had made numerous errors or when a relief pitcher blew his umpteenth game or when batters consistently left runners on base. That lasted for less than a minute, At most I saw / heard 3-4 of those.
Tell me, when you watched them play this year – regular season and the playoffs – how often did they exhibit being “the worst [fans] in sports, by far”?
Try watching Yankees games and get back to me.
Is that Santa Clause thing still bothering you?
The Phillies are the classic “got hot at the right time” team. They’ve ridden that through the postseason and reached the World Series.
Now, however, they have to wait until Friday to start the next series. Astros in 5.
“Got hot” is nonsense. It’s done by people that know nothing about the team but the narrative they’ve bought into.
Saying the team “got hot” justified the fact that they never expected the team was this good.
The Phillies have played like this for long stretches in 2022.
The fans who believe an 87-win team (or the 88-win Braves) can be the “World Champions” are playing into Manfred’s gas-lighting.
These playoffs make a mockery of a 162-game season. We know who the champions of each league are, they gutted out more than a few short series.
It’s a marathon, Pete. That’s the nature of an MLB season. There are plenty of analogues.
A driver can lap the competition for most of a race, but if he spins out and loses in the last lap, he should be declared the winner?
A marathon runner can lead by a hundred yards until the last mile, but if he fades out and gets passed in the last twenty yards, he should be declared the winner?
A boxer can be way ahead on points through 14 rounds, but if he gets knocked out in the 15th round, he should be declared the winner?
Fink Ployed — Your analogy is flawed. In the three examples you gave, the venue, the rules, and the universe are all the same. It’s about outlasting you opponent, all under the same circumstances.
In baseball in the MLB playoffs, suddenly it’s NOT about outlasting your competition, it’s about short, indiscriminate samples.
The season is the qualifier. The playoffs is the tournament. The Olympics work this way to. You play the season to give you the best possible position to win. The Astros did just that, not even breaking a sweat. The Phils had an incredibly difficult psth ahead of them. They still do. Stros had a bye and homegield throughout. They absolutely earned that advantage.
VON — Fine. Then crown the Dodgers and Astros as the dual World Champions, and call the tournament what it is: Manfred’s Greedy Rounds.
In all the cases I cited, it’s a matter of maintaining a competitive edge all the way to the end. Perhaps you’re a Dodgers fan and can’t abide their postseason loss after winning 111 games, but that doesn’t alter the fact that they needed to win those additional games in the postseason and couldn’t.
Additionally, the added pressure of the postseason seems to expose managerial flaws. Aaron Boone, for instance, couldn’t decide on a lineup, and seemed to be in panic mode throughout the ALCS. The factors that gain weight during the playoffs matter and need to be taken into account by franchises when they’re hiring managers — or firing them.
The challenges to a pitching staff are also unique during the playoffs. Again, they need to be accounted for in the offseason when a roster is being constructed.
Taking the Yankees again as an example, they knew last November that most of their rotation hadn’t been stretched out in previous years and might break down before the postseason rolled around — and what happened? Their best starting pitcher, Nestor Cortes, succumbed to a groin injury and lasted only two innings in the most important game of his season. He had pitched only 7.2 innings for Seattle and 18.1 innings in the Dominican Winter League in 2020. He had pitched only 108 innings between the minors and majors in 2021, and they boosted his innings to 158.1 in this year’s regular season. What did they think was going to happen?
The popular bromide comes to mind: Failing to plan is planning to fail.
PLOYED— First, let’s get facts straight. I’m a Giants fan and I can’t stand the Dodgers. (That doesn’t alter the fact that they are the best team in the NL) And BTW, the Yankees are my second most disliked team.
With that out of the way, you still can’t account for the difference in the Manfred-manufactured circus rounds after 162-games.
I understand why smaller and mid-sized markets like the chance to win a championship, but it’s a false championship. We now have an 87-win team that’s gotten a reprieve. If you want to add their preseason totals (a rather gratuitous slight of hand, but okay), then you have a 94-77 team. Better, of course. But even if the Phillies outlast the Astros—say in a 7-game WS—their win total will be 99.
The Yankees STARTED with 99 wins BEFORE the playoffs. Houston 106 BEFORE the playoffs. Atlanta and the Mets had 101 BEFORE the playoffs. The Dodgers 111.
Of course, when Manfred and his owners change the rules so they can stuff more money in their pockets, they’re enticing fans to be fantastical, and believe the late comers (under the new rules) are the “World Champions.” Complete magical thinking.
I’m not particularly down on Philadelphia, but in this World Series there really is only one true potential champion playing for the crown and that’s the Astros. The other team that should be, based on games they won in the 162-game grind, is the Dodgers.
I’d be delighted to go back to a 154-game regular season, no divisions, no playoffs, and a World Series played between the American League and National League winners, with that series being the only time any team played a team in the other league. But that ship sailed long ago in search of greener shores.
That said, it’s still a marathon, whether or not that suits your notions of what constitutes a champion. The vagaries of the game of baseball aren’t limited to the postseason. In August, the Yankees got swept by the Cardinals, lost two series to the Mariners, and lost series to the Red Sox, the Rays, the Blue Jays and the Angels.
As John Sterling says: “That’s baseball, Suzyn.”
Unpredictability is a feature of the game; and that’s good, or no fans but those of the top dogs could ever have any hope. Who’d pay to go to the ballpark with the certainty that one’s team would lose?
Why? It’s much more difficult to come out of the playoffs on top. It’s been this way since the 50s. The best regular season teams rarely win ut all in the modern era, even before the wild card was introduced..
Pete….They’re 9-2 in the playoffs and 75-48 since June 1. Oh the heck with it….just read. Teams with worse records have been winning the WS for some time…it’s not sudden and it’s not Manfred.
sports.yahoo.com/world-series-winners-win-total-20…
PLOYED — If you find the current scenario palatable, fine. That’s your prerogative.
For me, the World Series no longer (necessarily) crowns the true champion because after 162 games, all the grit that went into having the best Won-Lost record is meaningless.
This year, it would have been fun to watch the Dodgers go up against the Astros. The two best teams.
Cat Mando —
Still don’t make it right.
No way that many baseball fans are for the Phillies. Yuck
I voted 7 times for the Phillies to win. I voted for Brandon more than that though.
I want the Astros but I think the Phillies are an unbeatable offensive juggernaut right now.
Are you trying the old reverse-jinx there, Garry?
No. Look at the teams and the Phillies were better at every position this year except 2B and SS but the Phillies are not weak at 2B and even at SS, they are closer matched than I first realized.
I like Phillies four-man rotation a little more than the Astros but even if one disagrees, it is closer than the media is reporting.
The pen is the wild card because it’s about the musician and not the instrument. I also think Rob Thomson knows his team. I actually like the Nola game 1 start.
We’ll see.
Hold on. You think Alec Bohm is better than Alex Bregman? You think Kyle Schwarber is better than Yordan Alvarez? You think Brandon Marsh is better than Chas McCormick? And as good as Bryce Harper is, Kyle Tucker is no slouch.
Obviously we all have our opinions
I don’t understand how you can say that almost all of the Phillies players are better than their Astros counterparts but OK.
Did you not hear about the suppressed letter.?Yanks have cheated as well.
Here’s the letter, if you want to read it:
nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/26/sports/baseball…
He and Pap were too much alike. Two hot headed meatheads.
Yet it makes perfect sense…
Phillies have a slim chance. Pitching is what matters in the playoffs. Stros in 5. I expect them to do what the mariners and Yankees couldn’t and win a game.
The most interesting part about this is could the Astros end up losing the World Series to a third NL East team (Nationals 2019) (Braves 2021). Other than that it’ll be a great series between the 2 hottest teams in the playoffs.
It’ll be the 3rd time in 4 years the Astros will play an NL East team in the playoffs who was well below .500 in May. Houston lost to Atlanta last year, and Washington back in 2019. Third time’s the charm?
rooting for an NLE hat trick against houston…
The question I would like to know is…if they had stuck with Girardi would they have eventually gotten their act together and ended up in the same spot, or was Thomson a true difference maker and if it wasn’t for him taking over, they’d be down in the standings with the Marlins?
Ignor
Probably somewhere in between, they only edged the Brewers by a couple games, so I am guessing the switch was a difference maker. Partly due to Thomson and also a wake-up call for the players.
Thomson definitely makes a difference. The way he uses his players improved the team. Girardi played mediocre veteran guys rather than trusting the kids. Without Stott and Bohm’s turn around, the phils arent in the WS. Without Bailey Falter they might not even make the playoffs. These guys weren’t getting shots under Girardi
I like players like Ronald Torres as call-ups, but yeah, Bohm and Stott can better carry them.
I wonder what Girardi will do with his World Series ring if the Phillies win… talk about insult to injury…
Giardi managed 52 games this year. Stott played in 26 games prior to Giardi’s firing so you have a point there. But Bohm had played in 50 of the 52 games and had already had the “I hate it here” moment and become a fan favorite. Falter was moved down to AAA to get stretched out as he was used primarily as a reliever in 2021. He wasn’t called back up until 3 weeks after Giardi was fired.
Girardi’s two biggest flaws were mismanaging the pen, and being a slave ro routine. I think the Phillies definitely improve even with Girardi, but not to the extent they did under Thomson. Girardi blew so many games with bad decisions. He lost the clubhouse.
VPH – You’re right. As a Yankees fan, I could see that Girardi was making the same mistakes in Phili that he made in NY.
Also, his big ego and intense personality quickly wear thin on the young players.
Thomson is a very capable manager and is a player’s coach, so it was a smart choice.
Von Purple,
Don’t know if you will see this but congrats to the Phils.
I predicted 9 out of 10 playoff teams and 5 out of 6 division winners at start of season. My only slip up preseason was predicting the Brewers over the Cards by one game, and the Cards rather than the Phillies as the second wild card. I thought due to lack of defense the Phillies would be lucky to win 83 or 84 games. And now I am rooting for them.
I had Atlanta vs Houston in a rematch. Glad I was wrong!
I am a Phillies fan and attend a lot of games and watch the rest. I was excited when they signed Girardi, but he definitely did a poor job with the Phillies. He thought too highly of himself and could never make the right moves. He was way too laid back and accepted losing in a nonchalant way. Thomson came in and made an immediate difference and you can tell how much the players like him. Plus, he has been willing to sit guys and go with the hot hand. For example, he took Knebel out of the closing roll almost immediately.
The answer is no. Thomson totally changed the culture.They were going nowhere with Girardi.
“Houston is 1-4 in Previous World Series matchups”
Was that a foreshadow?
The Astros are the much better team, but “on paper” hasn’t mattered at all in these playoffs and the Phillies are playing out of their minds right now and sometimes that’s all that really matters. Still leaning heavily toward Astros in 5, *maybe* 6.
An interesting aside is how, if the Astros don’t get it done this year, they might start developing a 90s Braves reputation as a team that was utterly dominant for years but struggled to get over the final hurdle, losing 3 of 4 World Series trips where they were favorites 3x.
phils bb
Judge deserves Playoff MVP… Astros wouldn’t have won without him.
Loved the excuses made by Yankee fans… “if the roof had been closed…” “If we were in Yankee stadium, that one is gone.” “If we are in Houston, McCormick’s isn’t gone.” “Houston was well rested and had their rotation set.” “Injuries” “They wouldn’t pitch to Judge”
Not sure who I’m rooting for yet. The juggernaut Astros or the upstart Phillies. Astros are heavily favored for good reason. I always root for the underdog. But the Astros are really good and I’d love to see Baker finally win as manager. He has the most managerial wins without a world series title. He won as a player.
However it ends up, I will enjoy watching the games. No matter how many times the announcers complain that the Yankees and Dodgers didn’t make it.
It’s funny that I haven’t seen any of those excuses expressed here by any of the Yankee fans who comment here, and I’m here pretty much every day reading whatever stories pertain to the Yankees. I sure didn’t make any excuses: to the contrary, I predicted the Yankees wouldn’t make it through the playoffs.
Where did you hear those excuses?
World Series doesn’t start until Friday, so 4 days off should be a re-set, since both teams clinched today. I feel pitching benefits more from having that much time off, and Houston’s pitching has been quantifiably the biggest reason why they’ve made it to the World Series. As for Philadelphia, I feel they are the “story-team” of the playoffs this year, which I feel always gives them an edge, in spite of what the numbers say. As cool as it would be to see the Phillies win with one of the worst defenses in the sport, and plunge the Baseball world into chaos, I think Houston’s pitching is the strong suit and will overcome the Phillies in 6 games.
4 days rest is a good point. This gives Wheeler and Nola plenty of rest and they match up well against the Astros top 2. The Phils have a chance to steal the first 2 if Nola and Wheeler pitch great and some timely hitting. Games 3 and 4 are up for grabs and then Nola and Wheeler get another chance.
Sure the Astros are favored, but Nola and Wheeler are solid starters. As we’ve seen in the past, the World Series can come down to some unknown star making a name for themselves… I’m talking about you Steve Pierce, David Eckstein, Scott Podsednik and David Freese.
To my friend TonyGwynn who comments and talks garbage on every post.
Who are you rooting for buddy? Sorry about your Padres 🙂
Several good comments. Obviously the Astros are the better team. But in the MLB playoffs that does not matter.
The Phillies are a good team whereas the Astros are a great team. Obviously the edge goes to the Astros on paper but it does not work that way.
I would normally bet on the hottest team but they are both rolling. It will come down to the team with the most intangibles. It will be the better pitching team and some key hits from unexpected sources.
I say Astros in 6 but they are good enough to end it in 5.
Everyone said no way the Astros beat the Yankees in 5 yet it only took 4. Astros have yet to lose a game in the playoffs.
Not everyone said that at all. After the previous series, I had no thought Yankees would win a game. They are total outclassed in every way by Houston. They barely beat a bunch of kids with no offense.
Astros were heavy favorites over NY even in the NY press.
The Phillies after the Trashtros are caught cheating.
Still spouting off I see. Poor Yankees
Astros win the series and maybe people move on with their lives
Astros will probably sweep them but I don’t particularly care who wins it.
Doubt it’s a sweep
Nobody should take this Phillies team for granted. They’ve been underdogs this entire postseason and they love it. They’re playing as though they have destiny on their side.
And the Astros aren’t? They haven’t lost a game yet.
So they’ve faced zero adversity then. Good way to catch a team off guard.
By the same token, the Phillies probably got lucky that the Dodgers were knocked off. Very doubtful Philly would have beaten LA in a 7 game series.
Phillies almost swept the Dodgers in the regular season. In LA. The way the Dodgers played against SD, I think the Phils beat them. Of course the Dodgers are better over all, but not in the 2022 playoffs.
The Dodgers went 15-4 against the Padres in the regular season. Doesn’t mean anything now. Plus the Dodgers went 1-5 against the Pirates in the regular season. I don’t think you could find too many people that would take the Pirates over the Dodgers in a best of seven, but it still could happen.
Astros are poised to win but I want Phillies to win much much more.
The Astros in five.
The Phillies can handle the Astros
The Orioles beat up on the Astros pretty good and maybe should have swept them in the last series they played, but the Astros are resilient
SO it should be a good series, I expect, if everyone stays healthy, this series goes seven
PS Baseball should be over now, the Season is way too freaking long!!!
The WS should be over by Oct 20. The strike did extend this season, but if they are going to have an expanded playoff format they need to start the season 7-10 days earlier.
The O’s pitchers were phenomenal against the Stros.
Every opponent the Phillies have faced this postseason was chosen over them. They just show up and figure out a way to beat you. I think Houston has all the pressure because they’re expected to win. I would not bet against the Phillies, especially if they take the 1st game.in Houston.
This could be the least watched World Series in decades. The lock out has proven that the regular season matters little anymore as any team can get hot at any time.
It will be on of the real fan best cause none of the the ” I can buy a championship” teams are in.
Hey, this isn’t the 1940’s. Fans love an underdog winning every now and again. If we went by just regular season record alone, the last World Series matchups would be very similar. Are you upset because your team can’t win head to head matchups with great teams?.
2022 Dodgers vs Astros
2021 Tampa vs San Fran
2020 Tampa vs Dodgers
2019 Astros vs Dodgers
2018 Red Sox vs Brewers
2017 Indians vs Dodgers
2016 Rangers vs Cubs
2015 Royals vs Cards
2014 Angels vs Nationals
2013 Red Sox vs Cards
2012 Yankees vs Nationals
2011 Yankees vs Phillies
2010 Rays vs Phillies
2009 Yankees vs Dodgers
2008 Angels vs Cubs
We would have missed out on the Braves, Nationals, Astros, Giants (3), Cards, and Phillies championship runs.
Except a lot of those matchups look better than what actually happened. Especially the 2015 Royals v Cardinals on the 30th anniversary of Denkinger’s bad call that stole the Series from St. Louis and the 2014 Angels/Nats in a match up of two franchises with zero titles at the time.
Angels won in 2002. ?
You are correct. I can’t believe I forgot that series. One of my favorites of all time.
It is not the NY/LA markets that MLB makes sure can at least make the playoffs every season unlike other pro sport leagues, but Houston and Philly are populous markets in their own right. Ratings should be decent.
I don’t think so. Philadelphia has the 4th largest TV market and Houston the 8th. Outside of that there are a lot of fans who love Kyle Schwarber, hate Bryce Harper and hate the Astros which equates to a lot of watchers.
Ridiculous. Yanks were on a record pace for wins until mid July then had a losing record rest of the way. Dave Roberts made bad managerial decisions. Money can’t always buy a championship.
Last year was Atlanta vs Houston. Philly’s a bigger market than Atlanta. Your statement makes no sense. This isn’t bashing Atlanta either. There run was phenomenal. I just don’t understand what Jim is saying.
Jim Tavegia — Or one might say, the World Series “matters little anymore.” 162 games tell us all who the top two teams are. The rest is Manfred and the owners picking every fans pocket.
Hope the Phil’s win!
So you have one of the best pitchers in baseball who has been lights out recently and has the lefty/lefty advantage and you save him for later but later never comes. If you don’t use Hader on Harper at least walk him. No reason to give him any chance to beat you. To hell with “the book “ that says you don’t put the winning run on base.
So you’d move the tying run into scoring position with no outs?
And this is why you’re not a big-league manager.
I hate you trash bangers but thank you Houston for making the world right again and totally demolishing the Yanks in each and every way possible on a baseball field. This is going hurt for years for the Yanks. It will sting. It will burn. Let is burn. This mlb playoffs has been great because the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees are not in it. Finally. What baseball is all about. It doesn’t matter who wins now but at least it wont be the big 3.
Rooting for Dusty and Trey Mancini. And oddly enough they both will get the same amount of playing time.
Trey Mancini reminds me of Tom Arnold
It’d be nice to see the Astros make history and sweep but with the Phillies as hot as they are, it could go 6-7. Astros win though. This’ll be great to watch
Does Girardi get a ring if Phillies win?
benhen77;
Probably just a text.
I believe so…he managed for about a third of the season.
Brad Lidge, Bobby Abreu, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, Brandon Duckworth, Randy Wolf
Let me know who I forgot.
Hector Neris
Robin Roberts
Joe Morgan, Dickie Thon, Michael Bourn, Pete Incaviglia, Kenny Lofton, Curt Schilling, Brett Myers, Tom Gordon and “Wild Thing” Mitch Williams are some others.
All told 119 players in history played for both teams. Thank you Baseball Reference.
Doesn’t matter. No one will watch that garbage matchup. A syndicated Saved By The Bell rerun will get higher ratings.
Nobody will watch but you took the time to comment about it. Haven’t you been put in your place enough on here?? Time to retire
My place? Racist
How is that racist? I’ll explain it in smaller words so you understand. Your takes are garbage and I continue to prove you wrong every time. Where’s your reading glasses gramps? Also do you really get that much joy out of liking all your posts? Kinda sad
It’s a shame, because they’re going to miss a fun series. Your loss
If it is one of the beach episodes with Leah Remini, it is totally understandable.
Yup. I’m a Phillies fan, but even I would pause for Stacy Carosi.
We’re talkin’bout the Fightins here! The Fightins! Said! Said!
The only people voting Phillies:
Los Karens, Phillies fans, pissed off yankee fans.
People aren’t going to be happy with us if we lose this series, aren’t they?
Nah. It’s one series. Nothing guaranteed. Astros are better no doubt, but you can’t give them 100%. 80? Sure. But the Phils top 2 starters and their lineup can change this thing quick.
We can all agree that it’s still bad for baseball that the Astros didn’t have the hammer brought on them for the worse crime against baseball in the history of the game. It should have crippled them for decades. That said, they are the better team here and I think they will win, although the Phillies are kinda the “on fire” team right now. Sooo kinda has the feeling they will win.
Dumbest thing I have ever read on here, and there has been a lot lol!
You obviously don’t pay attention to the game and the fact that the Astros were the Guinea pig. Did they cheat? Yes. We’re they the only team cheating? No. Go do a little reading and you’ll learn that almost every team cheats. Funny you call this “the worst crime against baseball”. Think the Yankees get 27 titles without the juice? Let’s see 1 title < 27 titles. Math is hard
I still have the Mets over Yankees in 5.
I was very torn on this. I picked the Phillies over the Padres as I thought this was the “Phillies’ year”. The Astros are the best team in baseball this year. So what happens when two high speed trains collide with each other?
The Astros certainly have the edge in pitching. While Wheeler is pitching out of his mind right now, the Astros as a whole have the more dominant staff and bullpen. When Verlander is your worst performing pitcher in the postseason and your 7-0, that’s a good problem to have.
But the Phillies lineup is terrifying. Schwarber, Realmuto, Harper, Castellanos…I mean it doesn’t get much scarier than that. And none of the Astros have been hitting lights out.
Dusty has managed so many good teams, but doesn’t have a championship, and I’m sure they want to give him one. The Phillies seemingly love rallying around Thomson, and want this for him.
This series is such a coin flip to me, and will go longer than I think most think. The Astros SHOULD win in 5, maybe 6. But the magic I think doesn’t stop for the Phillies. It is their year. Behind a WS MVP performance by Schwarber, the Phillies win in 7.
You forgot Hoskins!
Q: How do you put a ring on a garbage can?
An inflatable doughnut
A pool noodle for a ring
A: You propose to her.
former,
Thank you, sir! You have won today’s interwebs.
Unfortunately, the cheaters will win again another black eye on MLB
“Unfortunately, the cheaters will win again another black eye on MLB”
How? The Yankees lost.
The Phillies have a punchers chance but the Astros are the better team top to bottom. You never know though you get a hitter as hot as Harper is and that team of destiny feeling wouldn’t shock me if the Phillies won.
I don’t see a way the Phillies win it. Astros are simply better. I strongly dislike the Astros, but they’re both better and hotter. My hope is actually for a sweep just to get it over with so we can start the offseason.
I wanted the Yankees..but they are baseballs most overrated highest paid bunch of losers…that goes for their delusional fan base also
@ Bubba Ho-Tep,
Great username, as well as a great film. Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley and Ossie Davis as Jack (claiming to be John F. Kennedy) living in a nursing home was off the wall. I need to watch it again.
The Phillies kind of feel like a team of destiny this year even though the Astros are a better all-around team. That being said, having five days off resets everything, possibly including team psychology. Big Mo might be out the window by Friday, but talent will still rule. I’ll take the Astros in six.
The first team to get four wins?
“ The New York Daily News managed to take a shot at the Yankees’ ineptitude and the Astros’ history of improper competitive advantages in the same headline with: “No Cheating Necessary” with the subhead “Astros Sweep Yanks with funny stuff.” Aaron Judge is pictured here too.”
I don’t care who wins the WS. I am glad it will not be NY. Failed again………
Cheese Steak Express is on the move. Next Stop, Houston. Philly in six.
Any team that gives Judge more than 6 years will be making a huge mistake…… I know that is not the topic of this thread….
If Phillies win Game 1 or Game 2, this series will go 6 or 7….. If not, Astros will win in 5.
Go Phillies Asterisk should lose
Haha all you whiners talking about cheating make for a good laughter. That was 4 years ago, this Astros team is made up of almost all completely different players. Worry about your favorite team coming up short yet again. If other teams were good the Astros wouldn’t be in the World Series so often.
The “FIX” is in! This was arranged so Dusty The Incompetent can get a ring and be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. No one mentions that Baker was a clubhouse cancer as a player and everyone he played for couldn’t wait to trade him.
Rick…. Is that a fact? I’m not trying to be funny just didn’t know he was a jagg in his playing days????
I watched him play with the Dodgers.
He wasn’t.
He also was one of the smartest and clutch players on that team.
Let’s not forget his IRS issues.
If Dusty is so bad than how has he managed to take 5 different teams to the playoffs?
I’m rooting for Astros, but honestly doesn’t matter. I didn’t even watch the CS games from both leagues. Just boring!
Too bad, you missed some great baseball
I think Houston wins it in 6 games. Philly is good and they are rolling, but I think Houston is just a better team.
Everyone in Philly should send Ryan Helsley a fruit basket for having a complete meltdown.
Would’ve won the next two games anyway.
Hopefully no one blows an 8-1 lead.
It’s worst case scenario for NY. If Philly wins then Mets fans will be miserable and if the Astros win the Yankee fans will be miserable.
I think the Phil’s are going to take it. Their bullpen gets stronger by guys like Suarez moving from the rotation and adapting to a reliever role. Phil’s aren’t perfect but Astros are beatable. If Harper and Schwarber can keep their bat on the ball and limit the K’s I think they will take it in 6.
Suarez is the #3 starter and only came in in relief yesterday to face Grisham/Nola because there was a runner on and Suarez has one of the highest groundball rates in baseball. He also closed for a while last year before moving into the rotation, so coming out of the pen was not something he needed to adapt to.
What a great story the Phillies are this year! My head tells me Astros, but my heart tells me Phillies. Either way, it should be fun!
On a side note, I’m curious about Judge’s situation? Resign in NY?
Really? They don’t stand a chance with Wheeler and Nola and that offense? LOL
Let’s go Phils
Urquidy and Garcia would start games 2 & 3 for Philly. They can’t even get in a game for Houston. Philly and San Diego are built for a 5 game series. They just don’t have enough pitching to go 7. That being said, Philly is hot
Need the Astros to win. Cannot have a 3rd place team win the World Series
I am a +40 yr Astros fan.
I was embarrassed by the cheating scandal and freely agree they needed to be punished.
But I am saddened by the narrative that they were alone.
I even admit they were the worst offenders. But the media and fans continue to drive it after 5 years and ignore everyone and everything else.
All through the ALCS the TBS announcers especially Bob Costas could not go 15 minutes without mentioning it.
Josh Reddick signed with the Astros in 2017 FROM THE DODGERS and said on Twitter he witnessed cheating there.
Carlos Beltran signed with the Astros in 2017 after spending most of 2016 with YANKEES and immediately told them they were behind and neded to improve their sign decoding process which triggered their system.
Only 5 of the current 26 players on the Astros were on the 2017 team.
Yuli Gurriel was a Rookie who had recently defected from Cuba. Alex Bregman was a 23 year old in his 1st full MLB season. Neither were in a position to say anything or stop anything.
Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers are pitchers who benefitted from but didn’t actively use the system.
Jose Altuve was the only veteran who could have stopped it and he should have. He didn’t but also did not use it and by all accounts did not like it.
For this World Series I hope the MLB community can just accept this team as a different team than 2017 and move on.
The Astros need to win this World Series to start that narrative. Whether people will let that happen is another thing.
Well said. I’m just a couple of years older than you and I’m also a lifelong fan. It was (and still is) disappointing that this ever occurred.
We have been yelled at & even threatened just for wearing a hat/shirt/whatever. We travel & love to see the Astros play in visiting ballparks during Spring Training, regular season and the postseason. I understand why other fans are mad – but I didn’t hit the damn trashcan & I always try to be respectful to other people. This behavior is just as upsetting and disappointing as the behavior/actions used during the scandal.
Everyone knows they weren’t the only team that was “cheating.” It certainly doesn’t make it right, but to turn a blind eye and act as if all other teams were innocent is ridiculous.
Hoping for a great WS & really hoping that the Astros can bring home the title.
The story about Beltran teaching the Yankees to cheat in 2016 is completely fabricated by Astros fans.
Completely fabricated by fans?
Try Sports Illustrated issue 2/11/2020 and they reference “the Athletic” story by Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal as insiders who got the information from the players.
True or not? I have no idea.
Fabricated by fans? Absolutely not.
The Astros aren’t my team. But I agree with most of Astrofn’s post. Winning this series should matter only to Astros fans. What they’ve done the last few years should already be enough for anyone else. If anyone still wants to be outraged, direct it at MLB. Not the current Astros team or their fans.
Phillies win because the Astros dont have the chance to cheat this time. Also, if their is a baseball god, he would want the Astros to lose for messing with the baseball world. Astro fans tears taste sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good..
How’s the golf course?
Go Phils
Since the only thing worse than the Astros winning it all would be the Yankees winning it all, Go Phillies! I guess.
Phillies have a small chance winning 1 game at the most. Houston is too good
I’ve got Harper fever. Phenomenal.
Phillies.
Phillies in 6
I love my Phillies but I think Houston might be a little too much for us. with that said we are on one of those rolls where it seems like everything has turned to gold so far in the postseason. I hope Phillies in 5 so we can win it at home, but I think if the Phillies do actually pull it out I expect it to be no less then 6gms. If I had to put my house on the line I say Houston in 6 though
A team from the NL EAST will win for the 3rd time in 4 years. Best division in MLB!!
Not really, Bob.
The results of this poll are very similar to the SD v Phillies poll….just sayin’
Go Phillies. They’re the only team left of my predictions. I predicted the Phillies vs Mariners with Seattle winning. So I’m sticking with the Phillies
I’m an Astros fan but dammit I really like Phillies scrappy season. There’s a reason they’re here…they’re fighters. I don’t think any of us here are taking the Phillies for granted. At all!