Five Reasons Why the Philadelphia Phillies Will Win the World Series

With the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros beginning on Friday, here are five reasons why the Phillies will take home the title.

Author:
Andy Jasner
Oct 25, 2022 2:30 AM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

The sixth-seeded Philadelphia Phillies reached the World Series for the first time since 2009.

From the first day of Spring Training to the final out of the National League Championship Series, Philadelphia embarked on a roller coaster.

Thankfully for the Phillies, the roller coaster never completely fell off the tracks.

Oh, there were many highs and lows. It wasn’t until the final regular season series on the road against the Houston Astros where the Phillies finally clinched their first playoff berth since 2011.

Amazingly, here they are.

The underdog Phillies will open the World Series at Houston Friday night.

While the road to four more wins and a world championship will be a difficult task, it’s more than feasible.

Need the top five reasons why? It’s very subjective and 30 different reasons can be chosen. Here’s five:

1 – Bryce Harper

The reigning National League Most Valuable Player and the NLCS MVP has continued to carry the entire franchise. You would never know Harper missed 52 games with a fractured left thumb during the regular season.

In the postseason, Harper has been completely unstoppable. His two-run go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 5 against the Padres will wind up being one of the most iconic homers in playoff history, not just Phillies history, but Major League Baseball history.

Harper is hitting .419 with five home runs and 11 RBI in 11 playoff games.

“This is great, to be able to be the last National League team standing right now,” Harper said. “The Philadelphia Phillies we’re here. We’re ready to go in that next round. We’ve got four more. We’re going to enjoy this as a team, as a group, but we’ve got four more.”

2 – Tandem of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola

Most No. 6 seeds don’t feature a one-two punch like Wheeler and Nola. Wheeler, one of the top free agent signings in Phillies history along with Harper, has rebounded nicely from right forearm soreness in mid-August.

Wheeler may not have the stamina he once had before the injury, but it’s darn close. He was terrific in Game 5 against the Padres, going six-plus innings and allowing two runs.

In four starts this postseason, Wheeler has posted a miniscule 1.78 ERA. And while his velocity dipped in the later innings, his control has still been solid.

It looks as if Nola will start Game 1 against the Astros on Friday.

Nola struggled mightily in previous Septembers, but this season was different. Even with a subpar Game 2 against the Padres, Nola has proved his mettle time and time again down the stretch of the regular season and through the playoffs.

In the three previous starts – the clinching win in Houston, Game 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round and Game 3 of the National League Division Series – Nola allowed only one unearned run in 19 1/3 innings.

3 – Rob Thomson

When the Phillies were 22-29, changing managers from Joe Girardi to Thomson made sense. But morphing into this? No one saw that coming.

Thomson, a baseball lifer, has turned into an incredible leader. His players believe in him.

Even if a move seems questionable, it seems to work out.

More than anything, Thomson has transitioned seamlessly into his role and looks like he’s been managing all his life.

He gets it.

4 – Rhys Hoskins

The ultra-talented, but defensively-challenged Hoskins could have been lost following some crucial playoff miscues.

Thomson believed in his first baseman and kept putting him out there. Hoskins has delivered in a myriad of ways, highlighted by his four NLCS homers.

A fifth-round choice in the 2014 draft, it took Hoskins a while to develop. Even now, his defense is a work-in-progress.

The Phillies don’t reach this stage of the postseason without Hoskins’ 30 regular season homers and everything else in the postseason.

“Rhys has gotten big hits for us during the whole playoffs,” President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said.

5 – Jose Alvarado

Rewind to the beginning of the season and Alvarado was scuffling. He was sent down to the minors. He couldn’t locate any of his pitches. He was lost.

Fast forward to late-October and Alvarado is one of the most effective relief pitchers in all of baseball.

Dombrowski has made numerous moves since joining the Phillies, but acquiring Alvarado was the first of many in late 2020. Alvarado was struggling with the Tampa Bay Rays.

After the Phillies sent Alvarado down, he worked on his mechanics. Now when he enters a game, the 100-mile-per-hour sinker and cutter consistently go through the strike zone. Against left-handers, he’s nearly untouchable.

The longer the Phillies stay afloat, having a left-hander who throws that hard will be even more vital. This scenario seemed impossible in May and June.

For coverage of the Houston Astros, go check out our writing over at Inside the Astros!