Bow down to the NL Champs
For the first time since 2009, the Philadelphia Phillies are heading back to the World Series. They defeated the San Diego Padres in five games in the NLCS. These are the moments the Phillies envisioned when they signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract on Feb. 28, 2019. He hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Padres' reliever Robert Suarez to put the Phillies on top, 4-3. He's certainly lived up to that contract, and his fantastic performance in the series earned him NLCS MVP. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Zack Wheeler: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 8 K
SDP Yu Darvish: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Standout bats:
PHI Bryce Harper: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
PHI Rhys Hoskins: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
PHI J.T. Realmuto: 2-for-4
PHI Kyle Schwarber: 0-for-1, 3 BB
Harper gave Philadelphia a series to remember
Since signing with the Phillies in Feb. 2019, Harper has had his fair share of iconic moments. Perhaps the most memorable was his walk-off grand slam against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 15, 2019. That was before Sunday.
With a 2-2 count on the seventh pitch of the at-bat in the 8th inning, Harper launched a go-ahead, two-run home run into the left field seats. He glanced over at the Phillies' dugout where his teammates were going wild.
The home run capped off a historically stunning series performance from Harper that earned him NLCS MVP. The slugger batted .400 with a 1.250 OPS, two home runs, five RBI, and just one strikeout in 20 plate appearances. He was unbelievable.
Now, for the first time in his 11-year career, the 30-year-old is going to the World Series and getting a chance to bring home a championship to Philadelphia. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Can the Phillies conquer the Astros?
Philadelphia is the latest NL East team sent to the World Series to face the Houston Astros within the last four seasons. The red-hot Phillies will travel to Minute Maid Park for the first two games of the Fall Classic before heading home for Games 3, 4, and 5. There is a 19-win difference in regular season wins between the two teams, but that gap didn’t stop the 2019 Washington Nationals or 2021 Atlanta Braves. Why not us? —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Here are the probable pitching match-ups for the World Series:
Game 1:
PHI starter: Aaron Nola (2-1, 3.12 ERA)
HOU starter: Justin Verlander (1-0, 6.30 ERA)
First pitch: October 28, 8:03 p.m. EST
FOX/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (1-1, 1.78 ERA)
HOU starter: Framber Valdez (1-0, 1.42 ERA)
First pitch: October 29, 8:03 p.m. EST
FOX/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: Ranger Suárez (1-0, 2.00 ERA)
HOU starter: Cristian Javier (1-0, 1.35 ERA)
First pitch: October 31, 8:03 p.m. EST
FOX/94.1 WIP
Game 4:
PHI starter: TBD
HOU starter: Lance McCullers Jr. (0-0, 2.45 ERA)
First pitch: November 1, 8:03 p.m. EST
FOX/94.1 WIP
Games 5, 6, 7 (if necessary): Nov. 2, Nov. 4, Nov. 5 @ 8:03 p.m. on FOX/94.1 WIP
MORE: Who is the Phillies' Game 1 starter for the World Series? —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Latest Inside the Phillies podcast
Lauren Amour, Kade Kistner and Ben Silver are joined by Inside the Astros’ own Kenny Van Doren to discuss the Phillies’ NLCS victory over the Padres and the upcoming World Series against the Astros.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Segura's postseason opportunity has finally arrived and he's living for every moment of it
After waiting 11 excruciating years to finally reach the postseason, Jean Segura has capitalized on the opportunity.
The veteran second baseman for the Phillies just needs four more victories to hoist the World Series trophy.
During this magical playoff run through the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round, through the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS and then through the San Diego Padres in the NLCS, Segura has proven to be a true team leader.
The normally stoic Segura has burst with emotion with some huge defensive plays and clutch hits. After such a long wait, Segura deserves all of this and more. —Andy Jasner, Inside the Phillies
The Phillies and Astros share an all-time classic history
Were you feeling it too when David Robertson walked two batters in the ninth inning and Ranger Suárez entered in relief? Was it anxiety, a knot in the pit of your stomach? Did you have goosebumps when Bryce Harper stepped up to the plate?
Now draw that feeling out over five heart-rending contests and you might have an idea of what it was like to witness the 1980 NLCS between the Phillies and Astros.
Of course, the Astros were a National League team back in 1980, so when they won the NL West, they advanced to face the Phillies in a five-game Championship Series, often crowned the greatest postseason series in baseball's modern history.
Now on an even bigger stage, all of America will be watching as the Phillies go to battle for a World Series title against the Astros. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Robertson should play a major role for Phillies in World Series
On Sunday afternoon, David Robertson was unable to close out the final game of the NLCS, with Rob Thomson eventually turning to Ranger Suárez for the final two outs. It wasn’t an ideal showing for the 37-year-old right-hander.
In the World Series, however, Robertson could play a bigger role than he has in weeks. Philadelphia will need all hands (and arms) on deck, and his could prove particularly helpful.
Robertson throws three pitches: a cutter, a slider, and a knuckle curve. The cutter is his primary weapon, and he uses his two breaking balls to generate swings and misses down in the zone. This particular pitch repertoire makes Robertson a great match for the Astros’ lineup.
Almost every player in Houston’s starting lineup struggles against one of those three pitches, according to pitch value data from Pitch Info and Sports Info Solutions. —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies