How The Philadelphia Phillies Can Win The 2022 World Series
Image Courtesy of The Athletic
The Philadelphia Phillies are going into the 2022 World Series, as big underdogs against the Houston Astros who seem to have everything rolling for them. Houston currently has an extraordinary 7-0 record in the playoffs while showing they have some of the most dominant pitching ever seen. They ended the regular season with more than 100 wins and the number one seed for the American League, while the Phillies entered the postseason as the bottom seed in the National League after winning just 87 regular season games. However, the Phillies have the support of the entire country to crush the Astros, who can’t escape the team’s past scandals and tarnished reputation.
Here is what Philadelphia needs to do to win this series for the sport of baseball.
The Phillies have been crushing the pitching aces they have faced this postseason. As the Phillies worked their way into the World Series, left fielder Kyle Schwarber has been a huge reason for the turnaround by becoming a vocal leader in the clubhouse and has backed everything up with his postseason play. In the NLCS against the San Diego Padres, Schwarber hit .400 for the series, adding the furthest and hardest home run hit off star pitcher Yu Darvish.
To guarantee their success the Phillies need their two superstars, Schwarbar and right fielder Bryce Harper, to continue the offensive tear they have been on. Harper has batted .410 this postseason with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs, .439 OBP and >872 slugging, and the Phillies are definitely going to need him to stay hot as they battle the Astros. Harper is looking to break Philadelphia’s postseason extra base hit record, as he is currently tied at ten with Ryan Howard.
On the other side of the ball, the Phillies starting pitching rotation has matched the dominance of the Astros. Houston’s starters have a combined 2.77 ERA, with 10.9 Ks per nine and an opponent batting average of .216. Philadelphia’s staff has posted just as competitive starts with a 2.96 ERA, 8.9 Ks per nine and an opponent average of .175.
Tune in Friday night to see the action, everyone loves to cheer on an underdog! Go Phillies!