What do 1915, 1950, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, and 2022 all have in common with each other? They are the years in which the Philadelphia Quakers/Philadelphians/Phillies have qualified for the World Series. A chance to stand alone at the top of the MLB Mountain.
We know that aside from 1980 and 2008 we have failed to reach that summit. We sit here today on this late October afternoon. Another chance is looming.
April 8, 2022
On that sun-drenched Friday afternoon, the Phillies began their 2022 journey. Newly signed Free agent Kyle Schwarber. He got the party started early for the Phillies leading off the bottom of the 1st inning. His 1st home run of the season. The Phillies rode the wave of electricity to a 9-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Igniting Phillies playoff fever in early April. Baseball is not a sprint it is a long marathon of ups and downs spanning 6-plus months. The events of that Friday afternoon set in motion the fire that drove the hunt for Red October
The Rest of The Season
It wasn’t easy! Inconsistency was the frequent word that described the Phillies. Defense, Offense, and Relief pitching were the areas that were most inconsistent. The one area that held its own throughout was the starting pitching. They gave this team a fighter’s chance and that’s all you can ask for. A slow start led to the firing of lame-duck manager Joe Girardi or “binder Joe” as he came to be known.
Summer saw the Phillies sporting a 21-29 record good for fourth place in the NL East. A manager changes in the form of Phillies bench coach and baseball lifer Rob Thomson and his dedication to playing the “kids”, a more precise concept of roles for players on this team, and a new breeze blowing through the Phillies clubhouse.
This all led the Phillies to the 3rd best record in all Major League Baseball from June 3rd to the end of the season. Inconstantly still plagued this team which led to a minor September meltdown. The benefit of a user-friendly schedule, a resurgence of the Phillies bullpen in a form of which we haven’t seen in years, and the contributions of the bottom third of the lineup led to the Phillies securing the final NL Wild Card spot with 87 wins.
Postseason
The Cardinals and the Braves fell victim to the scrappy starting pitching, resurgent bullpen, and the production of the bottom third of the lineup. The Padres felt the full bore of a baseball team that is now firing on all cylinders the top 5 of the Phillies lineup has finally landed on the same page.
The Phillies won the pennant in 2022 the 8th National League Championship in franchise history. Phillies will return to the World Series for the 6th time since 1979 third best in the majors over that span. The Phillies will also appear in their 3rd World Series of the 21st Century. In their way are the Houston cheating scandal of 2017 Astros. For a franchise that has existed since 1883 and has tasted so little from the fountains of Major League Baseball Mount Olympus the time is now to rehydrate.
Matt Bednarczyk is your host of Talking Philly Sports With Matty B. He is a proud retired US Army Sergeant First Class, he is also a combat veteran with over 80 months served in Afganistan, and Iraq . Huge Hockey Fan. Matt is a lifelong 4 for 4 Philly sports fan. Born and raised on the Mayfair and Tacony neighborhood lines of Northeast Philly. He brings over 40 years of Philadelphia Sports passion and provides a realistic look at our Major Sports Teams and the most passionate sports fans on the planet. Look for his show live on Edge of Philly Sports.
