Andrew Plunket, Staff

For the first time since 2009, the Philadelphia Phillies are headed to the World Series. The Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 in Game 5 of the NLCS to become the 2022 National League Champions. This win represents Philadelphia’s ninth overall pennant and its first since the 2009 season, ending a historic championship drought for the Phillies. 

The Phillies held an early lead against the Padres thanks to a two-run shot from first baseman Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the third. Juan Soto, the star outfielder for the Padres, then responded with a home run in the top of the fourth to cut the Phillies’ lead to 2-1. Despite the occasional hit, the game featured a marvelous pitching battle between Phillies’ ace Zach Wheeler and Padres’ veteran Yu Darvish, which held both teams scoreless until the seventh inning. Ultimately, the rainy weather and a slew of wild pitches forced the Phillies into errors, allowing the Padres to jump out to a 3-2 lead.

Enter Bryce Harper. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with one runner on, Harper crushed a ball into orbit to give the Phillies a 4-3 advantage. With this shot, Harper immortalized himself in the Philadelphia history books and punched the Phillies ticket to the 2022 World Series. Pitcher Ranger Suarez closed out the game for the Phils, and Citizens Bank Park erupted into a euphoric state of celebration. The Phillies were presented with the National League Championship trophy, and Bryce Harper was awarded the most valuable player of the series. 

Despite a 4-1 series win for the Phillies, the Padres proved to be a significant test for the underdog team. Like the Phillies, the Padres themselves were a scrappy underdog. The team won impressive victories against the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, propelling them to postseason success. The talented bullpen of the Padres and the contributions of star players Juan Soto and Manny Machado tested the Phillies in each game in this series. Yet, as the first law of physics states, “an object in motion tends to stay in motion.”

The Phillies are simply red hot at the moment. They are undefeated at home in this playoff run, with a 9-2 record overall. Led by heavy hitters Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins, the Phillies’ offense has been producing significant runs at a breathtaking rate. And, perhaps most importantly, Bryce Harper has had a historic playoff run. He has the most XBH in a single postseason for the Phillies with eleven, has hit four major home runs, and is on a nine-game hitting streak, one shy of Phillies legend Lenny Dykstra’s postseason record. The Phillies have simply overwhelmed opponents with raw talent and fierce determination, both of which position them quite nicely for a World Series showdown. 
With the Philadelphia Eagles currently boasting a 6-0 record, the Philadelphia Union headed to the MLS Eastern Conference Finals, and the Philadelphia Flyers’ season in full swing, the Phillies’ win caps off a jubilant few weeks for the city of Philadelphia. The Phillies will play the Houston Astros, an American League juggernaut fresh off an ALCS sweep of the New York Yankees, in the 118^th World Series. The series’ first game is scheduled for Friday, October 28, in Houston. The Phils will play two games in Houston before heading home to Philadelphia for games three and four. While the Phillies certainly face a significant challenge in the series ahead, they will keep dancing on their own for now.