It’s been a Red October to remember for Phillies fans as they are in the World Series for the first time since 2009. 

The Phillies season has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. With a 22-29 start to the season, many would not think the Phillies could get to this position. After firing Joe Girardi, Rob Thomson has done an exceptional job. During his time as manager, the Phillies have a 74-48 record. Thompson signed a two-year contract extension a few weeks ago. 

On October 3rd, the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the playoffs by taking down the Astros in a 3-0 victory. Coincidentally, the Phillies are now taking on the Houston Astros who come into the World Series with an undefeated record in the 2022 postseason. The Astros have defeated the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees, while the Phillies have beaten the St. Louis Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves, and the San Diego Padres. 

Making the World Series is not unfamiliar for Astros fans as this is the fourth time the Astros have reached the World Series in the last six years. Game one of the World Series will be played on October 28th and the scheduled starting pitchers are Aaron Nola vs Justin Verlander. 

Nola has been solid for the Phillies in the postseason, as he has pitched in three games and has a 3.12 ERA. On the other hand, Verlander, the likely AL Cy Young winner, has started 2 games in the 2022 postseason and has a 6.30 ERA. In the past, the World Series has been a disaster for Verlander. In seven appearances, Verlander is 0-6 with an ERA of 5.68.

For the Phillies, Bryce Harper has been fantastic, batting .419 with five HR and 11 RBIs. Another Phillie who has performed well in this postseason is Rhys Hoskins. Although the start of the postseason was not the way Hoskins hoped for, he has stepped up his game. Hoskins hit three huge HRs for the Phillies in the NLCS against the Padres. Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena have been the stars for the Astros. Alvarez hasn’t missed a beat since entering the postseason. With 37 HRs in the regular season, he has added two more this postseason. He also has two doubles. Pena, the ALCS MVP, has hit three HRs and has added five RBIs this postseason. 

Game two pitchers are lined up to be Zack Wheeler vs Framber Valdez, while game three pitchers should be Ranger Suarez vs Cristian Javier.

This should be an exciting and long series as these teams matchup pretty evenly. Most experts believe the Astros will be crowned as champions, but this Phillies team has been counted out all postseason so there is reason to believe they can surprise baseball fans one more time.