The World Series is off to the races, with both the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros having won a game. Both teams have played incredible baseball to get to the World Series, and some might call the Phillies’ journey a Cinderella story.
Most sports analysts didn’t predict the Phillies to make the World Series. At the start of June, the Phillies had a 21-29 record and had fired manager Joe Giradi. Rob Thomson took over as interim manager for the Phillies and has helped them turn their season around.
With the new expanded postseason in the MLB, the Phillies were the sixth seed in the National League. In any other year, the Phillies wouldn’t have made the playoffs. In this years first round of the playoffs, the Phillies visited the St. Louis Cardinals, and they defeated the Cards in the three-game series.
The Phillies then went on to face the reigning champions, the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies defeated the Braves in a five-game series.
On the other side of the National League, the San Diego Padres knocked off one of the heavy World Series favorites, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they then progressed to play the Phillies in the NLCS.
In the seven-game series, the Phillies saw their Cinderella story continue after defeating the Padres. Now, the Phillies are playing the Houston Astros.
In the American League, the Astros had a much easier time getting to the World Series. The Astros were the runner-ups last year, losing to the Braves. They entered this year’s season as heavy World Series favorites again, boasting one of baseball’s best rosters.
The Astros had the best record in the American League, allowing them to coast their way to the World Series. The Astros played the Seattle Mariners, who they ended up sweeping. Houston then played the New York Yankees in the ALCS, and they easily took that win as well.
Now, the Astros are facing the Phillies in the World Series. The first game of the series saw the Phillies come back from a 5-0 deficit, winning 6-5 in the 10th inning. In game two, the Astros took the victory 5-2.
The MLB playoffs were exciting for baseball fans, and that will continue until a World Series champion is crowned.
