Have The Confidence Phillies Fans, But Drop The False Bravado

This will be one of those textbook examples of finding out who actually reads something and who just reacts to the headline! My point of view is very easy to summarize and I won’t bury the lead. I believe the Phillies will advance to the NLCS to face the San Diego Padres. I also believe that anyone just brushing off the Mets as an afterthought with no concerns are either lying or just bluffing. I also have done this long enough to know that 20/20 hindsight means nothing to me.

Don’t listen to the nonsense. It doesn’t make you less of a fan if you look at an opponent objectively and have a healthy dose of respect for them. When the Phillies and Mets left London the Phillies were 16.5 games ahead of New York. Since that point the Mets played considerably better baseball. After watching them dispatch of the Braves and the Brewers, they once again displayed a clutch quality that is very dangerous this time of year.

The Phillies won the season series vs New York 7-6, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Taijuan Walker won’t be taking the mound as a starter in this series. He lost his three starts against his old club and otherwise the Phillies had the Mets number. That is a reason to be confident that the starters can do the job vs the versatile Mets lineup.

Familiarity breeds contempt. That is the extra juice that the post season of baseball rarely needs. It will create perfect drama but it comes with a warning. Since both teams understand what they are walking into the potential home field advantage is lessened a bit. Will the Phillies fans travel to Flushing? Red October is usually built upon intimidation of the opponent. I don’t believe that factors into this series.

The Phillies will win the NLDS. I don’t believe that it is going to be easy. I’m not going to just do the sunshine and lollipops routine. The Phillies have had two solid October runs based on getting off to strong starts. They win the first game of every series in 2022 and did it again in 2023. That’s a perfect mark over two consecutive seasons at 7-0. If you want to beat the Mets a victory on Saturday is critical. You can’t afford to waste any Wheeler starts.

This player told me that the Phillies were the most likely team to be able to go 11-8 to win a championship. I asked what could possibly derail their chances. He said that you don’t want to have to use Wheeler twice in the NLDS.

This would be my plan. I’m starting Christopher Sanchez in Game 2 no matter the outcome of the first game. I’ll take my chances with Nola in Game 3. You can’t panic. If the Phillies are truly the best team then you can’t blink worrying about the possibility of players not answering the bell.

Phillies defeat the Mets in 4 and it will be completely stressful. The Padres will upset the Dodgers in 4. The NLCS will open in Philadelphia and they will have home field over any potential opponent. Prepare yourself for incoming drama!

The Philadelphia Phillies began the MLB Playoffs in 2023 the same way they did in 2022.

Related Content: Phillies Red October Memories: 6 Games That Defined the Run to the 2022 World Series

While they didn’t win the National League East, they look primed for a hot streak in the new playoff format with six bids in each league.

It looked like history would repeat itself with a wild card team reaching the World Series. Except this time, the Phillies wouldn’t be the surprise underdogs against a team powerhouse like the Houston Astros.

Dave Dombrowski had added Trea Turner to an already stacked lineup. The high-priced shortstop finally came around offensively late in the 2023 regular season, and the World Series experience in 2022 made the Phillies a popular title pick locally and nationally.

The Red October crowd resumed the wrath that opponents felt during the miracle ride in 2022.

The Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves, and the Arizona Diamondbacks stood in their way.

October 16-17, 2023
National League Championship Series Games 1-2 at Citizens Bank Park
Phillies 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 3; Phillies 10, Arizona Diamondbacks 0

It was a done deal. Right?

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