The Phillies pulled off a remarkable win against the Padres Sunday night and are now headed to the World Series. The fans went wild after 2021 MVP Bryce Harper’s series-clinching home run, flooding the Citizen Bank Park field and spreading to city streets and up greased lampposts. Not since 2009 have the Phillies made it to the World Series a year after they were crowned World Champions, and now they’re back again to compete against the against the Astros, who enter their fourth World Series in six years. Game 1 is Friday night in Houston.
We’ll celebrate the Phillies National League pennant win, discuss the season and how the team came together, and their matchup against the Astros with Phillies play-by-play TV broadcaster TOM MCCARTHY, Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist MARCUS HAYES, and The Athletic’s MATT GELB and WHYY news host AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT, who is an all-around Philadelphia sports fan.
The Athletic, Phillies observations and thoughts as World Series showdown with Astros nears – “In the weeks since the Phillies altered the course of the entire organization with a postseason run that might be unparalleled in its unexpectedness, there have been small moments to appreciate the insanity of it all.”
Philadelphia Inquirer, Ryan Howard says Bryce Harper’s ‘growth’ helped the Phillies reach the World Series – ““He’s waaaaaaay different now. He’s embraced the entire situation and the only focus is on winning a championship. … There’s shades of ’08 there.””
WHYY, ‘Like a dream’: Phillies dance their way to the World Series – “Philadelphia police and emergency officials shut down city streets as fans blocked intersections with marching bands and fireworks, while others simply basked in the historic victory.”