{"id":106801,"date":"2022-10-24T18:58:02","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T18:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/13-reasons-why-the-phillies-are-in-the-world-series-for-first-time-in-13-years-bryce-harper-hoagies-more\/"},"modified":"2022-10-24T18:58:02","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T18:58:02","slug":"13-reasons-why-the-phillies-are-in-the-world-series-for-first-time-in-13-years-bryce-harper-hoagies-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/13-reasons-why-the-phillies-are-in-the-world-series-for-first-time-in-13-years-bryce-harper-hoagies-more\/","title":{"rendered":"13 reasons why the Phillies are in the World Series for first time in 13 years: Bryce Harper, hoagies, more"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHILADELPHIA —<\/span> The Philadelphia Phillies are going to the World Series. That sentence was unfathomable five months ago, and it would have been hard to grasp at the start of the 2022 MLB playoffs barely two weeks ago (who could have predicted this?<\/span>). But it’s true. Bryce Harper hit the biggest home run of his life<\/span> on a rainy Sunday afternoon in South Philly and the Phillies closed out the Padres in NLCS Game 5.<\/p>\n

It has been a magical run to the NL pennant for a team that was eight games under .500 when the calendar flipped to June. So, in honor of the Phillies’ first trip to the World Series in 13 years, let’s run through 13 reasons why they’re here.<\/p>\n

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1. Bryce Harper<\/h2>\n

This list can only start in one place. Bryce Harper is the biggest reason the Phillies are where they are as a team and as a franchise. Harper navigated the Phillies off the course of failed rebuilder when he signed a $330 million contract 42 months ago, and he’s led them to the Fall Classic in his first playoff run with the team.<\/p>\n

Harper has been the best hitter on any team in the 2022 playoffs. He proved he was fully healed from a broken thumb in June when he went deep in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Cardinals, and he has not looked back. He entered Sunday’s game slashing .410\/.439\/.872 with four home runs and nine RBI in the Phillies’ first 10 playoff games. Then he added two more hits, including the biggest home run of his career.<\/p>\n

Rhys Hoskins has eight hits in the 2022 MLB playoffs. Five have been home runs. Three of them have featured some beautiful bat flipping.<\/p>\n

Let’s first go back to NLDS Game 3, when Braves rookie Spencer Strider picked the wrong time to throw his slowest fastball of the year. Hoskins knew it was gone before he finished his swing and then issued the Bat Spike\u2122\ufe0f. Look at it in all its glory:<\/p>\n

Then, in Saturday night’s Game 4 win over the Padres, Hoskins took Sean Manaea deep for his second dinger of the game. It answered Juan Soto’s two-run homer earlier in the inning, and two batters later, the Phillies had the lead. Hoskins had a gentler approach to his celebration.<\/p>\n

He capped things off Sunday, as Hoskins started the scoring against Padres starter Yu Darvish:<\/p>\n

Variety, they say, is the spice of postseason bat disposals. <\/p>\n

3. Kyle Schwarber is hitting titanic blasts<\/h2>\n

Would you like to read more words? Or would you like to watch a replay of Kyle Schwarber hitting a ball 488 feet?<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed that, might I also recommend this towering beauty from Game 4:<\/p>\n

Schwarber hit three homers in the NLCS against San Diego after not hitting any in the first six games of the playoff run. And yes, of course we have a sandwich-related explanation for that power surge coming right up.<\/p>\n

4. Wawa introduced ‘Schwarberfest’<\/h2>\n

Wawa, the purveyor of the country’s finest gas station hoagies, has played a part in this run to the World Series. Obviously. The Philly-area institution has introduced “Schwarberfest” during the NLCS, and the results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

Some background: Every summer, Wawa has “Hoagiefest.” It’s the best fest in the country, says this writer, and the convenience store sells its hoagies at discounted prices. During Hoagiefest 2022, Schwarber was a homer-hitting machine. Schwarber hit 15 of his NL-leading 46 home runs in 34 games during Hoagiefest (June 20-July 31). That’s a 162-game pace of 71 dingers. <\/p>\n

After his struggles in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Wawa introduced Schwarberfest (meaning $5 Shortis and $6 Classics). Schwarber then hit three home runs in five games.<\/p>\n

It takes a village. And it also takes discounted hoagies from the village’s beloved gas station.<\/p>\n

Yes, we are partially discussing Jean Segura’s defensive range at second base. That was on full display in NLCS Game 3 on Friday night<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But mostly we’re talking about Segura’s range at the plate. The veteran infielder had two go-ahead hits in crucial moments in the Phillies’ run to the pennant. The first came during a six-run ninth inning against the Cardinals in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Look where this pitch was:<\/p>\n