Lauren Kolenda ’24, Staff Writer
For the first time in eleven years, the Fightin’ Phils have made their way into the MLB playoffs. The team clinched their spot after beating the Astros 3-0 at the end of their series on October 3rd. For the first time ever, MLB decided to add a wildcard round which included four teams from both the National and American Leagues who would play a best of three series the weekend of October 7th. In years past only four teams made the playoffs but in order to give the fans some more October baseball, MLB decided to expand the tournament to twelve teams. The Phillies played their wildcard round against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Experts predicted that the Cardinals would come out on top, as they were seeded as #3, while the Phillies were considered the underdogs seeded as #6. The Phillies proved them wrong, sweeping the series, winning the first game 6-3 and the second game 2-0. Now, the Phils face the Atlanta Braves in the divisional rounds which is a best-of-five series. There is much excitement from Phillies fans as the series will be played in a 2-2-1 fashion, meaning that the first two games will be played in Atlanta, but the second two games will be played in Philadelphia, followed by the last game in Atlanta if needed. Fans were so excited at the prospect of playoff baseball at Citizens Bank Park that game 3 on Friday sold out by the end of the Phillies-Cardinals game Saturday night. The first two games of the series will take place Tuesday, October 11th at 1:07 pm and Wednesday, October 12th at 4:35 pm. If the Phillies beat the Braves they will face either the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship happening the week of October 16th. In the meantime, GO PHILLIES!
Sources:
https://www.fanduel.com/theduel/posts/2022-mlb-postseason-bracket-division-series-round-oct-10-01gf165j7g7v
https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-playoffs-wildcard-mlb-schedule-standings-tickets-20221004.html
