Phillies oust Padres, seal first WS bid since 2009

PHILADELPHIA -- Welcome to the World Series, Bryce Harper.

The superstar slugger the Philadelphia Phillies brought successful 3 years agone to crook astir a franchise stuck successful mediocrity delivered 1 of the biggest location runs successful franchise past to nonstop the Phillies to their archetypal World Series since 2009.

Harper's two-run rocket changeable of a location tally to near tract successful the bottommost of the eighth inning gave the Phillies a 4-3 triumph implicit the San Diego Padres, ensuring the look of the franchise volition beryllium heading to his archetypal Fall Classic. At times, helium carried his squad connected his back, putting unneurotic a ascendant playoff run, and his agelong shot ensured it's not over.

Harper is hitting .419 with 5 location runs and six doubles and 11 RBIs successful 11 games -- but his clinching location tally connected Sunday is the deed everyone volition remember.

Baseball loves its records and unsocial accomplishments, and here's a caller one: The Phillies are the archetypal 6-seed to scope a World Series.

The Phillies made the expanded playoffs arsenic the last squad successful the National League to extremity what had been the second-longest playoff drought successful the majors, and their star-laden roster thundered to beingness astatine the close clip connected a windy, sometimes misty day astatine Citizens Bank Park.

"I judge our squad is built for October, I truly do," Harper said aft Game 4. "I deliberation we person 3 starters that are really, truly good, and I deliberation we person a large bullpen. Eighth and ninth inning, those 2 guys [Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez] down determination tin spell 2 innings-plus for us. Just our lineup 1 done 9. I deliberation our young guys person been truly bully for america this year. They stepped up, and our veterans arsenic well."

In October, however, the Phillies' stars person been starring the mode -- conscionable arsenic proprietor John Middleton had hoped backmost successful the wintertime of 2018-19, erstwhile helium infamously said helium was going to walk wealth successful escaped bureau "and possibly adjacent beryllium a small spot anserine astir it." That winter, the nine signed Harper.

The two-time MVP had delivered a clutch show adjacent earlier his Game 5 heroics. Pitcher Zack Wheeler, signed arsenic a escaped cause earlier the 2020 season, was 1 of the Game 5 stars with different outstanding start, allowing 2 runs implicit six-plus innings aft winning the bid opener with 7 scoreless frames. Left fielder Kyle Schwarber, signed earlier the 2022 play to bring a powerfulness bat to the lineup and immoderate World Series-winning acquisition from his days with the Cubs to the clubhouse, besides had a large NLCS, with 3 location runs and six runs scored.

Homegrown archetypal baseman Rhys Hoskins erstwhile again delivered a clutch location tally that energized the location crowd, conscionable arsenic helium had with his 2 location runs successful Game 4. After Schwarber drew a two-out locomotion disconnected Yu Darvish successful the bottommost of the second, Hoskins got up with a 3-0 count.

Hoskins hadn't homered each play connected a 3-0 number -- helium had swung conscionable 9 times successful 31 specified situations -- but helium unloaded connected a Darvish cutter and crushed it 424 feet into the left-center seats for his 5th location tally of the postseason.

Hoskins came up to the majors successful 2017, a play the Phillies mislaid 96 games. During his six seasons with the Phillies, he's heard plentifulness astir the 2008 World Series champions. He sees the photos connected the walls lining the concourses astatine Citizens Bank Park, has seen the erstwhile stars propulsion retired countless archetypal pitches. Now helium knows what 2008 was like.

"It feels similar we're surviving it, yeah," helium said aft Game 4. "The reddish towels, it's deafening loud, right? Like, yeah, conscionable the full scene. And arsenic soon arsenic you measurement connected the field, really, successful batting practice, you tin conscionable benignant of consciousness the energy building. I request immoderate more. I request immoderate much of it."

Indeed, the Phillies improved to 5-0 astatine location successful the postseason and 27-9 since precocious July.

The Phillies are the sixth squad since divisional play started successful 1969 to scope the World Series aft a midseason managerial change, the archetypal since the 2003 Marlins. The Phillies were conscionable 22-29 connected June 2 erstwhile seat manager Rob Thomson replaced Joe Girardi.

"I deliberation we tin marque the playoffs. I deliberation we're successful a presumption wherever we tin conflict backmost to bash that. I bash judge that," president of shot operations Dave Dombrowski said astatine the time.

A erstwhile insignificant league subordinate and coach, Thomson had been a longtime manager nether Joe Torre and past Girardi with the Yankees earlier the Phillies hired him successful 2018. A proverbial shot lifer, the Phillies had mislaid 12 of 17 erstwhile helium was promoted and instantly turned things around, winning his archetypal 8 games and going 18-8 the remainder of June.

"I deliberation our manager has a truly bully quality to support things going, to support things going the close way," Harper said aft Game 4. "Never panics, ne'er truly sits determination and thinks, oh, I request to determination this feline oregon I request to determination this guy. I consciousness similar helium believes successful his players. I deliberation erstwhile you person a manager similar that that believes successful you and has an enactment that believes successful you, it conscionable makes you that overmuch amended of a player."

The Phillies' tally to the World Series began with a melodramatic opening triumph implicit the St. Louis Cardinals successful the wild-card series. Trailing 2-0 successful the apical of the ninth, the Phillies scored six runs to instrumentality an eventual 6-3 victory.

"That crippled acceptable the tone," outfielder Nick Castellanos said aft Game 4. "A reminder that a crippled is 27 outs and however our lineup tin people runs successful bunches erstwhile we get going."

They eliminated the Cardinals the adjacent time and upset the 101-win Braves successful 4 games successful the part bid arsenic Harper went 8-for-16 with 2 location runs and 5 RBIs.

They crushed the Braves 9-1 and 8-3 astatine location successful the last 2 games of the series. Against the Padres, Wheeler dominated successful a 2-0 triumph successful Game 1, but the Phillies blew an aboriginal 4-0 pb successful Game 2 - lone to instrumentality the favour erstwhile they fell down 4-0 successful the archetypal inning of Game 4 earlier rallying to triumph 10-6 down a four-homer outburst.

Then came the rally to clinch Game 5.

"A resilient group, nary doubt," Hoskins had said aft Game 4. "But I deliberation to bash it connected the signifier we're successful close present should springiness america each the assurance successful the satellite that nary substance the lead, nary substance erstwhile it is successful the game, we consciousness similar we person a chance. As an offense, that's an outstanding happening to have."