MLB Network host boldly predicts Phillies to top Blue Jays in 1993 World Series rematch

Greg Amsinger says the Phillies will top the Blue Jays in the 2022 World Series

With the late-offseason additions of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, hopes are high among Philadelphia Phillies fans as the 2022 season gets underway this week.

Already dubbed the “Broad Street Bashers,” the pair — along with Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and J.T. Realmuto — are part of a lineup that is poised to produce unprecedented power numbers in the 140th season of the franchise.

Phillies great Larry Bowa predicts the club will win 90 games this season in its third year under 2009 World Series-winning skipper Joe Girardi. MLB Network studio host Greg Amsinger has greater expectations. On Wednesday, Amsinger predicted a 1993 World Series rematch between the Phillies and Blue Jays, in which the Girardi-led club would ultimately come away with the Commissioner’s Trophy:

“I like offense this year. Pitching is a fickle thing. The best lineups in the sport are the Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. This is 1993 all over again. Who is going to win? Boom, the Phillies. Joe Girardi will hoist up the hardware.”

2022 World Series predictions by MLB Network studio hosts:

• Carlos Peña: Blue Jays defeat Dodgers
• Dan Plesac: Blue Jays defeat Dodgers
• Greg Amsinger: Phillies defeat Blue Jays

Amsinger went on to note how the year after Bryce Harper left the Washington Nationals to sign a then-record deal with the Phillies, he witnessed his former team win the World Series:

“You don’t think that got under his skin a little bit? He wants to win a World Series to go along with his Hall of Fame resume that he is putting together right now. That is what Bryce is doing. He is the leader of this great lineup, and the Phillies will beat the Blue Jays in the Fall Classic.”

The Blue Jays finished fourth in the American League East last season, albeit with a strong 91-71 record. The Phils, meanwhile, were second-place National League East finishers with nine fewer wins than their 1993 World Series rival.

A rematch of the Fall Classic nearly three decades later surely would be something to witness. Plus, current broadcast team members and 1993 National League champions — John Kruk and Kevin Stocker — could offer a pointer or two about playing meaningful postseason baseball up in Canada.