The World Series is upon us. "Us" obviously refers to baseball fans in general, not Philadelphia Phillies fans who faced yet another much-too-early postseason exit this year. As we continue the autopsy on the Phillies' season, the Toronto Blue Jays are clearly the underdogs against the behemoth that is the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year's Fall Classic.
However, there's something about how the plucky Blue Jays got to this point that shows us what went most wrong for our beloved Phillies. Toronto hits, and hits when it matters most. That's something the Fightins did not do in their abbreviated playoffs.
Phillies watching from home as Blue Jays find themselves in World Series with timely hitting
Saying that the Phillies' lineup was a top-10 regular-season offense this year wouldn't be wrong. They scored the eighth-most runs (778) with the second-highest batting average (.258) and fourth-highest OPS (.759).
It definitely didn't look like a top offense through most of the National League Division Series.
The Phillies hit .212 with a .657 OPS in the NLDS, contributing to their 3-1 series loss to the Dodgers. The real problem came with runners in scoring position, hitting just .200 with a .630 OPS, ranking second- and third-last among playoff teams. Yikes.
The Blue Jays got past the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners on the American League side of the bracket by batting .286 with an .889 OPS with runners on second and/or third. They lead the postseason generating 51 RBIs in such instances, with six doubles and seven home runs.
Toronto seems to have a knack for impeccable timing.
And when the stakes are the highest, with two outs and runners in scoring position, the Blue Jays are hitting .255 with a .787 OPS. The Phillies on the other hand didn't register a hit in 12 at-bats, striking out six times.
The Blue Jays? They've struck out just nine times in 47 such at-bats in October.
Despite the Phillies boasting a lineup top-heavy with superstars like Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the big boys just couldn't get it done against the Dodgers.
It was a familiar theme continuing from the 2024 NLDS, when they hit just .194 with a .509 OPS with runners in scoring position. That resulted in their demoralizing four-game loss to the New York Mets.
Interestingly, during the regular season, the Phillies weren't horrible with runners in scoring position. They ranked 11th with a .258 average and eighth with a .775 OPS. With two outs, however, the Phillies dropped to a .228 average, which ranked 19th in the majors. They did still have the ninth-best OPS in those situations, at .741.
It's unfortunate that the Phillies couldn't get it together for the second consecutive postseason. It certainly cost them another year with their aging core and kept us from getting what would have been a fun rematch of the 1993 World Series.