The Philadelphia Phillies missed a golden opportunity this year to set up the rematch of the 1993 World Series. That matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays was the one shot the 90s Phillies had at a championship, but it inevitably ended in heartbreak.
The 2025 version of the Phillies fell flat in just four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and crushed any hope of rewriting history. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, earned themselves the AL pennant and are just four wins away from bringing another championship north of the border.
Phillies could have avenged their 1993 World Series loss to the Blue Jays
The Phillies didn't have a ton of success during the final decade of the millennium. The 1993 season was the only season from 1990 through 1999 that the Phillies even had a winning record. They finished at 97-65, tied for the third most wins in a season in franchise history. That all came crashing down in Game 6 in Toronto, when outfielder Joe Carter launched a three-run walk-off home run to give the Blue Jays an 8-6 victory and back-to-back World Series crowns.
On this day in 1993, Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 to win the World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays pic.twitter.com/m6thuXQ2yI
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 23, 2023
The 2025 Phillies felt different all year long when compared to the start of their World Series window in 2022. They finished the season 96-66 and clinched the NL East for the second consecutive year. Their NLDS loss against the New York Mets was truly frustrating last year, but this season had the makings of a team ready to set the record straight and win their third title.
The Blue Jays continue to roll, with outfielder George Springer even having his own Carter-esque moment in Game 7 of the ALCS (subscription required). Meanwhile, the Phillies remain the only team with a first-round bye unable to win a postseason series over the last two MLB postseasons.
The stars for the Phillies even had career years, like designated hitter Kyle Schwarber mashing a career-high 56 home runs and 132 RBIs. He finished the year leading the NL in both categories. Shortstop Trea Turner won the NL batting title with a .304 batting average and proved that he was capable of being the threat at the top of the lineup.
The 1993 World Series felt like a cruel joke for Phillies fans, with it being only the 11th walk-off to clinch a title in MLB history and only the second by walk-off home run. It was a special and a lone year in the era of John Kruk, Darren Dalton and many more.
The 2025 season was supposed to be where the Phillies broke through and finally got back to the World Series. They had the rematch of the Blue Jays right in front of them but just could not put it all together yet again.