3 undeniable reasons the Phillies will win the NLCS
Here are three reasons why the Phillies will beat the Diamondbacks and once again reign supreme in the National League.
It would be understandable for most Philadelphia Phillies fans to be still riding high following a convincing 3-1 series win in the NLDS over the arch-rival Atlanta Braves.
However, the job for the Fightins is far from finished, as four wins still stand in the way of a return to the Fall Classic. Their next victim? That would be those pesky Arizona Diamondbacks who played good baseball down the stretch, snagging the final Wild Card spot with 84 wins.
Arizona has subsequently gone on to win all five of their playoff games so far, sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers in short order. Thus setting up their showdown with the Phillies in the National League Championship Series.
The Phillies enter the NLCS as favorites to advance and hold advantages in numerous spots over the Diamondbacks.
Here are three reasons why we believe the Phillies will keep dancing on their own, right into the World Series.
Home-field advantage
Okay, so the Phillies' home-field advantage has been touched on so many times that it's easy for it to seem overplayed. This most certainly isn't the case. The Phillies absolutely feast at home in the month of October.
In the history of Major League Baseball, no team has faired better at home than the Phillies have at Citizens Bank Park. Since it opened back in 2004, there have been 37 playoff games hosted at The Bank. In those games, the Phils have posted a record of 26-11, which amounts to a ridiculous .702 winning percentage. This is the best home winning percentage of all time in the MLB playoffs (minimum of 20 games played).
It's easy to see why when you tune into a game on television or check out the highlights online. The fans are rabid, and the atmosphere is absolutely ridiculous. Some of the best postseason moments from the past decade have occurred over the past two years of playoffs.
Bryson Stott's grand slam against the Marlins in Game 2 of the Wild Card?
Bryson Stott’s grand slam with nothing but ballpark noise
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 5, 2023
Chills pic.twitter.com/GkroNIJr4q
How about Bryce Harper homering to send the Phillies to the 2022 World Series?
Bryce Harper with a 2-run homer to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead in Game 5 of the NLCS! ⚾️💣
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 23, 2022
"HARPER... THE SWING OF HIS LIFE!"- Joe Davis pic.twitter.com/kAkVVcqJG1
These are just two of the many examples and provide insight into what makes playoff baseball in Philly so special. There is no home-field advantage quite like Citizens Bank Park.
Rob "Topper" Thomson
In reality, it wasn't that long ago that the Phillies were lost without a plan.
For years, this was a franchise that clearly had the talent but lacked the proper leadership to get the best out of the ballclub. Gabe Kapler and Joe Girardi were both given chances to right the ship; both men failed miserably.
Enter Rob Thomson.
Since taking the reigns back on June 3, 2022, "Philly Rob" has won over the clubhouse, won over the fans and most importantly won a lot of baseball games. In 273 regular season games, Topper has guided the team to a 155-118 (.568) record and has been even better in the playoffs, going 16-7 (.696) in 23 postseason games.
This postseason especially, Rob Thomson's impact has truly been seen. From maneuvering his lineup to fit the matchups, which has included implementing a platoon in left field of fan favorite Brandon Marsh and Cristian Pache, to almost perfect utilization of his bullpen, it's clear Topper is locked in.
Unafraid of the criticism and clearly having faith in his guys, Rob Thomson continues to push the right buttons and has quickly risen to the level of potentially being one of the best managers in the sport.
All of this has led to Topper having the Phillies on the verge of back-to-back National League pennants.
The Phillies simply have the better roster
This is not meant to be disrespectful towards the Arizona Diamondbacks, who do have some good ballplayers themselves.
Corbin Carroll and Zac Gallen are two young players on the verge of superstardom. At the same time, guys like Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Merrill Kelly have proven to be quality pieces in a formidable Arizona roster.
With that said, the talent discrepancy between the Phillies and Diamondbacks is pretty clear.
For what it's worth, not many teams can go toe-to-toe with star power like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, J.T Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.
That's not even mentioning guys like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, José Alvarado, Craig Kimbrel and Ranger Suárez.
On paper, the Phillies undoubtedly have some of the best talent in the sport, which has been on display through this postseason. Harper, Turner and Castellanos are hitting a combined .424 through the team's first six playoff games, to go along with nine home runs and 13 runs batted in — pretty incredible stuff.
Schwarber is hitting .160 with zero home runs and a .462 OPS so far in these playoffs, and the Phillies still have managed to win five of the six games to this point. You have to think he is due for some positive regression.
With how the stars are playing in Philadelphia, it's hard to imagine anybody beating this Phillies team. Arizona is walking into the jungle on Monday night, and you know what they say: it's hard to win in the jungle.