3. Phillies are filled with players unafraid of the moment.
After the World Baseball Classic concluded on Tuesday, Twitter user ajt461 shared a statistic that should help make Phillies fans feel better despite seeing yet another Philadelphia-related championship defeat.
During the tournament, Phillies batters playing for Team USA hit .368 with seven combined home runs and a 1.259 OPS. The rest of the United States national baseball team hit just .259 with five home runs and a .819 OPS.
The Good Phight's John Stolnis tweeted that all Team USA needed was more Phillies players on the team and they would have won. While Stolnis was half joking, he was surely half serious at the same time. Bryce Harper was also slated to play in the tournament before undergoing surgery. Had Harper been healthy enough to play, perhaps the two-time National League Most Valuable Player would have made all the difference in the championship game on Tuesday.
That baby’s OUT OF HERE pic.twitter.com/ppHv0tfcyV
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 22, 2023
It seemed that whenever Turner, Realmuto, or Schwarber came up to the plate, they more times than not put the ball in play and helped their team keep rallies going. As SportsRadio 94 WIP's Eliot Shorr-Parks commented, the Phillies proved that they are not just talented, but they are not afraid of any big-stage moment.
Having this characteristic is huge, especially when baseball games reach another level of intensity come the postseason. The Phillies making the postseason last year was nice, but all of the extra postseason experience they gained with their improbable World Series run will only help them in the 2023 season and beyond.