3 Things To Watch For Between The Padres And Phillies In The NLCS

The Padres and Phillies both shocked the world of baseball by matching up against one another in the National League Championship Series, as the two had very unlikely paths to meeting in the National League Championship Series. They both won under 90 games for the regular season and had to get through the wildly unpredictable Wild Card series.

There are a bunch of smaller, fun storylines like Aaron Nola and Austin Nola, who are brothers, going against each other. There’s also the subplot of the 2018 free agent class. The headliners of the class, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, will be facing off with the teams that signed them to massive deals.

Let’s take a look at 3 biggest things to watch for in the NLCS:

1. Electric Environment

The Padres have gone 24 years since their last championship series appearance. The Phillies have gone 12 years. Their fanbases are starved which should lead to an electric environment at both stadiums. The Padres were able to overcome the Dodgers, who have had their number in recent seasons. The Phillies had missed the postseason for 10 consecutive seasons before overthrowing their division rivals in Atlanta.

And while many may not have expected these two clubs to make it to this point, there is no shortage of star power on both sides. Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Juan Soto are some of the biggest names in the sport and some of the game’s most exciting players to watch. There are also high-quality starting pitchers like Aaron Nola, Yu Darvish, Zack Wheeler, and Blake Snell. Add in the high-pressure stage that is the NLCS, you can expect a dramatic series.

2. Parallels/Unpredictability

The Phillies toppled the Atlanta Braves who had won 101 games. The Padres overcame the Mets who also won 101 games and beat the World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers who won a whopping 111 games. The similarities don’t just end there. The Padres and Phillies were both aggressive teams at the trade deadline. The Padres swung blockbuster deals for Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury Josh Hader. The Phillies dealt for David Robertson, Noah Syndergaard, and Brandon Marsh.

These two squads are the embodiment of what the MLB was hoping for when they expanded the playoffs: chaos and randomness. With the short playoff series in the first two rounds of the playoffs, anything can happen. The Padres and Phillies have proven that.

3. Chance To Make History

Neither of these ballclubs has an illustrious history as a winning franchise. The Phillies were founded in 1883 and yet have only won two World Series wins in that span. The Padres, have a much shorter history as they were founded in 1969, but they have never won a championship.

Whichever team prevails will get the opportunity to bring a ring to a franchise that hasn't seen much success. Both teams have been aggressive in recent seasons with spending and acquiring talent in an effort to win and it has all culminated in this playoff series. This is the first time these two clubs will have met in the postseason.