The National League Wild Card and Division Series rounds provided enough drama for an entire postseason. Not only did the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies upset their best-of-three opponents in the opening round, they turned around and clobbered their NLDS foes as well.
The Phillies faced long odds against the St. Louis Cardinals, then swept them without breaking a sweat. And against the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves, they won in four games by an aggregate score of 24-13. Games 3 and 4 were particularly ugly, with the Phillies winning 9-1 and 8-3.
Meanwhile, the Padres faced perhaps even a taller task, beginning their playoff run against the 101-win New York Mets. All three games were blowouts, with the Padres taking Games 1 and 3 by scores of 7-1 and 6-0 respectively. This set them up with an NLDS matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Many assumed this would be the end of the road for the Padres. Not only did the Dodgers win 111 games — 22 more than the Padres — but they also went 14-5 against their San Diego counterparts during the regular season. But after the Dodgers won Game 1, the Padres turned in three consecutive pitching masterclasses to secure their spot in the NLCS.
So now, it’s Padres vs. Phillies in an NLCS that no one saw coming. Even still, these two teams should make for an exciting series filled with star power and a trip to the World Series on the line. Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins, and J.T. Realmuto are just some of the incredible talents.
Both teams have also dazzled on the mound since the beginning of the postseason. The Padres have trusty starters Yu Darvish and Blake Snell with an elite bullpen that features Josh Hader as the closer.
The Phillies have an elite 1-2 punch of Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler with Jose Alvarado and Brad Hand leading the way out of the bullpen.
Not including the shortened seasons, this is the first NLCS in MLB history to include two teams that did not win 90 games in the regular season. The Padres won 89 and the Phillies won 87. But the randomness and historic nature of this matchup does not take away from the excitement factor.
NLCS Game info and available pitching matchups
Game 1:
Tuesday, October 18, 5:03 p.m. PT
Petco Park, San Diego, California
TV: FS1
Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. Yu Darvish (SD)
Game 2:
Wednesday, October 19, 1:35 p.m. PT
Petco Park, San Diego, California
TV: FOX
Aaron Nola (PHI) vs. Blake Snell (SD)
Game 3:
Friday, October 21, 4:37 p.m. PT
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1
Undecided Matchup
Game 4:
Saturday, October 22, 4:45 p.m. PT
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FOX
Undecided Matchup
Game 5*:
Sunday, October 23, 11:37 a.m. PT
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1
Undecided Matchup
Game 6*:
Monday, October 24, 5:03 p.m. PT
Petco Park, San Diego, California
TV: FS1
Undecided Matchup
Game 7*:
Tuesday, October 25, 5:03 p.m. PT
Petco Park, San Diego, California
TV: TBD
Undecided Matchup
