The 2022 World Series may have been the most exhilarating series moments for Philadelphia sports fans since the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in 2018. The last time the Phillies went to the series was 2008, when the Phillies faced off against the New York Yankees in their first World Series (WS) More than a decade later, the team emerged as a fierce contender in the 2022 WS and swept their competitors in the playoffs. The city watched Phillies fans celebrate in massive crowds from Citizens Bank Park to Northeast Philly, and some even played baseball in the street.
Despite the team’s impressive performance in the post-season, the outcome of each game was unpredictable. While the outcome of the World Series was not what Phillies fans had hoped for, there were still plenty of terrific moments for the Phillies throughout the games to highlight, as the city united to “dance on their own.”
The Phillies took the first World Series game with a score of 6-5, a strenuous match that lasted more than four hours and was drawn out into the 10th inning. Notably it was the first time in 30 games that the Astros had lost since the postseason began, which only created more fervor among notoriously frenzied Phillies fans. Catcher J.T. Realmuto was a driving force for the Phillies victory—both early on when he helped tie the game in the fifth inning, and in the 11th hour when he scored the final home run of the game.
The game led off with uncertainty for the Phillies as they fell behind to 5-0 after the third inning, but they persevered for hours until they achieved the 6-home run comeback they needed. They scored three runs in the fourth inning and two in the the fifth, and both teams suffered through four excruciating innings with zero runs, until the Phillies finally concluded the extended match in the 10th inning. This game was a model of determination and patience, with no lack of emotional vigor on the field or in the stadium.
Game three of the World Series was dominated by the Phillies, starting with Bryce Harper leading a two-run homer on his first pitch in the game, the right-fielder’s sixth home run of the post-season. Harper also hit four go-ahead home runs in October, just under the record for the most go-ahead runs in a postseason, held by Albert Pujols in 2004. Harper has several triumphs from the past decade, including a Rookie of the Year award in 2012, a two-time MVP award, and a seven-time All Star award.
Alec Bohm brought the Phillies to another milestone by hitting the 1000th World Series home run, a feat more than a century in the making—the first World Series homer dates back to 1903, from Jimmy Sebring who played for a former team known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. It should bring Phillies fans pride to know that this achievement had its roots in Pennsylvania. The journey to the 1000th home run began with the Pirates and ended with the Phillies. The game was also the first time that a World Series team scored three home runs within the first two innings.
Pitcher Ranger Suárez also performed well, keeping the first give innings scoreless, and facing 19 batters that night—allowing only four to hit a ball out of the infield. This is even more impressive considering that the Astros had held multiple points of leverage throughout the night: They had runners first and third base in the 2nd inning, but Suárez delivered the third out to the inning with the final strike to Chas McCormick. He also brought the end of inning five with runners on first and second, ending another opportunity for the Phillies to potentially score a home run. The final achievement for the night: the Phillies broke another record, becoming the first team to hit more than 15 home runs within six-home games in a single postseason.
The Phillies are a classic part of American baseball not just from performance, but within the culture of their fanbase. They stand out from other teams because of their exceptionally passionate and devoted fans, an audience that promises through their reputation to continue delivering vitality and intensity to the 2023 season.
