ST. LOUIS – The Philadelphia Phillies A sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals They won the NL Wild Card Series Saturday match with a 2-0 win.
Philadelphia's stars were present in Game 2 with Aaron Nola I pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings. Bryce Harper In the second and, hitting a single home run Kyle Schwarber Insurance run with a sacrifice fly at the fifth.
Philadelphia will be in the NL Division Series for first time since 2011 with this win. It also ends the legendary careers Albert Pujols Yadier Molina.
St. Louis was given a chance by Molina's ninth inning at-bat. Zach Eflin Two outs. But Tommy Edman To end the game, he fouled to third.
This victory also avenges the Phillies' loss against the Cardinals in that decisive game 2011 NLDS. Highlighted by an epic pitchers duel between Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter, the match was a highlight of the Phillies' 2011 NLDS.
John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, described that as a “fork” in the road. That year, the Cardinals won the World Series. Tony La Russa announced his retirement. Albert Pujols left to join them. Los Angeles Angels. The Phillies, on the other hand, endured a decade-long drought. Their core of Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, along with Ryan Howard, aged out, which triggered a rebuild that didn’t bear fruit as quickly the fans hoped.
Gabe Kapler was replaced by Joe Girardi as manager at the start of 2020. Dave Dombrowski became the head of baseball operations one year later. However, the Phillies continued their slide down the stretch and missed out on the playoffs. The stakes rose even more heading into 2022 when the Phillies spent $179 million. Nick Castellanos Schwarber and put them on track for surpassing baseball's luxury tax threshold.
The Phillies started the season with a 22-30 record. They were already 12 1/2 games behind the NL East. Dombrowski replaced Girardi as bench coach with Rob Thomson. Thomson's calm demeanor helped the Phillies take off winning 14 of 16 games. They were already 15 games over.500 by August's end and in a solid position in the NL Wild Card standings. They have lost 10 of the last 14 games in September and are now at risk of losing a spot on the NL Wild Card Standings. Milwaukee BrewersThey won three of their four first-placed spots in October, and they were finally victorious.
The Phillies triumphed over a managerial change, major struggles by Castellanos, a prolonged absence of Harper, the reigning NL MVP, Harper who was injured in his thumb and was unable to bat for two months, and their loss of their ace. Zack WheelerFor most of September, it was. Schwarber was however the league's leader for home runs. J.T. Realmuto Wheeler and Aaron Nola continued to be the best catcher in the game; they once again had a dynamic tandem at the top. Jose Alvarado Zach Eflin As a strong back-end team, they emerged.
Schwarber told the media that there were many challenges over the year. “I don't think I've ever been part a team or something similar that has gone as many against me,” Schwarber stated before the playoffs began. “The best thing about this group is the way they came together. That was the only way to keep us in contention.”
Friday's Game 1 was a great performance by Wheeler. He also managed to string together six ninth-inning runs, on zero extra bases hits, to score a thrilling victory. This stunned the sold-out Busch Stadium crowd. Nola shut down St. Louis’ offense in Game 2.
Yadier Molina and Pujols, dear friends who were icons in this community, will be retiring after the Cardinals' defeat. Pujols returned to the Cardinals at age 42 and suddenly emerged as one of the most respected sluggers in baseball. He posted a.323/.388/.715 line and reached the 700-home run milestone. Molina and Adam WainwrightThe record for most batterymates started with 325, which is not yet an announcement of his retirement.
Oliver Marmol was the Cardinals' first-year manager and they reached the playoffs after winning their fifth NL Central title. The Cardinals were helped by Pujols second half and MVP-caliber seasons. Paul Goldschmidt Nolan ArenadoA strong defense is a powerful closer. Ryan Helsley A pitch-to-contact starting rotation, which was perfectly suited for the large Busch Stadium. Mozeliak called 2022 a “magical season for the St. Louis Cardinals.” It ended abruptly in Major League Baseball's expanded postseason format – in 18 innings.
