The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves could not have drawn it up higher.
The Dodgers gained a franchise-record 111 video games and had no evident weaknesses. The protecting champion Braves regarded in a position to turn out to be the primary membership to copy as World Series winners because the finish of the twentieth century. Both have been well-rested after incomes first spherical byes and have been set to open their playoffs towards department opponents they would batted round all season.
But baseball is a humorous sport, and now each champions in ready are completed. Instead, their ascendent opponents are one step clear of a World Series look that two weeks in the past would have appeared not possible.
Tonight the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies kick off a National League Championship Series that, regardless of who wins, is assured to finish with a Cinderella story using into the Fall Classic.
Before this 12 months Philadelphia hadn’t made the playoffs since 2011, the tail finish of a banner five-year run that noticed the membership make back-to-back World Series and win its maximum 2d and most up-to-date identify in 2008. As the 3rd Wild Card finisher the Phillies don’t have even made the playoffs any 12 months previous to this one, however because of the newly expanded postseason box Philadelphia were given its shot and has to this point made essentially the most of it.
As for San Diego, the Padres have by no means gained a World Series in the membership’s 54-season historical past. Before this 12 months they would simplest even gained 4 playoff collection general. Their prime water mark got here in 1998, when the Padres reached their ultimate World Series, however since then the franchise has most commonly toiled in obscurity.
All that being mentioned, neither of those groups are right here accidentally both.
In contemporary years the Padres have turn out to be one of the vital competitive franchises in baseball, and this 12 months San Diego driven all its chips to the middle of the desk. The membership emptied its farm device to procure 23-year-old famous person Juan Soto, slugger Josh Bell and All-Star nearer Josh Hader on the business closing date, and has additionally made giant strikes during the last few seasons to procure MVP candidate Manny Machado and bring together a bold beginning rotation led by means of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove.
An early playoff go out would were a disaster, one made worse given performance-enhancing drug suspension of franchise shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., and but the Padres have now knocked off a 101-win Mets crew that includes two long run Hall of Fame beginning pitchers and slain the Dodgers dragon that has lengthy loomed up the freeway.
The Phillies have not been reasonably as brazen because the Padres, however they have got been no much less competitive.
Philadelphia’s lineup is stacked, boasting energy up and down the order between Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos and a sizzling scorching Bryce Harper. The rotation has two horses main the way in which with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, or even the embattled bullpen has held up its finish of the discount to this point in the membership’s disappointed victories over St. Louis and Atlanta.
The head-to-head fight between Harper and Machado, either one of whom signed $300 million megadeals with their respective golf equipment prior to the 2019 season, must upload a attention-grabbing subplot as effectively. Their signings signaled championship intent, and now the 2 long run Hall of Famers have a likelihood to ship on that promise to their respective towns.
Was this the story everybody anticipated when October started? Hardly. But a Padres vs. Phillies NLCS might be nice for baseball, and whichever membership advances will make the World Series that a lot more fascinating.
Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.