The Philadelphia Phillies ended a 13-year World Series drought.
On Sunday, Oct. 23, Bryce Harper smashed a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning during a soaking wet NLCS Game 5. The Phillies caused the San Diego Padres to crumble, 4-3, clinching a spot in the fall classic.
The team took off after firing manager Joe Giradri and replacing him with bench coach Rob Thomson. Despite being the third best team in the NL East in the win column, they powered their way into the playoff picture over the summer and held onto the sixth and final spot in September.
Game five was heavily influenced by wet conditions throughout. The MLB decided to play the game through the rain, due to there being only one off day built into the NLCS and ALCS schedules after game two.
In the top of the seventh, a downpour seemed to change the teams’ luck when the Padres brought the go-ahead run around on a series of wild pitches by Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez.
But Harper responded the following inning, blasting his monumental homer off San Diego setup reliever Robert Suarez. That followed a game four where Harper capped a ridiculous Phillies comeback with a go-ahead RBI double.
The Phillies turned to trade deadline addition David Robertson in the ninth, but eventually brought in game three starter Ranger Suarez to get the last two outs after two Padres reached on back-to-back walks.
A Padres win would have meant the series returning to San Diego for game six and potentially game seven. Instead, Philadelphia is celebrating a pennant Sunday night preparing for the Houston Astros in the World Series.
