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2022 World Series Preview

Previewing the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago 5 min read
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I do enjoy the World Series with a passion, and I say this even as a diehard hockey fan. There has always been a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding the Fall Classic, which officially debuted all the way back in 1903. During that year, and a brief period between 1919 and 1922, the World Series was actually played under a best-of-nine format, but in the other years, and consistently since 1923, the World Series has been played under a best-of-seven format. Between 1903 and 1968, the World Series served as the only postseason round in Major League Baseball, with the first place teams in the American and National Leagues competing in the Fall Classic. Since 1969, the World Series has been contested between the winners of the American and National League Championship Series, which served as the opening round of the postseason until 1995.

Similar to the LCSes, the World Series is contested under a 2-3-2 format, with the team with the better record hosting Games One, Two, Six, and Seven, while their opponents host Games Three, Four, and Five. Since 2017, home field advantage has been determined via win-loss record, but for several decades, the American and National Leagues took turns having home field advantage until 2003, when the All-Star Game determined which league would have home field in the World Series, a format that was used until 2016. The Fall Classic always took place in October, with the event pushed further and further into the month due to the evolution of the postseason format. The tail end of October usually served as the period for the World Series, though some years have seen the Series enter the month of November, with this year actually guaranteeing that we will see November baseball.

So there's a brief history of the World Series, with this year being the 118th edition (there was no Series in 1904 and 1994). With that said, here's a look at the two teams playing in this year's Fall Classic.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are in their fourth World Series in six seasons

I said before that I always enjoy the World Series, but I left out that I do so regardless of who is in it. And yes, that includes the Houston Astros. As a fan of one of two teams who were screwed over by the events of 2017, it really bothers me to see the Astros in yet another Fall Classic, especially since we were all just spared from an Astros championship a year prior. Apparently, the Astros are hellbent on giving every single baseball fan (including and especially fans of the Dodgers and Yankees; I'm a fan of the latter) the biggest "We told you so" in sports history. How have they done this? All they did was finish with the American League's best record. Again. Oh, and they haven't lost a postseason game this year. Swept the Seattle Mariners, and swept the New York Yankees. A perfect 7-0 in the 2022 postseason. The craziest thing: this was all done despite Jose Altuve performing so poorly at the plate in October.

The Astros debuted as a National League franchise in 1962, playing the first three seasons as the Houston Colt .45s before becoming the Astros in 1965. They would not win a pennant until 2005, which saw them swept by the Chicago White Sox, and since moving to the American League in 2013, they reached the World Series in 2017, 2019, and 2021, with this year being their fourth appearance in six seasons. Again, we are four wins away from accepting the fact that the Astros can actually win a championship fair and square. Yikes.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are in the World Series for the first time since 2009

You know, Philadelphia sports fans have a lot to be happy about right now. The Eagles are undefeated. The Flyers are off to a pretty good start. But the icing on the cake: the Phillies are in the World Series. The Phils had quite the rocky season, which saw them finally free themselves from Joe Girardi in the summer. Though the Phils thrived afterwards, they only managed to win 87 games, but it was barely enough to reach the postseason for the first time in 11 years. The team had an uphill climb, but they did climb it. They swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series, and it was followed by ousting the then-defending champion Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, and defeating the San Diego Padres in the NLCS. Overall, the Phillies, a #6 seed in the NL, went 9-2 in the 2022 postseason. Because of this, Bryce Harper, who had to watch his former team, the Washington Nationals, win a World Series during his first year as a Phillie, now has a chance to finally win the big one.

The Phillies are one of the oldest teams in baseball, having begun play all the way back in 1883. They are also, historically, the worst team in all of baseball, as they lead MLB in losses. Despite this, the Phillies have won eight pennants, with this one being their first since 2009. The Phils' only World Championships came in 1980 and 2008.

Joe Davis will call his first World Series for Fox

Regarding TV rights, Fox will have the entire World Series for the 23rd straight season, and the 25th overall. Fox's involvement is part of why I enjoy the World Series, mainly because it's the only main sports championship that actually affects the running TV season (this includes several instances where The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" episode actually airs in November), as well as the Sunday game usually airing after Fox's NFL doubleheader, though there will not be a Sunday game this year. For the first time ever, Joe Buck will not be behind the mic for the World Series, as he left Fox Sports to join ESPN, where he currently serves as the play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football. It will be Joe Davis calling the action every year now, and that is a voice I am used to, as Davis has been regularly serving as the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the retirement of the late, great Vin Scully after the 2016 season. This season had a lockout and a late start, but we still got a 162 game season, followed by the introduction of the 12-team postseason. After all of that, it's down to two teams battling it out in the Fall Classic, and this year's edition should be quite thrilling!

baseball
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About the Creator

Clyde E. Dawkins

I am an avid fan of sports and wrestling, and I've been a fan of female villains since the age of eight. Also into film and TV, especially Simpsons and Family Guy.

Feel free to follow my social media:

Twitter - Facebook - Tiktok - Instagram

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