Phillies Just Accomplished Something Not Seen Since Last Championship Team
The Philadelphia Phillies entered their highly-anticipated three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with many calling it a potential NLCS preview.
Both rosters are loaded with talent and are seen as the favorites to reach that point when the playoffs arrive.
Despite the fact that the Phillies have been one of the best teams all year and held the best record in baseball entering this matchup, many people still consider the Dodgers to be the better team and think they will be the ones who advance to the World Series when that time comes.
This slate of games provided Philadelphia an opportunity to make a massive statement, and they did just that.
The Phillies utterly dominated Los Angeles, outscoring them 19-5 during these three games to earn a sweep. Their starting pitching was immaculate, the lineup got timely hits, and the bullpen came on to shut things down.
It was exactly the result Philadelphia was looking for ahead of their final matchup before the All-Star break that will take place against the Oakland Athletics starting on Friday.
What the Phillies accomplished had some historic significance as well.
As noted by Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, the last time they swept the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park occurred in 2008, the last time this franchise won the World Series.
There have been tons of similarities regarding this team to that 2008 championship team that has been documented throughout the season.
Philadelphia currently has a loaded roster full of superstars with one of them being in the MVP race, their starting rotation has been completely dominant, they've been the first to reach certain win milestones on the season, and they're on pace to win the NL East.
Plus, the last time the Phillies won the World Series, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals, something that occurred in June.