On Monday night, the National League Championship Series kicks off at Citizens Bank Park with Game 1 pitting the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Philadelphia Phillies. The D-backs secured their NLCS spot by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series. The Phillies, on the other hand, overcame the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves to earn their spot.
Dave Dombrowski, in awe of the Phillies’ home-field advantage, commented,
“This is the most unbelievable home-field advantage in baseball right now. I’ve never really seen anything like this.”
Dave Dombrowski: “This is the most unbelievable home field advantage in baseball right now. I’ve never really seen anything like this.”
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) October 13, 2023
During the regular season, the Phillies had the upper hand in the head-to-head matchups against the D-backs, winning the series 4-3 and outscoring them 44-34. It’s worth noting that many of these games were closely contested, with five out of the seven games decided by just one run and another by three runs.
A single, lopsided 15-3 victory by the Phillies significantly skewed the overall run differential. While the Phillies held the superior regular season record (90-72 compared to the D-backs’ 84-78) and a more favorable run differential (plus-81 versus minus-15), the outcomes from the regular season might not carry much weight in the upcoming NLCS.
For a full view of the postseason schedule, you can refer to the provided links, and the 2023 playoff bracket is also available. Now, let’s dive into the key details for the NLCS. In the NLDS showdown against the Braves, the Phillies delivered an impressive performance, displaying their power-hitting prowess.
They outpaced the Braves with an 11-3 home run tally in the series, with a record-tying six homers in their Game 3 win. The home dugout’s top rail was consistently occupied by players eager to celebrate the next long ball, showing the team’s remarkable success in this aspect.
