When a team wins a major title it’s hard to down-play the fact they beat the best to do so.
This year’s MLB champion Philadelphia Phillies certainly played some of the best in the league in the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays.
Moreover baseball is an unforgiving sport with 162 games in its regular season and a playoff format that could see a team playing anywhere from 11 to 19 additional games.
This year Philly played 14 playoff games, going 11-2 with a 92-70 record in the regular season.
Even though the Phillies played tough to get on top they had things go their way at the end of the season too. Those breaks had as much to do with their success as their play itself.
Consider for a moment how Philly won the NL East title for a second straight year. It took the Mets to brutally collapse again down the stretch, which opened the door for the Brewers to sneak in.
The Brewers were a good team but their starting rotation went only as far as Sabathia (especially with Sheets not 100 per cent) and they gave their all just to get in the playoffs. They were a tired team and were easy pickings for Philly.
But if the Mets hadn’t collapsed then New York would be in the playoffs and change everything.
Two scenarios would emerge: either Philly is the NL East champs or the Mets. Let’s say for a moment that the Mets were the wild-card team.
That would have meant Philly played LA first while New York tangled with Chicago. Philly did eventually take down LA this year but it would be interesting seeing them face-off when LA was brimming with energy. A five game series that could go either way would be in the cards.
The other half of the equation would be equally intriguing. New York probably doesn’t have the offense to seriously challenge Chicago or the pitching to keep Ramirez and company off the bases.
That could have led to a showdown in the NLCS between the Phillies and the Cubs. Mind you Philly’s pitching came on strong late but it’s hard to believe they would dismiss Chicago in five games or less.
Philly’s chances to get to the World Series would be even bleaker if they faced the Cubs in the first round while the Mets took on LA.
There’s also the thought that if Boston or Anaheim made it to the World Series that Philly would have had a much tougher time. On paper Anaheim matches up well while Boston has the talent and experience to come out on top.
Yet baseball is no stranger to this sort of second guessing. Last year the Red Sox dug deep in the AL playoffs, especially in the ALCS, only to be handed the upstart Rockies who they dismissed in a sweep.
In 2006 the Cardinals defied all conventional thinking, making it all the way to the World Series before taking down a tired Tigers team.
Then again the Phillies were a team this year that made their mark defying doubters. No one thought they’d get out of their division on top again with an improved Mets squad and aggressive Marlins team.
Ultimately Philly showed incredible grit making into the playoffs and flashed the dominant pitching needed to win big. Those are the sort of team qualities luck cannot alter.
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