In case you missed it, I spent about 10,000 words and far too much time breaking down the best teams for Twins fans to root for this postseason, following a very defined and scientific process while surely
introducing none of my own personal bias against the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. The Seattle Mariners came out on top in the AL with a final score of 39/50 thanks to Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, and a relatively fun roster. However, our overall champion was from the NL with the Philadelphia Phillies achieving a 44/50 mark.
The win comes largely thanks to their Minnesota connections and how much fun they have on a baseball field. Philadelphia starts former Twins Max Kepler and Harrison Bader in their everyday lineups, while Jhoan Duran has continued his 9th inning dominance since being acquired at the deadline. Additionally, current Twins Mick Abel and Kody Clemens would get championship rings should the Phillies win the World Series. To make things even more exciting, they’ll face off in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the modern reincarnation of the early 2000s Yankees.
We’re in for a fun one tonight with Cy Young contender Cristopher Sanchez facing off against two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who has been marvelous since returning to the mound this summer. The lefty-throwing Sanchez gets the platoon advantage on the likes of Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy which should play to the Phillies’ advantage, but it’s worth noting that Freeman essentially has even splits against lefties, and while Ohtani is worse, it’s still an .898 OPS compared to his 1.076 mark against righties.
As we say here at Phillies Town: win, Phillies, win!
