The 2022 MLB World Series starts Friday October 28th in Minute Maid Park between the yearly juggernaut Houston Astros and the miracle team Philadelphia Phillies. These two teams couldn’t have gone on more different paths to get to the Fall Classic.

Houston Astros

Regular Season Record: 106-56

Playoff Record: 7-0

The Houston Astros have been a juggernaut for years. They have always been either in the ALCS or the World Series. However, their only World Series win came in 2017 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, this World Series win did not come without controversy and is very tainted. The Astros were proven to be cheating during the 2017 playoffs by stealing pitching signs and relaying that information through banging garbage cans. The common consensus is that the Dodgers would’ve won the World Series if not for the cheating. But the following years since that have still been great seasons for Houston. In 2018 they lost in the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox who won the World Series that year. In 2019 they lost to the Washington Nationals in the World series. In 2020 they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS who lost in the World Series. And in 2021 they lost in the World Series to the Atlanta Braves. This year they swept the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees to get to the World Series. They are led by a star lineup headlined by Jose Altuve, Alex Bregmen, Yordan Alvaraz, and Jeremy Pena with an amazing starting pitching core of Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, and Cristian Javier. Finally, they have a bullpen headed by Bryan Abreu, Ryan Stanek, and Seth Martinez. This is the year for the Astros to win a World Series, to shut down the cheater narrative. But the Astros have lost to teams in the World Series that they were favored over. In 2019, the Astros were favored against the Nationals but lost against the miracle team. And last year they lost against a red-hot Braves team. And this year, the Phillies are looking similar to those teams. This is a critical opportunity for this team.

Philadelphia Phillies

Regular Season: 87-75

Playoff Record: 9-2

Phillies celebrate their NLCS win over the Padres

No one expected the Phillies to get anywhere close to the World Series. They have been the definition of mediocre all throughout the 2010s. In fact, this is their first playoff appearance since 2011. Poor decisions have plagued the Phillies all decade long. But somehow someway, this is the miracle year. At one point in this season, they were 22-29, then they fired manager Joe Giradi and replaced him with Rob Thomson. Thomson has been with the Phillies since 2018 but not a manager. In his first stint as a manager, Thomson finished the season 65-46 and a playoff berth. In the playoffs, no one expected them to win anything. Then they went to St. Louis and faced the Cardinals in the Wild Card and won 2-0 in a best of 3 series. They rallied in the 9th inning in Game 1 and that stole any momentum from the Cardinals. Then in the NLDS they headed to Atlanta to face the defending champion and division rival Braves. They split the 2 games in Atlanta and dominated the two home games they had in Philly to move on to the NLCS. In the NLCS they faced an unexpected foe in the San Diego Padres. The Padres just completed a huge upset against the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers. The two teams split the first two games in San Diego and like the Atlanta series, the Phillies won all the games in Philly to head to the World Series for the first time since 2009. The Phillies are a very hot and cold team, but when they are hot, they’re a team that can beat anyone. They’re on fire right now, led by reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper who hit the World Series clinching home run. Harper, who joined Philly in 2018 on a massive 13-year $330,000,000 contract has been worth every penny in the playoffs. He has looked like the best player in baseball. The rest of the lineup is very solid. Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber are all very solid players. Starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are also quite solid. The relief pitchers Jose Alverado, Zach Eflin, and Seranthony Domiguez have been very dependable this postseason. This team is an absolute miracle, very comparable to the 2019 Nationals. They have gotten hot at the right time and can beat anyone. Houston is a formidable opponent but momentum is on the Phillies’ side. Can they be the heroes of Philadelphia and bring them the first sports championship since the Eagles’ own miraculous Super Bowl run in 2018?

Final Prediction: Phillies win the World Series in 7 games

I may be a little biased as I am a Philadelphia sports fan, but this seems like destiny. The Phillies have gotten hot at the right time and I believe they will win a tough 7 game series against the Astros just like the Nationals did in 2019.