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The Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves will face off in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The two teams went head-to-head 19 times this season with the record tilted 11-8 in favor of the Braves.
The No. 6-seeded Phillies triumphed in the wild card series over the weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals to earn a spot in the Division Series. They swept the Cardinals 6-3 and 2-0 in the three-game series, leading to their first playoff appearance since 2011.
The moment.
The Franzke call.
This is everything.#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/zZ6pHHuoyo— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 9, 2022
The Atlanta Braves are the defending champions of the series after winning the World Series in 2021. They finished off their season with a 101-61 record to clinch the first seed in the National League East.
Phillies Ended Their Playoff Drought
The Phillies ended their 10-year playoff drought after clinching the last wild card spot in the playoffs. With the new 12-team playoff format, the Phillies are one of the six wildcard teams to advance. The Phillies had an 87-74 regular season record and are the third seed of the NL East.
Aaron Nola will be one of two clear contributors for the Phillies. Nola started 32 games this year and went 11-13. However, he pitched a 3.25 ERA, had 235 strikeouts, 29 walks and 0.96 WHIP over 205 innings. He contributed to the Game 2 win in the wild card series with no earned runs, four strikeouts and one walk over 6.2 innings.
Stud. pic.twitter.com/aKhZ3mjB3i
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 9, 2022
The other key player will be Zach Wheeler. Wheeler started 26 games and went 12-7. He pitched a 2.82 ERA, 163 strikeouts, 34 walks and 1.04 WHIP over 153 innings. In the first game of the wild card series against the Cardinals, he pitched no earned runs, had four strikeouts and one walk over 6.1 innings.
Braves Aiming At Another World Series
The Braves are aiming at another World Series after winning their fourth ever Championship last year. They clinched their fifth straight NL East title and landed as the second seed in the playoffs.
They have had an impressive run as they went 78-34 since June 1, managing to erase a 10.5 game deficit in the NL East and overtook the New York Mets to win the division.
Rookie pitcher Spencer Strider has had a strong season with the Braves. Strider started 20 games and went 11-5. He pitched a 2.67 ERA, 202 strikeouts, 46 walks and 0.99 WHIP over 131.2 innings. He could be a contributor in the playoffs but has been sidelined with an oblique issue. Even though will likely have limited playtime in this series, he will be a key player for the Braves in the years to come as they have just signed him to a six-year, $75 million contract.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 10, 2022
Even so, the Braves are stacked with other star players, including Kyle Wright and Max Fried. Wright is a 21-game winner with a 3.19 ERA, 174 strikeouts, 53 walks and 1.16 WHIP over 180.1 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Fried is a Cy Young candidate who started 30 games and went 14-7. He pitched a 2.48 ERA, 170 strikeouts, 32 walks and 1.01 WHIP over 185.1 innings. Fried will be starting in game one.
On the mound for Game 1: @MaxFried32 #Back2Battle pic.twitter.com/DoJy1f3pA6
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 10, 2022
These two teams have not faced each other in the postseason since the 1993 NLCS. The Phillies toppled Atlanta in six games to advance to the World Series that year. The five-game series is scheduled to begin Wednesday at Truist Park and will last until Sunday if necessary.
