Joel Wilson – Staff Writer

jnw5443@psu.edu

When the leaves turn from green to gold and the wind develops a crisp chill, that is the time for playoff baseball. When pumpkin spice lattes return to Starbucks and plastic skeletons are just as common as living people, that is when legends are made on the diamond. 

The first modern World Series was a challenge proposed by Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss to Boston Americans, now Red Sox, owner Henry Killilea. Boston would ultimately win the series 5-3. Despite the two cities being roughly 600 miles apart, the event was called the World Series.

Even though the New York Giants refused to play the World Series the next season in 1904, it became a tradition for the National League Champion to play the American League Champion after the season ended. Throughout over 100 World Series, many legendary moments have occurred. 

Mickey Owen’s dropped third strike in 1941, Willie Mays’ phenomenal catch in 1954, Don Larson’s perfect game in 1956, Bill Mazeroski’s walk off homerun in 1960, Reggie Jackson becoming Mr. October in 1977, Kirk Gibson’s improbable homerun in 1988, the Toronto Blue Jays winning back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1933, and the Diamondbacks beating the mighty Yankees in 2001 all spring to mind as one looks back across the many years of World Series play. As the 118th World Series gets underway, it is hard to not think about what legends might be made. 

2022’s World Series will take place a little later than the typical World Series. This is due to the preseason lockout pushing the regular season back by about a week. Because of this, if the Series is played to its extent, the final game will take place on November 5th. 

The Philadelphia Phillies will represent the National League this year. 2022 will be the Phillies’ 8th trip to the Fall Classic. In World Series play, they have won 2 in their previous 7 trips. Their victories came in 1980 and 2008. 

Throughout the season, the Phillies were not known for being the most consistent when it came to fielding. Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez called their defensive prowess out during the season, leading the Phillies broadcast team to put “Keith Hernandez approved” on the screen when the team made a good play. While good defense is vital during the entire season, the energy present during a postseason game makes any baserunner into a potential rally. This means keeping as many runners off the basepaths as possible is crucial for a team’s success. 

Rhys Hoskins has been clutch for Philadelphia this postseason and looks to continue that theme in the championship round. Bryce Harper hopes to build onto his newly established status as a Philadelphia legend during his first ever trip to the World Series. 

The Houston Astros have been baseball’s villain since the news broke in late 2019 that they cheated to win the 2017 title. Even though its legitimacy is questioned, that championship remains the only one in franchise history. While most of that team is gone now, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Yuli Gurriel are among those who remain. Altuve has been in a slump this postseason but looks to break out during the Series. 

While some of the Astros are still besmirched by allegations of cheating, a few new faces have emerged on the club. Yordan Alvarez is among this group. Alvarez broke into the majors in 2019 and has since made his mark posting a .296 career average with 98 homeruns and 283 RBIs. The star outfielder also delivered the winning homerun against the Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of this year’s ALDS.

As another World Series gets underway, enjoy the tradition and the feel of October baseball. There is nothing like it, and you never know what you might see.