The Phillies, The Last Team To Beat The Astros, Can Win World Series In Houston

PHILADELPHIA, PA — It was 20 days before the pennant clinching victory over the Padres Sunday that the Phillies flew into Houston for their final matchup of the regular season.

Their playoff hopes teetered on a tight rope that wavered in the breeze of every Aaron Nola fastball. The Astros big sluggers took big cuts and hit nothing but air. When all was said and done a few hours later, "Dancing on My Own" was blasting in the Phillies clubhouse, Houston had graciously placed a "Congratulations Philadelphia" message on the big screen at Minute Maid Park, and the National League's longest playoff drought came to an ominous end at 11 years.

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Ominous, because something lingered in the hazy Gulf air that night. Long after the celebrations had cleared, after the Astros had gone home to rest in preparation for what everyone expected to be a long playoff push, after the Phillies had heaved a sigh relieving the burden of the drought off their shoulders and began making their own preparations. What lingered then, perhaps, was what Bryce Harper has breathed into life each time he repeats the team's "we're not losing this game" mantra and what Rob Thomson manifested when he said "13 more wins" after that clincher.

The Phillies knew they'd be back.

With both teams' playoff position clinched, they rested many of their regulars in the final two games of that series and the regular season. Houston won both games, 10-0 and 3-2. In 11 playoff games since, the Phillies have 9 wins and 2 losses. The Astros haven't lost since that night when the Phillies came to town. They're 7-0 in the postseason.

That fateful Oct. 3 night, Nola was not just ace-like. He was perfect. He entered the seventh inning without allowing a hit or a walk. He finished with 9 strikeouts over 6.2 shutout innings of 2-hit ball.

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The Phillies won that night the way they've won many of their games against very good teams this postseason. Unhittable starting pitching. Strong relief pitching. And a pair of home runs from their sluggers — on that night, it was Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott.

They have the recipe down. The Astros are great, but are they that different than the already-defeated Braves? It's easy for analysts to put the Dodgers and the Astros in their own superhuman buckets, but the Braves won 101 regular season games. The Astros won 106.

The Phillies won 87.

All the analyst-adored favorites have been toppled already this postseason. All but one. And the Phillies know exactly how to do it.