Game 1: What.

 

I....I really don't know what to say.

This series is gonna be weird because we've just got off of a playoff series where I was embarrassed to have a team lose to the Astros...and now with the Phils, I'm embarrassed when they win. This was genuinely not supposed to happen. The Astros had no trouble with cinderella teams like the Mariners, I have no idea how the Phils are actually winning games against them.

Though, in fairness, it was not an easy win.

I got in late last night. I was at a rock concert. Wait, no, we're being honest with ourselves. I was at a Weird Al concert. Yeah, that's the level of sophistication you all have been dealing with. Anyway I get home, and the concert was in Philly as well so you saw so many people trekking into the city in Phils garb to see what'd happen, go to bars and whatnot. I get home, the game's still tied 5-5. My dad's already gone to bed, he didn't even see the Phils come back and tie it. I figure, we're in extras, anything could happen, I'll indulge it.

...Guys, J.T. hit the home run while I was in the bathroom.

I literally left the couch to relieve myself, and as I'm in there I here my mom exclaim something from the other room, so now I've gotta rush through it. I finish up, I come back in, now it's 6-5. If anything, that means I should leave for a pee break during games more often.

Watching the end of that inning was tense as hell. We almost made it a deeper lead but Jean Segura gave 'em an easy one. Alex Bregman hit a scorching double that I worried was out. David Robertson, as efficient as he was striking out Alvarez and Tucker, put another man on and came close to putting Aledmys Diaz on base with a damn near HPB that he totally tried to get hit by. On one hand, the win looked palpable. On the other, this is the Philadelphia bullpen, and I could already hear the 'Robertson is trash' posts coming from my Facebook feed. 

But...Diaz hit an easy one, Stott made the play and we snuck out of there with a win. I was floored. I know, this is just the first game...but folks, I didn't think anybody was capable of beating the Astros this postseason. Nobody had done it yet. Not even the Yankees. And for the PHILLIES of ALL PEOPLE, with their snakebitten Aaron Nola starts and their outfielders who should probably be DHing, to get a win over them to start the World Series...I couldn't believe it.

Now...we've gotta do this 3 more times. But we're gonna have 2 or 3 opportunities to do so IN PHILLY, with all those damned fans screaming their heads off. If the Phils can win in Houston, and the home crowd is already gonna be tough for Houston........who knows. 

I am still keeping my expectations painfully low. They won A World Series game. That's honestly all I wanted from them. It'd be great if they won some more, but I'm still proud of these Phils. They outdid everyone's expectations. Maybe mine are next.