5 issues Mets followers ought to know concerning the Phillies

5 issues Mets followers ought to know concerning the Phillies heading into Saturday afternoon’s Recreation 1 of the NLDS at Residents Financial institution Park:

1. By some means, a brand new chapter

There hasn’t been a scarcity of conferences — 1,080 altogether — between the Mets and Phillies of their traditional NL East rivalry.

There hasn’t been a scarcity of postseason video games (133) for Philadelphia, both.

However they’ve by no means confronted the Mets earlier than within the playoffs, and Residents Financial institution Park will expertise the primary style of that Saturday.

2. Schwar-bombs away

It might be one factor to simply have a look at Kyle Schwarber’s numbers towards the Mets throughout his profession and this season: 18 homers in 73 video games and one in 13 video games, respectively.

However in 30 postseason video games since signing with the Phillies in 2022, Schwarber has slugged 11 homers from his perch within the leadoff spot.

His 20 postseason house runs throughout his profession (65 video games) sit tied with Derek Jeter for fourth-most all-time, in response to MLB.com.

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Observe The Put up’s protection of the Mets within the postseason:

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3. Lengthy shot

Zack Wheeler stays — and can proceed to stay, for so long as he’s with the Phillies — probably the most notable ex-Mets to face his former crew, given the context surrounding his Queens exit.

However Kevin Lengthy, who gained a World Sequence with the Nationals as their hitting coach in 2019, stuffed that very same function for the Mets throughout their World Sequence run in 2015.

He was a candidate to change into their supervisor in 2017, too. And now he’s the mechanic behind an offense that completed fifth in common, OPS and runs scored through the common season.

4. Mr. Reliable

Not Bryce Harper the outfielder, Bryce Harper the primary baseman — a positional change that caught even after he absolutely recovered from Tommy John surgical procedure — nonetheless managed to have loads of success towards the Mets on the plate this yr with a .298 common, 4 homers and a 1.027 OPS.

And, like Schwarber, Harper has a knack for delivering in October. In the course of the Phillies’ final two postseason runs, he collected a .324 common and 1.137 OPS.

5. Energy the lights again on

The Mets didn’t handle a homer of their NL Wild Card Sequence till Pete Alonso’s late blast in Recreation 3.

However the Phillies pitching workers — regardless of that includes Wheeler, ace Aaron Nola and a gaggle of confirmed relievers — has struggled to restrict house runs in 2024, ending the common season in a tie for the sixth-most allowed within the majors.