Remarkable. Unthinkable. Unfathomable.

What the Philadelphia Phillies team has done is nothing short of any adjective that attempt to describe the feelings that many of us have had over the past two and a half weeks. From the insane come-from-behind win in St. Louis in the opening game of the playoffs to the heroic blast by Bryce Harper that sent the team to their first World Series since 2009, this city has been in a frenzy.

The team has rejuvenated baseball in this town after going 11 years without a postseason appearance, as they went through what seemed like a never ending retooling process. That started to change when they spent “stupid money” when the brass brought in the likes of Bryce Harper, Zach Wheeler, and later Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in free agency by signing them to big money contracts. They made trades for JT Realmuto and Jean Segura, and this year, they hit on deadline deals for Brandon Marsh, Noah Syndergard and Dave Robertson. They trusted in their younger players like Bryson Stott and Connor Brogdon, Bailey Falter and Alec Bohm. Oh, and they fired their manager Joe Girardi in the first half of the season when they weren’t performing up to expectations, and all the new manager Rob Thomson did was go 65-46, leading the Phillies to a playoff berth and eventually to the World Series.

This is legitimately another Disney story happening right before our eyes. Much like the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, things were looking a bit bleak as the regular season was coming to a close, only to catch fire under the underdog tag, before coming out on top and shocking the sports world. The difference is here, this team appeared to be all but dead in May, and interest in the team was pretty low. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, and this team defined that phrase perfectly.

It took some time, but the squad got their act together, and it’s clear as day that the players care about each other. It’s been a long time since we have seen team camaraderie like this. Despite his struggles in the field, and at times at the plate, Rhys Hoskins always seemed to have the support of his teammates, and supported them. When it came to his time to shine, and did so in a big way, you couldn’t help but feel the weight of the world come off of his shoulders with him.

However, the team has one huge obstacle in their way in reaching the ultimate goal

Bryce Harper said “we ain’t losing” during a press conference this postseason, and he’s been right so far. However, the Houston Astros have lost literally zero games this off-season so far. As daunting as the Phillies’ path has been, Houston took on a fiery Mariners team and a star studded Yankees squad, and rolled through both teams barely breaking a sweat.

The Astros have about six or seven pitchers that could start for them, so some of those arms will be sitting in an already stocked bullpen waiting to spell the likes of Lance McCullers Jr. and Justin Verlander with his sub 2.00 ERA. Former Phillie Hector Neris will more than likely visit the hill during the series, who has only given up one hit in 5 innings of work so far in the playoffs.

Offensively, the Astros feature five guys who had hit 22 homers and over. With Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena at the top, there’s speed a plenty, which get followed up with Yoradn Alavrez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, each who have driven in at least 93 runs this past season.

Houston won 106 games this season, and if you recall, the Phillies met them in the last series of the year, winning a game to help clinch the wild card spot. Houston displayed a nice “Congrats” message on their phanavision board, but who would have thought that a few weeks later, that same team would be trying to get through them to hoist the trophy.

There’s just something in the air with this Phillies team that makes it hard to pick against them. On paper, Houston’s team should win this series in five games. But they don’t play on paper, and what this baseball club has done time and time again in the playoffs cannot be overlooked. Clutch hitting, effort, and the pure will to win matters.

Is destiny on the Phillies side? It seems that many baseball fans hope so with the cheating scandal of a few years ago is still looming over the Astros franchise, leaving a bad taste in their mouths. Plus, who doesn’t love an underdog story? Again.

Let’s. Go. Phils.