On Monday evening, the Philadelphia Phillies dropped to 0-2 in their NLDS series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, having lost both games in front of their home fans as the series shifts to Los Angeles. The Phillies are now just one game away from being eliminated in the NLDS for the second straight year after winning the NL East in the regular season.
The Dodgers, of course, are the reigning World Series champions, and not a typical opponent that one would have to face in the NLDS as the team with the higher playoff seed.
Recently, Phillies star Alec Bohm indirectly insinuated that the Phillies are on the same tier as the Dodgers in the baseball world, likely not something that most fans or pundits would agree with, and that this series is the real one for all the marbles.
“I’m sure there’s some thought, I guess, that this is the (real) World Series,” Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm said. “But whether that’s true or not, I think everybody knows how talented they are. It’s no secret. They’re a really good team.”
It's unclear why Bohm would think the baseball world views things that way, considering that the Dodgers have won two out of the last five World Series, whereas the Phillies have lost in an earlier playoff round in each consecutive postseason dating back to 2022.
A disappointing showing from the Phillies
In Game 1 on Saturday, the Philadelphia Phillies controlled things for most of the way before a late Teoscar Hernandez home run gave the Dodgers the victory.
On Monday, it was Los Angeles that was ahead for the whole evening, before the Phillies put the pressure on in the ninth inning in an attempt to tie things up or even win it.
However, some costly mistakes, including a puzzling decision for Bryson Stott to bunt instead of hitting the ball, ended up costing the Phillies the game, and put them in the unenviable position of having to win three straight against Los Angeles to get out of this series.
Game 3 is set for Wednesday in Los Angeles.
