I sat in my cousin’s diner at 8:00 at night in my hometown, in my Phillies jersey with a few cousins, my parents, with buddies, and strangers huddled near a bunch of TVs cheering on the Phillies.

Both teams are battling to reach the World Series. The Padres finished second in the NL West behind the L.A. Dodgers. The Phillies finished third behind the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets.

First baseman Josh Bell broke out a mini-slump with a monster game against Philadelphia in Game 2. Hitting a homer and two RBIs. He had six hits with two homers and four RBIs. The Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth was dominant in the NLDS against the Dodgers. Cronenworth hit .239, had 17 homers, 88 RBIs, with 88 runs scored, and drew 70 walks in the 2022 regular season.

Bryce Harper, Philadelphia’s hero, had two hits in five of eight Postseasons with four doubles, four homers, and seven RBIs. He homered in Game 1 and was 2-for-4 with a double in Game 2.

Phillies vs Padres Final Score in Game 5:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Padres 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 5 0

Phillies 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 – 4 6 0