The last time the San Diego Padres made it to the NLCS, they also made it to the World Series. That season was 1998 and the Friars upset the heavily-favored Atlanta Braves to earn a date with the heavily-favored New York Yankees. The Yankees would ultimately sweep that series, and the Padres hadn’t been back to the LCS since. They’re back this year, and even have home-field advantage against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies are back in the LCS for the first time since 2010 when they fell to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in six games. The Phillies made the playoffs the next season, but 2011 was the end of a truly impressive run with five straight playoff appearances, league pennants in 2008 and 2009 and a World Series title in those ’09 playoffs.
Both teams have certainly earned their way here, as the Phillies took out two division champs in the Cardinals and Braves, while the Padres beat two of the league’s four 100-win teams with upsets over the Mets and Dodgers. Now, they match up head-to-head for the right to go to the World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies (+ 105) vs. San Diego Padres (-120)