PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Game 1 of the World Series is this Friday. And while Philadelphia may be the underdog against Houston, one Phillies icon is feeling really good about their chances.
Larry Bowa, a key member of the Phillies’ 1980 World Series Championship team, is confident in his Phillies, even if others aren't.
“We have nothing to lose, because, according to everybody, we’re the underdogs,” Bowa said.
In contrast, this will be the Astros’ fourth trip to the World Series in six seasons. In their last two appearances, they have lost to National League East teams who got to celebrate at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros actually have a lot to play for.
Bowa has believed in this team, and he will continue to believe in this team, no matter how daunting the prospect of beating the Astros may seem. He, for one, embraces the label “underdog.”
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“That's the greatest thing in the world,” said Bowa. “No one expects us to win. They didn't expect us to beat Atlanta. They didn't expect us to beat San Diego. And I'm sure they don't expect us to beat Houston. Sometimes, that's a very good role to have, to be the underdog.”
Bowa says he doesn't think the Astros have a big edge over his Phils.
“A couple people said it’s a mismatch. It's not a mismatch — believe me — when you have [Zack] Wheeler and [Aaron] Nola at the top [of the rotation], and you got everybody in our lineup hitting the way they are in clutch situations,” Bowa said.
“I'm not saying everybody's hot, but they come up with men on base. I don't care who it is. It could be [shortstop Bryson] Stott. It could be [third baseman Alec] Bohm. It could be [first baseman Rhys] Hoskins. They all get big hits at the right time. And when you have a team doing that, it's going to be hard to beat that team.”
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The Astros have certainly come up with big hits, too. Consider guys such as American League Championship Series MVP Jeremy Peña, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel and Jordan Álvarez. But consider also the fact that key players José Altuve and Kyle Tucker have struggled in the postseason so far. The question is will they get hot against the Phillies, or will the Phils be able to take advantage of that?
Bowa’s advice to Phillies players experiencing the World Series for the first time: Have fun. He says keys to the Phils’ success will include matching the Astros’ pitching and not making a lot of mistakes in the field.
“I really believe that there’s karma going on here,” he said. “There’s things that are happening where you look back and you go, ‘Man, it’s meant to be.’”
His prediction: The Phillies will win it all in seven games.
“I don't want it to go seven, because that means you have to go back to Houston. But I gotta give credit to Houston. They got a good team,” he said.
“But I'm gonna give credit to our team — because we have fought this whole way.”