The Philadelphia Phillies were 21-29 in early June, way behind the leaders of the NL East division at the time, the New York Mets.
They made a managerial switch and gave the position to Rob Thomson on June 3.
From that moment on, their odds of winning the National League pennant were slowly increasing.
They were never too high during the regular season because A) lots of teams were mathematically in the race; and B) there were several additional contenders with a better record and a better chance.
The Phillies managed to sneak in the postseason as the sixth and last seed of the National League, and had to fight for their spot with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Their 87 wins are the fewest of any playoff team in the NL.
They Are A Different Team In The Postseason
However, once they got to the playoffs, it seems like they flipped a switch.
They swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round and then defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the Division Series.
Now, they have taken Game 1 of the Championship Series against the San Diego Padres while playing on the road.
For the first time this season, their odds of winning the pennant are well over 50 percent.
Daily odds of the @Phillies winning the NL pennant 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nwhtK97kn8
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 19, 2022
Of course, with two teams left in contention, that sounds logical.
However, few people know the sacrifices it took to get here and how hard it was for Thomson and his players.
The team with the fewest wins in the regular season has now won six postseason games and lost just one.
The job is still not done, however, and they will have to take three additional games to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2009.
But they are looking solid, and they are now the favorites to advance.
NEXT: Zack Wheeler Had A Historic Start In Game 1