The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros will face off in the 2022 World Series starting Friday night. The Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres 4-1 in the NLCS, while the Astros swept the Yankees in four games in the ALCS. The Phillies will make their first appearance in the Fall Classic since 2009.

The Astros are undefeated in the postseason, sweeping the Mariners and Yankees in consecutive series. They are the third team in the Wild Card era to advance to the World Series without losing a postseason game. Houston had the best record in the American League this season (106-56).

The 2022 Fall Classic will be the 118th World Series in Major League Baseball history. The Astros fell to the Atlanta Braves in six games in last year’s World Series. They won their first World Series title in franchise history in 2017, but it was previously in question due to reports that the Astros stole signs electronically in 2017.

Their 2022 ALCS win was their third American League pennant since winning the 2017 World Series. The Astros won the 2019 ALCS before falling to the Washington Nationals in seven games in the World Series. The Phillies will look to become the third consecutive NL East team to defeat the Astros in the Fall Classic after the Braves’ victory last year.

The Astros have a versatile and dynamic lineup headlined by Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman. Altuve and Bregman were members of the championship team in 2017, while Alvarez has become one of the most talented young players in baseball since 2019. Alvarez was the ALCS MVP in 2021.

25-year-old rookie Jeremy Pena is having a breakout postseason, most recently displayed by a three-run home run to tie game four of the ALCS. Pena is hitting .303 with three home runs and five RBI in seven postseason games. The shortstop took over for Carlos Correa after he signed with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason.

This World Series matchup has already played games in October, with the Phillies and Astros meeting in the final regular season series at the beginning of the month. The Astros won the three-game series 2-1 at home. The Phillies clinched their postseason berth with a 3-0 win in the first game behind stellar pitching from Aaron Nola.

Both teams will enter the series well rested with an equal four days off before Game 1 on Friday. Both clubs have rolled through the postseason with surprising ease, entering the Fall Classic relatively healthy and rested.

The Phillies will start their fourth consecutive series on the road with a 4-2 record away from Citizens Bank Park this postseason. The Phillies have stolen a Game 1 victory in each series in the playoffs. The Astros haven’t lost a game at home since the Phillies clinched their playoff berth on October 3.

Citizens Bank Park will host its first World Series game since 2009 on Halloween night. The Phillies will play at least one home game in November and could also play Game 5 at home. The final two games of the best-of-seven series would be played next weekend in Houston if necessary.