When the Philadelphia Phillies take the field tonight in game one of the National League Divisional Series versus the Cincinnati Reds, they will be led by Roy Halladay who will be making his first post-season appearance. Halladay was the ace pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays for twelve seasons, but during his time with the Jays he never made a post-season appearance. As the off-season approached, the Philadelphia Phillies made room for Halladay by trading Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners and the rest is history. By bringing Halladay into their rotation, the Phillies made an already powerful pitching staff even better. As the 2010 season progressed, the Phillies also picked up starting pitcher Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros. The Phillies recent success started in 2007 when they clinched their first playoff berth since losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series in 1993. In 2008, the Phillies won their first World Series since 1980 and then lost to the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series. With Halladay and Oswalt in their rotation I believe that the Phillies will be the team to beat in the National League for many years to come. The Phillies are becoming the Yankees of the NL with players wanting to be a part of their organization and also being paid well. If NL organizations aren’t able to bring in top players for their teams, the Phillies will continue to dominate the league. In order for a team to take over the NL they must defeat the Phillies, which will be tough to do with their overpowering pitching and powerful batting lineup.
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