And it will be the Padres. San Diego got a dramatic 10th inning homer from CJ Abrams off Josh Hader to beat St. Louis 5-4 and win the NLCS, taking four straight after dropping the first two games of the series. The Cards looked to be in good shape early, taking a 4-1 lead in the 3rd with the big hit being a 2-run HR from former Ray Brandon Marsh. But Leo Ortega, who led the NL in pitching WAR this year and just received a 7-year, $131 million extension the other day, couldn't hold the lead and off to extras we went.
So five years later it's the Rays and Padres again in the World Series. The last time it was a 4-game sweep for the Rays. Much of the current Padre lineup started in that series (Manny Machado, Trent Grisham, Taylor Trammell, Luis Campusano) as well as some of the pitchers (Andres Munoz, Reggie Lawson, Joey Cantillo, Ryan Weathers). The Rays on the other hand have had almost complete turnover thanks to last year's free agent exodus with Keibert Ruiz the only everyday player still around and Jose Alvarado and Shane McClanahan on the pitching staff.
