At the begging of this postseason, many Phillies fans were conflicted with choosing a team to root for all the way to the World Series. Should we root for the Brewers or Rockies who had never won a World Series? Should we root for the underdog upstarts in the Oakland Athletics (plus they used to play in Philly). Should we root for LA Dodgers where, our hero, Chase Utley could ride off into the sunset on top? Should we root for the Yank….. nope can’t even suggest that.
Originally, I was going to root for the Dodgers who hadn’t won a World Series in 30 years and root for my childhood hero Chase Utley. That all changed when they left him off the postseason roster heading into the NLDS.
After that, I had to shift through the non-powerhouse teams to pick my team. My shifting stopped when a hero emerged.
A Turkey Bacon Hero.
Former Phillies back-up catcher, Erik Kratz has burst onto the playoff scene for the first time as a 38-year-old!
Old friend Erik Kratz played parts of 4 seasons in Philadelphia. Although he only amassed 84 hits and 18 HRs, Kratz showed amazing heart during a time when the Phillies were severely declining. Since his Phillies debut in 2011, Kratz has been the definition of journeyman, playing for 6 other teams. Despite playing for teams like the 2014/15 Royals, 2016 Astros, and 2017 Yankees, Kratz is making his postseason debut.
And what a debut it has been.
In 2 postseason games, Kratz has hit .625 with an OPS of 1.375. That’s 5 hits in 8 ABs with a double, in simpler terms.
He’s the feelgood postseason story of 2018. It also helps that the Brewers are still looking for their first ever World Series.
Underdogs. Wily veterans. MVP candidates. Crazy good bullpen pieces. This team has everything you want to root for in a playoff team. So Philly, let’s root for our Turkey Bacon hero in Erik Kratz and cheer on the 2018 Brewers.
Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports
