From a free-agent splurge to heartbreak in Houston: A timeline of the Phillies’ wild run to the World Series

Man, what a ride. Injuries, changes at the top, slumps, streaks, and that Rhys Hoskins bat spike. This season had it all.

The Phillies were expected to be contenders for a postseason berth, but didn’t get in until the final few days of the season. And if not for this year’s expansion of the playoff field, they would have been on the golf course a month ago and not playing in the World Series.

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So here’s to Philly Rob, Schwarber’s bombs, Nick’s catches, the duct-tape rotation, and the Rubik’s Cube bullpen. Most of all, here’s to Bryce Harper for somehow making a $330 million contract look like a bargain.

Before you go, here’s a quick look back at a wild season.

March 10: The designated hitter rule was adopted in the National League. It cannot be overstated how important this would become for the Phillies.

March 20: Signed Kyle Schwarber to a four-year, $79 million contract.

March 23: Signed Nick Castellanos to a five-year, $100 million contract.

April 8: Schwarber kicked off the season with a home run in the bottom of the first in a 9-5 Phillies win over Oakland. Aaron Nola picked up the victory.

April 11: Young third baseman Alec Bohm felt the wrath of Phillies’ fans when he committed the second of three errors on the night. He was caught mouthing “I [f—g] hate this place,” as boos rained down. He owned up to the profanity, saying his emotions got the best of him. Fans quickly forgave him because who hasn’t ever complained at work?

April 16: Harper played right field for what would be the final time all year. He had tendinitis in his right (throwing) elbow which was affecting his defense. He was able to stay in the Phillies’ lineup, however, as the designated hitter.

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April 24: Schwarber blew his top on home plate umpire Angel Hernandez after being called out on strikes. He was immediately ejected. But Phillies observers were bothered that manager Joe Girardi did not stick up for his player vehemently enough to also get tossed. The Phillies struck out 16 times that night and lost to the Brewers, 1-0.

June 3: Girardi was fired with the Phillies slogging along at 22-29 and 12.5 games out of first place. Bench coach Rob Thomson was named interim manager.

June 11: The Phillies won their eighth consecutive game under Thomson, so clearly the change sparked the club.

June 25: Harper sustained a broken right thumb when he was hit by a pitch by San Diego’s Blake Snell. He would go on to miss two months.

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Aug. 1: MGM’s odds on the Phillies to win the World Series were 50-1.

Aug. 26: Harper returned from the injured list. Interestingly, the Phillies went an excellent 32-20 (.615) without their star.

Sept. 25: Schwarber hit his 41st homer of the season, which would clinch the National League home-run title. Schwarber finished with 46, comfortably ahead of the Mets’ Pete Alonso (40).

Sept. 29: A fifth consecutive loss shrank the Phillies’ wild-card lead down to a half-game entering the final weekend of the season. Older fans were having 1964 nightmares.

Oct. 2: Finished winning three out of four in Washington to reduce their wild-card magic number to 1.

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Oct. 3: Clinched their first playoff berth in 11 years with a win over Houston, as Thomson guided the club to a 65-46 mark and the final postseason berth in the National League. J.T. Realmuto finished with 1,131 2/3 innings behind the plate —more than 14 full games than any other catcher in baseball.

Oct. 7: The Phillies scored a stunning six runs in the top of the ninth to turn a grueling 2-0 deficit into a rollicking Game 1 win over the Cardinals in the wild-card round. They closed out St. Louis the following night.

Oct. 10: Thomson officially had the interim tag removed, signing a two-year contract to continue managing.

Oct. 14: Hoskins’ emphatic bat spike immediately following his three-run homer made the first playoff game at Citizens Bank Park in 11 years unforgettable. The Phils rolled the Braves, 9-1, and ended the series the following day by slugging three more homers (Brandon Marsh, Realmuto, Harper).

Oct. 18: Harper and Schwarber homered and Zack Wheeler pitched seven masterful innings as the Phillies beat the favored Padres in Game 1 of the NLCS.

Oct. 23: Harper’s eighth-inning home run off right-handed reliever Robert Suarez lifted the Phillies into the World Series. Padres manager Bob Melvin inexplicably did not bring in lefty closer Josh Hader. Up next was heavily-favored and 106-win Houston.

Oct. 28: The Phillies erased a 5-0 deficit and beat the Astros 6-5 on Realmuto’s 10th-inning home run. Castellanos’ sliding catch in the bottom of the ninth saved the game and set up Realmuto’s heroics. It was the largest World Series comeback in team history. According to Elias, teams down by five runs in a World Series game had been 5-220.

Oct. 31: Game 3, the first World Series game at Citizens Bank Park in 11 years, was rained out. The extra day allowed the Phillies to reset their pitching rotation. Houston’s remained unchanged.

Nov. 1: The Phillies tied a World Series record with five home runs, all off beleaguered starter Lance McCullers Jr., to win 7-0 and take a 2-1 series lead over the Astros. Phillies starter Ranger Suárez, who closed out Game 1, started and pitched five scoreless innings for the victory.

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Nov. 2: Cristian Javier combined with three other Astros pitchers to toss just the second no-hitter in World Series history as Houston evened the series. Nola didn’t have his best stuff and was lifted after four-plus innings.

Nov. 3: The Phillies’ offense again was held in check — and local product Chas McCormick made a ninth-inning catch for the ages for Houston — as the Astros held on for a 3-2 win. The Phillies, down 3-2 in the series, are on the brink of elimination heading back to Houston.

Nov. 5: Jose Alvarado replaced Wheeler and promptly gave up a three-run homer to slugger Yordan Alvarez as Houston clinched the series with a 4-1 win. So much of the magic of the 2022 Phillies was generated by their massive and timely home runs. It is painfully ironic that a bomb by the Astros pretty much ended their dreams.

Teams the 87-75 Phillies beat to reach the World Series and their regular-season records:

NL wild card: Beat St. Louis Cardinals (93-69)

NL Divisional Series: Beat Atlanta Braves (101-61)

NL Championship Series: Beat San Diego Padres (89-73)