It’s been a long time since any major sports team in Philadelphia won a championship but the Phillies will get their crack. They disposed of the Los Angeles Dodgers to take home the National League Pennant and will be the first Philly team in the finals since the Philadelphia 76ers were stomped out by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals. 

Here are five reasons why the Phillies best achievement this season won’t just be the NL Pennant – in other words, here are five reasons to bet the Phillies to win the World Series:

1. Cole Hamels 

How good has Cole Hamels been in the postseason? Although Jon Lester has been given the spotlight so far, Hamels, the NLCS MVP, has been even better. In three postseason starts, Hamels has allowed just three earned runs while lasting at least seven innings per start and throwing 22 innings pitched total. His postseason ERA is 1.23, his WHIP is 0.86 and his strikeout to walk ratio is 22-to-nine. Those numbers are phenomenal. That’s one reason to bet the Phillies but don’t forget to bet on Hamels and the under when he pitches.

2. Power In the Batting Lineup

The Philadelphia Phillies might be batting just .259 as a team in the postseason but they’ve been cranking out the power. They have 10 home runs as a team in eight games and lead all postseason teams in doubles and stolen bases. They’re also second in on-base percentage.

The Phillies have used the power in their lineup to crank out runs in key situations and that’s with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins struggling. If they pick it up, the Phillies could be really tough to beat, which is why you should bet the Phillies.

3. Brad Lidge

Heading into the postseason, Brad Lidge had converted 42 of 42 closing opportunities. He’s had five more save opportunities in the playoffs that he’s nailed down, which puts him in the lead for playoff saves. The way that Lidge is closing off games, the Phillies are really playing eight-inning affairs. Nobody has gotten to Lidge all season long, which makes it easy to have confidence in the guy when it comes to World Series betting.

4. Citizens Bank Park

Although the Phillies won’t have home-field advantage because the National League lost in the All-Star game (ironically, Brad Lidge was the losing pitcher for the National League), they will still have three game at Citizens Bank Park, which is a fairly unique stadium. It’s a hitter’s park and a park that they have yet to lose at this postseason (4-0).

5. Bullpen

The Phillies had the best bullpen in the regular season and their bullpen is once again getting the job done in the playoffs. Although Lidge is the anchor at the back end, the rest of the soldiers are bridging the gap between the starting pitching and Lidge, which is in large part to why the Phillies are National League Champions and why they are a good 2008 World Series pick.

From inning seven and on, the Phillies bullpen has an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.12. They’re not allowing a lot of baserunners and they are not giving up runs when they get on base. All this adds up to one terrific bet on the World Series.