CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — How’s this for pressure? Anything less than a World Series title will be considered a failure for the Philadelphia Phillies this season.
Expectations are that high for a franchise that’s won just two championships in 128 years and has lost more games than any pro team in professional sports.
A sensational starting rotation bolstered by the stunning offseason addition of Cliff Lee is the reason the Phillies were consensus favorites to win it all entering spring training.
Adding Lee to a staff that includes reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels gives Philadelphia a rotation that’s already been compared to some of baseball’s all-time best starting staffs.
