Former Padres Set to Face Off in NLCS Next Week

The San Diego Padres may have missed the postseason this year in disappointing fashion, but that doesn't mean they don't have ties to what's going on.

First and foremost, two of their divisional rivals faced off in the NLDS, with the Arizona Diamondbacks knocking off the Los Angeles Dodgers via a sweep. That definitely brought a lot of joy to Padres fans everywhere.

However, that was not the only thing Padres fans were watching for.

With the NLCS taking place between the Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies, there will be two former Padres fighting for a spot in the World Series — one on each team.

For the Diamondbacks, it's outfielder Tommy Pham, who spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Padres, and was there for their disappointing loss to the Dodgers in the 2020 NLDS.

For the Phillies, it's LHP Matt Strahm, who was with San Diego from 2018-2021, of course overlapping with Pham for his two seasons with the Friars.

It's probably safe to assume Padres fans will be rooting for Strahm and the Phillies, even though they lost to them in last year's NLCS. There was tons of drama between Pham and the Padres this year, stemming back to their series with the Diamondbacks in August.

Pham called Padres fans disrespectful for the way in which they treated him in his return to San Diego, and the story ended up escalating on social media.

Things did finally die down, but it's pretty clear that Padres fans don't like Pham, and vice versa.

Game 1 of the NLCS is Monday, October 16 at 5:07 p.m. Pham will be slotted into the No. 3 hole for Arizona, while Strahm will be ready to come out of the bullpen at any moment.