Philadelphia Phillies clinch third consecutive playoff berth as eyes now set on division crown

It will be a Red October in Philadelphia for the third straight season.

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a playoff spot Friday night after defeating their division-rival New York Mets, 12-2. If the Phillies win one of the next two games against the Mets, they will clinch the National League East. It would be their first division title since 2011.

It’s been quite the ride for the Phillies this season. They had the best record in baseball in the first half of the season, sending eight players to the All-Star Game. Bryce Harper was playing at an MVP-type level. Ranger Suarez was pitching like a Cy Young candidate. Alec Bohm finally broke through. And Cristopher Sanchez came out of nowhere to be one of the best pitchers in the league.

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However, things took a turn after the All-Star break. From the beginning of July through late August, the Phillies were one of the worst teams in baseball — nearly as bad as the Chicago White Sox. The Phillies went 13-21 from July 12-Aug. 22, losing series to the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Atlanta Braves.

Everything was going wrong during that time — the offense went ice cold (except for Nick Castellanos), the starting pitching was getting hit around, and the bullpen had trouble holding onto leads.

But from Aug. 23 on, the Phillies have righted the ship, once again becoming the best team in baseball. Their record is 18-9 during that time.

Playoff berth not enough for Phillies

Even though the Phillies have clinched their third straight playoff berth, they won’t fully celebrate until they win the National League East. After that, they have their sights set on a first-round bye in the playoffs and the best record in baseball to secure home-field advantage through the World Series.

This Phillies team has made two deep runs in the playoffs the last couple of seasons: losing in the World Series to the Houston Astros in 2022, and a crushing defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS.

Nothing short of a World Series win in 2024 will be acceptable for this team.

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