Phillies clinch third straight playoff berth, move closer to NL East title
NEW YORK — After the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third straight playoff berth Friday night, they shook hands on the field and headed back to the dugout like it was any other regular-season victory.
Moments later, manager Rob Thomson gathered his players in the clubhouse and thanked them with a tempered champagne toast acknowledging their significant achievement.
But no wild party, with grown men pouring alcohol on each other, drinking beer and soaking each other with joy.
Not yet, anyway.
“It’s pretty calm and relaxed compared to what it usually gets,” All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm said with a laugh.
It’s a long time since you’ve made the playoffs before you’ve won the World Series. Nobody knows that better than the Phillies these days, and their goals are much bigger than just making it.
“You look around and you see all the talent, you see all the guys, you see the direction, the moves they’re making and things like that, you look at it on paper at the beginning of the year, and this team should be in the playoffs,” Bohm said. “So it’s good that we’ve stayed healthy all year long and done everything we needed to do to get to this point. Now it’s just a matter of continuing to do it.”
Bryce Harper and the Phillies have clinched their final, long-awaited playoff berth with a 12-2 landslide victory over the New York Mets.
Guaranteed at least a wild card into the National League, Philadelphia can clinch its first NL East title since 2011 with one more victory this weekend against the second-place Mets at Citi Field.
With the division crown so tight, the Phillies kept their heads down Friday night, hoping to let loose soon with a boozy clubhouse party after securing first place.
“It’ll be a little more choppy, for sure,” said Bohm, who hit a home run and finished with four hits and four RBIs.
Seeking their third World Series title, the Phillies passed Atlanta for the division lead on May 3 and have not trailed since.
Philadelphia (92-62) has the best record in the major leagues and is on track to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. This is the third time the Phillies have reached the playoffs in three straight years (1976-78 and 2007-11).
“Not everyone gets a chance to be in the World Series every year, so even if people in this room think this is where we should be, it’s still an accomplishment,” Bohm said.
Harper, Bohm, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos powered the offense, while Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez anchored the pitching staff for a team largely unchanged from 2023.
Philadelphia won five straight National League East division titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without a playoff appearance. Having earned a wild-card spot in each of the last two playoffs, the Phillies have had back-to-back October Series wins that ended in heartbreak.
They reached the 2022 World Series, losing to Houston in six games, and lost a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year after trailing the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.
This time, the Phillies intend to go all the way and finally finish the job.
Philadelphia’s only World Series titles came in 1980 and 2008.
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