PHILADELPHIA – Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto hit home runs. Phillies fans were over the moon. And pitcher Aaron Nola gave a taste of how great it would be for the franchise if Philly made it to the end.
The Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East for the first time since 2011, securing the division title with a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.
The Phillies had a tarp stretched over the clubhouse locker rooms before the game, a familiar protection from the impending bottle popping for a team that has made the playoffs each of the past three seasons under coach Rob Thomson.
“We know we’re in for a big game,” Schwarber said before the game. “Winning the division is a big deal. If we go out there tonight and do our thing, we’ll earn it. It’s not an easy division to win. It’s never been an easy division to win. It’s definitely going to be a cool thing.”
Oh, it was cool for the announced 42,386 sold-out spectators in Philly, with temperatures above 15 degrees – a little foretaste of the October weather.
That fits well with this group.
Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Co. already secured their place in the postseason last week, winning the franchise’s 12th Division championship – and are now aiming for first place in the National League playoffs.
The Phillies (93-64) are in second place, directly behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63), and would receive a bye for the first round if they remain in the same position.
“The most important thing for me really is to win the division and get a bye,” Thomson said. “If we have home advantage for the whole game, that’s a bonus. But I’m not going to put our players in danger to achieve that.”
The Phillies have two games left against the Cubs and will end the season with a three-game series in Washington.
With playoff appearances now the norm for the Phillies, perhaps the inevitability of it all kept some fans at home. After a sensational season of selling out game after game, Citizens Bank Park, which has seen over 3.2 million spectators, was left with empty seats.
Thomson once said an opposing coach told him a playoff game in Philly was “four hours of hell.”
“I think it’s the best atmosphere in sports,” said All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman. “It feels like 50,000 against nine. It’s always a good feeling when you step on the field.”
Phillies fans were greeted with “CLINCHED” on the video board outside Citizens Bank Park, while Harper and Nola were featured as anchor photos on a “Make More HISTORY” banner at the main entrance.
Philadelphia ended Atlanta’s streak of six consecutive NL East titles and is trying to finish the season with the best record in the major leagues and home-field advantage for the entire postseason.
Seeking their third World Series title to add to their 1980 and 2008 titles, the Phillies overtook Atlanta on May 3 to take the division lead and have not trailed since.
Philadelphia won the NL East title five times in a row from 2007 to 2011, but then went ten years without making the playoffs. The Phillies have been wild-card entrants in the last two playoffs and made two consecutive runs in October that ended in a bitter end.
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 leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.
The road to this division title was a bit bumpy after the team got off to its best 50-game start in the major leagues since Seattle in 2001. The Phillies hit a slump over the summer and returned home this week from a 5-2 road trip to Milwaukee and the New York Mets.
Both are teams the Phillies could face in October.
It seemed fitting that the 31-year-old Nola was on the mound for the decisive game. Selected by the Phillies in the first round of the 2014 draft, Nola made his debut the following year and stayed with them his entire career. He was one of the most reliable pitchers in baseball – a valuable commodity given the modern pressures on bullpens in the big leagues.
Nola helped Philadelphia earn a wild card last year, then went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four playoff starts. He made five playoff starts in 2022, going 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA.
Nola briefly tested the free agent market last season before signing a seven-year, $172 million contract to stay with the Phillies.
His reward: another chance in the postseason to bring home a World Series title that he has now worked toward for 16 years.
