Trea Turner called for his beer-soaked Phillies teammates to make way as he rode into the clubhouse on a platform truck loaded with cases of beer. With his hoodie on and goggles in place, Turner jumped into the sea of beer and champagne that soaked the clubhouse floor, ready to join the celebration.
The Phillies are no strangers to partying, but this time it was special—after 13 years, they are heading to the postseason as NL East champions.
Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto hit home runs, sending the fans into a frenzy. Pitcher Aaron Nola showed just how exciting it could be if the team goes all the way this year.
The Phillies clinched the NL East title for the first time since 2011 with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.
“That was our main goal in spring training, to win the division and get that first-round bye,” said slugger Bryce Harper. “Do all the things we can to kind of set us up for the postseason. The division was the first thing.”
Before the game, the Phillies had set up a tarp over the locker stalls, a familiar sight for the celebrations that follow for a team that has made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons under manager Rob Thomson.
They erupted with excitement right after Carlos Estévez retired Michael Busch on a fly ball to end the game. Phillies players rushed each other in joy on the field, and the Phillie Phanatic joined in the fun, waving a 2024 flag while fans recorded the moment.
“We know there’s a really big picture ahead of us,” Schwarber said before the game. “Winning the division is a big thing. If we go out there and do our thing tonight, it’s going to be well deserved. It’s not an easy division to win. It’s never been an easy division to win. It definitely will be a cool thing.”
It was a cool night in Philadelphia for a sold-out crowd of 42,386, with temperatures in the 60s—like a preview of October weather.
This weather is just right for this team.
With their spot in the postseason secured last week, Schwarber, Harper, Turner, and the rest celebrated the franchise’s 12th division championship and are aiming for the top seed in the National League playoffs.
The Phillies (93-64) are currently in the No. 2 spot, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63), and would get a first-round bye if the standings stay the same.
“The biggest things for me, really, are winning the division and getting the bye,” Thomson said. “If we get home field throughout, that’s a bonus. But I won’t put our players in danger to get there.”
The Phillies have two games left against the Cubs and will finish the season with a three-game series in Washington.
With playoff appearances becoming routine for these Phillies, maybe that’s why some fans chose to stay home. After selling out game after game during a great season, there were some empty seats at Citizens Bank Park, which had over 3.2 million fans attending.
Thomson once mentioned that a rival coach said a playoff game in Philly was “four hours of hell.”
“I feel like it’s the best atmosphere in sports,” said All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman. “It feels like it’s 50,000 vs. nine. It’s always a good feeling when you step on the field.”
Fans were greeted by “CLINCHED” on the videoboard outside Citizens Bank Park, while the main entrance featured Harper and Nola on a “Make More HISTORY” banner.
“Being able to come home and do it here, in front of the best fans in baseball, in front of a fanbase that showed out for us each night, it was just a lot of fun,” Harper said.
Philadelphia ended Atlanta’s streak of six straight NL East titles and is aiming to finish with the best record in the majors to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Phillies are seeking their third World Series championship, having won in 1980 and 2008. They took the division lead from Atlanta on May 3 and have not looked back since.
Philadelphia won five consecutive NL East titles from 2007 to 2011 but then went a decade without making the playoffs. They entered as wild cards in the last two postseasons, making strong runs that ended in disappointment.
They reached the 2022 World Series but lost to Houston in six games, and last year, they fell in a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona after leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.
The road to this division title had its ups and downs after the team started with the best 50-game record in the majors since Seattle in 2001.
The Phillies struggled during the summer and came back home this week from a 2-5 trip against Milwaukee and the New York Mets.
It felt fitting that 31-year-old Nola was the starting pitcher for the clinching game. Nola was a first-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2014, made his debut the next year, and has been with the team ever since. He has been one of baseball’s most reliable pitchers, which is very valuable with today’s focus on bullpen use.
Nola helped Philadelphia secure a wild card last year, going 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four playoff starts. In 2022, he made five postseason starts, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 4.91 ERA.
Nola only briefly tested the free-agent market last offseason before signing a seven-year contract worth $172 million to stay with the Phillies.
