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Jorge Castillo, ESPN writer
NEW YORK — All that remained of Friday’s final was a glass of champagne on a table in center field at Citi Field. There was none of the usual promiscuity. There were no goggles, because they weren’t necessary. There was no alcohol, or any sprinkling. There was music, but nothing out of the ordinary.
It was quiet because the Philadelphia Phillies were expecting more than just a playoff spot.
“That’s the standard,” said manager Rob Thompson. “The goal is firmly in place now, to win the world championship. That’s it. It feels good. It really does.”
Philadelphia set a record Friday night with a 12-2 win over the New York Mets. Afterward, after a quiet celebration on the field, Thompson gave a toast. He thanked everyone involved in the accomplishment, from the front office to the support staff to the players, and everyone continued on with their night.
With the win, Philadelphia has secured a place in the playoffs for the third straight season—a feat that has only been achieved twice before in the team’s long history. The last two playoff appearances were as a free-agent team.
This time, Philadelphia had a chance to win the National League East for the first time since 2011. The team overtook the Atlanta Braves for the National League East lead on May 3, when their record was 22-11 and the Braves were still considered the favorite to win the title for a seventh straight season.
More than four months later, their win on Friday, coupled with the Atlanta Braves’ 4-3 loss to the Marlins in Miami, officially eliminated Atlanta from the National League East title race. Now, with their magic number two, Philadelphia needs a win on Saturday or Sunday against the second-place Mets.
“It’s awesome. It’s huge for us,” Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Bryce Harper said. “I think any time you can get to the postseason, no matter what the format is, it’s huge. It’s tough to get to the postseason.”
Philadelphia, the team with the best record in baseball at 92-62, has surpassed its win total in each of the past two years. In 2022, the team went 87-75 and then had a stunning run to the World Series, losing in six games to the Houston Astros. Last year, the team went 90-72 before blowing a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series to the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks, failing to come back by a single game. Both times, the team knocked off the favorite Braves in the National League Championship Series.
This year, the team could face the Mets, another division rival, making this weekend’s four-game series a potential preview for an October game.
On Friday, Alec Bohm helped fuel Philadelphia’s offense, recording four hits and four RBIs, including a three-run home run in the fourth inning that scored six runs. Nick Castellanos had three hits and two RBIs, JT Ralmotto contributed a two-run home run, and the Phillies stole five bases as they extended their lead in the National League East to seven games with eight remaining.
The ultimate goal is to win the third championship in the club’s history. That’s the standard. But for now, their eyes are on the next goal: winning the division title and a bigger celebration.
“It’s definitely going to be noisier,” Baum said.
