The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a playoff berth on Friday night with their 12-2 victory over the New York Mets (box score). The Phillies, in turn, joined the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees Cleveland Guardians, and Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason bracket.
The Phillies fell behind early on Friday, trailing 2-0 after the first inning. They would tie the game with runs in the second and third innings before taking a commanding lead with a six-run outburst in the fourth. Alec Bohm delivered the most consequential hit, driving in three with a home run to build an 8-2 advantage. Bohm, among others, continued to pile on as the Phillies built a 10-run lead heading into the ninth.
It's important to note the Phillies have merely clinched a postseason berth. As a result, they are assured of being no worse than the third wild-card team. That's all right now. Their magic number to clinch the NL East -- the combination of Phillies wins and/or Mets losses needed to clinch the division -- is now just two. The Phillies could well secure the East title by the end of the weekend.
For the Phillies, a postseason berth is merely the first step toward their larger goal. They want to win the NL East -- Philadelphia has not won the division since 2011 -- and also finish with one of the National League's two best records, which would give them a first-round bye past the Wild Card Series. The Phillies entered Friday tied with the Dodgers for baseball's best winning percentage, at 59.5%
Two years ago, the Phillies won the NL pennant before falling to the Houston Astros in the World Series. Last fall. they lost Games 6 and 7 of the NL Championship Series at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies want to wipe away that memory and win their first World Series title since 2008. A postseason spot has been clinched. Now much more work is ahead.
