Philadelphia Phillies clinch NL East for first time since 2011
For the first time in 13 years, the Philadelphia Phillies are National League East champions.
On Monday night, the Phillies clinched the NL East with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia clinched a playoff berth Friday night with a 12-2 victory over the Mets. The Phils' magic number to clinch a first-round bye is now two.
The Phillies last won the NL East in 2011, when they won a franchise record 102 games. The 2011 club was the last of the Golden era, ending with a 1-0 Game 5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.
After the 2011 NLDS defeat, Philadelphia went on an 11-year postseason drought. That ended in 2022 when the Phils clinched a wild-card spot and then went on a magical run that fell two wins shy of winning a World Series.
Last season, the Phillies made it to Game 7 of the National League Championship Series after winning a wild-card berth.
Now, the Phils can call themselves division champs. Philadelphia has 12 NL East titles.
Who would the Phillies play in the postseason?
At worst, the Phillies will enter the 2024 postseason as the third seed in the NL. At best, they'll own the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and homefield advantage in the divisional and championship series. Let's break it down.
How could the Phillies finish as the top seed?
If the Phillies finish with the best record in the NL — or the same record as the Dodgers or Brewers, since Philadelphia owns tiebreakers — they would be the top seed and face the wild-card game winner between the 4 and 5 seeds.
How could the Phillies finish as the second seed?
If the Phillies finish second in the NL behind the Dodgers or the Brewers, they will have the second seed. If they finish as the two seed, they would have a first-round bye and then face the winner between the NL Central/West division champion and the third wild-card team.
How could the Phillies finish as the third seed?
If the Dodgers and Brewers finish with better records, the Phillies would get the third seed and a wild-card series matchup with the third wild-card team.
