Think back to July 3 for a second. it’s okay if you don’t remember exactly what you were doing that day, or if you don’t remember what the records of the Phillies and Mets were; the Phillies were 57-29. They were the best team in baseball, both record-wise and vibes-wise. The offense was in sync, the starting pitching looked strong, and the bullpen was getting the job done. On that same day, the Mets were 42-42. They were playing a little better baseball than they did in the season’s first two months but still had the makings of a .500 team.
If you told a Phillies fan then — when the team had a 14-game lead on the Mets in the NL East — that Philadelphia would be on the precipice of losing to that Mets team in the playoffs a few months later, they would have told you 1) that you’re lying and 2) if you’re not lying, then something went horribly wrong.
Granted, that Mets team isn’t really that Mets team. New York was a rocket ship destined for the stars in the second half of the season and has hit its stride at the perfect time. Timely hits, two-out rallies and clutch performances have been the MO of this squad. They’ve been a blast to watch from clinching a Wild Card spot on the last day of the season to a thrilling series win against Milwaukee.
And yet — this season would be a failure for the Phillies if they lose in the NLDS, full stop. No matter how hot the Mets are, no matter how evenly New York played the Phillies in the regular season (they went 6-7 this year) the Phillies failing to advance in the playoffs and doing it by losing to a division rival is a nightmare scenario no matter how you chop it.
During All-Star Weekend in Texas, Phillies star Bryce Harper said it’s “World Series every year” for the Phillies. That’s a little dramatic — but for a Phillies team that sat atop the NL table for nearly the whole year, it has to be at least NLCS or bust this year, right?
Bryce Harper got chills telling A-Rod, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter what it’s like to play for the Philadelphia Phillies:
“Is it World Series or bust? No. It’s World Series every year.” pic.twitter.com/x7n61diPt9
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) July 16, 2024
What’s going wrong for the Phillies against the Mets?
Well, scoring 11 runs in three games probably isn’t going to get the job done in the playoffs against a hot offense … especially when seven of those runs came in the same game. Philly has been mostly unable to string together quality at-bats, either being hyper-aggressive at the plate and chasing pitches that aren’t close, or flailing at pitches in the zone and creating weak contact. The fear that Philadelphia’s lineup struck into opponents this season has evaporated.
That fear can return; Philly could mash five home runs in Game 4 and get its season right back on track. But pretty much everyone’s approach at the plate needs to change for that to happen, and for Philly to avoid a pretty brutal postseason conclusion after a highly successful regular season campaign.
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