The Philadelphia Phillies will play October baseball for the fourth consecutive season, and for the second time in a row, they will do so as NL East champions.
On Monday night, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 to secure the NL East. It marks the Phillies’ 13th division championship in franchise history, and only the third time in 142 years that they have won consecutive division crowns.
From 1976 to 1978, Philadelphia won the division three times in a row, followed by five consecutive wins from 2007 to 2011.
While the Phillies have punched their postseason ticket and secured the NL East, there is still work to be done on postseason seeding.
What is the Phillies’ magic number to clinch a bye in the postseason?
With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Phillies are in prime position for a first-round bye.
After Monday’s triumph, the club’s magic number for clinching a bye is seven, and the top seed is still up for grabs, albeit the Milwaukee Brewers control their own destiny. The Brewers have a 1.5-game lead over the Phillies for the National League’s top record, and they hold the tiebreaker.
The Phillies and Dodgers are competing for the second first-round bye, and their current series in Los Angeles is expected to be vital for NL postseason positioning. If the Phillies win the three-game series, they will have a tiebreaker against the Dodgers.
After Monday’s victory, the Phillies have a 5.5-game lead over the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed. The MLB Wild Card Series begins on Tuesday, September 30. Game 1 of the National League Division Series is scheduled for Saturday, October 4.