The Phillies can’t author another September collapse!

by John Kincade

Another September collapse can’t happen!

Repeat after me, what has happened in previous seasons has ZERO to do with what happens in this one. Excuse me, but I’m trying to convince myself that’s true too! The Phillies do test this theory though. Almost every September in recent history seems to follow a similar script. Start out with the team in contention and watch them spin into a death spiral of ineptitude. Their best players turning up invisible when the lights are brightest.

Bryce Harper the last 2 years, post season on the line in Atlanta in September, is 1 for 23 with no runs batted in. Realmuto and Harper were 1-20 with no runs batted in during a showdown for credibility in Atlanta last weekend. They wilted under the pressure. Again.

If Rob Thomson authors another September collapse, does he deserve to avoid the critique that Gabe Kapler and Joe Girardi were subjected to? By the way, he was a part of all of them. It’s crazy to me that the managers take all the public hits and the high paid stars continually come up small and escape blame. There is always an excuse for the players, but the leadership is somehow responsible.

I fall somewhere in the middle. Rob Thomson has done one thing better than his predecessors, he’s beaten the bad teams consistently. He also was gifted the best roster the team has had in a decade. So how do you determine the true impact a manager has on a team? Thomson uses the assets to dominate weak sisters, but in the biggest games his team has been the same. They fail internally. The effort listless. The energy non-existent.

The Phillies craft the opinions we all share! They create the narratives. They are the ones responsible for their own reputation. The Magic Number opens today at 13. The Mets and Braves are going to have to assist the Phillies in their quest for the post season. Unfortunately, it never should have come to this!