The Phillies’ Magic Number Is 1
It’s officially official that it’s almost official. The Philadelphia Phillies are one measly game away from clinching their first postseason berth since 2011, now the longest streak in Major League Baseball. After a tumultuous weekend weather-wise, and on the field down in Washington, the Phillies found themselves sitting with their magic number at 1, meaning they are 1 win against the Astros, or 1 Milwaukee Brewers loss to the Diamondbacks away from being locked in to a wild card spot. Before we look forward to what is to come, though, some thanks need to be given out for this weekend’s games that helped put the Phillies into this position.
The first thank you needs to go to the Washington Nationals organization. Dearest Nationals, thank you so much for absolutely gutting your team by allowing Trae Turner, Max Scherzer, Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Bryce Harper to all leave for greener pastures in the past couple of years. Thank you for not fielding a competitive team, and allowing the Phillies to play you a bunch of times this season, helping them towards their playoff goal. It is much appreciated. Next, let’s thank the Miami Marlins. Miami, who took 3 of 4 in Milwaukee against the Brewers to help bring the Phillies’ magic number down to 1, has been a thorn in the Phils’ side over the past couple seasons, but have now made amends by nearly forcing Philadelphia into the playoffs themselves. When you’re not playing well, sometimes you need help from another team in baseball, and the Phillies got that from the fish this weekend.
The final thanks is the biggest. Thank you, Milwaukee Brewers. At the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline, while in a race for your division title in the NL Central, you decided to trade away Josh Hader, one of the best relievers in baseball and an absolute lock down closer, for seemingly no reason. Because of that, not only did your clubhouse mood damper, but this series against the Marlins went much differently than it could’ve. Maybe those 2 runs the Marlins scored in the top of the 9th in Saturday’s 4-3 win wouldn’t have happened if you still had an elite closer, just a thought! But instead, you decided to make a donkey-brained decision at the deadline that has you sitting on the outside of the playoffs looking in. We’ll make sure a thank you card is in the mail for your kindness and generosity.
Now, the job is not totally done. The Phillies still need one more loss from the Brewers or one win of their own accord in a series with the Houston Astros. Selfishly, as someone who needs one more win on the season to hit his bet on the over in Phillies wins, I hope the Phillies take care of it themselves, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter. It’s been an 11 year journey, much longer than any of us imagined it could be, but now we are so close to ending the longest playoff drought in baseball that we can taste it. So thank you again to all of those who helped the Phillies get here this season. Now, it’s time for them to help themselves.
