The Phillies lose 3-1 in the NLDS to their heated rivals in New York.
After two straight years of entering the playoffs as the scrappy underdogs, the Phillies won their first NL East title since 2011 and entered this year’s postseason as the 2 seed in the National League and 2nd favorite to win the World Series.
The Phillies got themselves into an early hole in the series when in game 1, despite a pitching gem from star Zack Wheeler, they lost at home 6-2. They bounced back in game two for a 7-6 victory following a Nick Castellanos walk-off base hit, but the Mets were able to close out the 5-game series winning games 3 and 4 as it shifted to New York.
The Phillies’ starting pitching, just as it had been all season, was a highlight for the team all series. Ace Zack Wheeler gave up just 1 run in game 1, Christopher Sanchez and Aaron Nola each gave up 2 in games 2 and game 3 respectively and then Ranger Suarez was pulled in game 4 after 4 and ⅓ shut down innings. The bullpen, which was a strength of the team all season, was a different story:
An even bigger issue for the Phillies all series was the disappearance of the bats. Outside of game 2 where they scored 7 runs, the team scored just 5 runs in their 3 losses.. In the series, the entire lineup hit just .186, including an 0-9 streak with runners in scoring position in tonight’s decisive game 4. Even worse, Phillies hitters outside of Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos went just 13-100 across the 4-game series.
For Philly fans looking to move past the Phillies’ disappointment, the Eagles play the Browns at home this Sunday, the Flyers open their season against Vancouver on Friday night, and the Sixers are back in action on October 23rd.