The Philadelphia Phillies became the first MLB team to clinch their division in 2025, and they did so in dramatic fashion.
The Phillies wrapped up their second straight National League East crown by warding off the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 in 10 innings in a playoff-style game at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
Philadelphia (90-61) improved to 14-4 in its past 18 games, pulling within 1.5 games of the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed in the National League. The Phillies pulled ahead of the NL West-leading Dodgers by 5.5 games with just 11 to play for the No. 2 seed — and the heavily coveted bye to the NLDS.
Their magic number to clinch one of the NL’s top-two seeds is six.
What Did The Phillies Say About Defeating The Dodgers?
Bryce Harper called Philadelphia’s division-clinching win “a heavyweight fight,” which is appropriate since the Phillies and Dodgers are the two most recent NL champions.
But the way the Phillies clinched the division spoke to their resilience and continued perseverance.
The Phillies team plane had mechanical issues that caused them to get into Los Angeles at about 2 a.m. PDT.
Then, after rallying from down 3-1 to take the lead on Weston Wilson’s two-run homer in the seventh, they rebounded from blown saves by two of their most reliable relievers, Orion Kerkering and trade-deadline acquisition Jhoan Duran. Duran served up a 424-foot, game-tying home run to Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages that tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.
“That’s a really good team over there,” said first baseman Bryce Harper, who gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning with a solo homer off Dodgers lefty Alex Vesia. “They punched, we punched, they punched, we punched. Just a lot of fun.”
David Robertson, whose nickname throughout his big-league career has been “Houdini” for his escape-like performances in tough spots, got the final three outs but not before loading the bases with one out after intentionally walking Freddie Freeman then unintentionally walking Alex Call.
Robertson induced a pop out to Miguel Rojas then got Max Muncy to ground out to Harper to end the game.
“I wanted to step on first base and keep it in my glove,” Harper said. “Great team win today.”
What Did The Phillies Say About Winning the NL East?
That the Phillies rebounded from adversity to clinch the division is perfect, since persevering has been what the Phillies have done all year.
They rallied from shaky performances from their bullpen, some of their regular outfielders and starter Aaron Nola. They shook off ace Zack Wheeler’s blood clots and have risen as one of MLB’s best teams.
“There’s a lot of confidence in this room,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “We all believe in each other. We think we’re going in a good direction.”
The Phillies acknowledged their second straight division crown with a photo on the field and a clubhouse celebration. But they also made sure to note their mission is far from done — since this core has been to the World Series, but the Phillies still have not won the title since 2008.
“I think we’re playing really good baseball right now,” Harper said. “Just got to keep going, and keep understanding we have a bigger picture and we have things on our mind that we want to win.”
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