The echoing sound of about 50 corks popping filled the room, as if a bag of Orville Redenbacher was about to be completed.
Minutes after the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs to claim their first NL East title in 13 years, the players were gathered in a giant circle in the clubhouse. Most wore ski goggles to protect their eyes. All wore red T-shirts that read “WE OWN THE EAST.” Bottles of sparkling wine were clutched in their eager hands. There was not a champagne glass in sight.
Manager Rob Thomson was the centre of attention. As the 61-year-old addressed the group and congratulated the players on their performance, cheers and shouts erupted from the impatient crowd. Fingers hovered over open bottles, a series of volcanoes waited to erupt, but there was one person left to thank.
Thomson called the team’s principal owner, John Middleton, for help.
“Remember spring training?” the usually stoic captain reminded his team, placing his hand on Middleton’s shoulder. “The man said he wanted his trophy back.”
Middleton, wearing the same “WE OWN THE EAST” shirt as the players, gestured toward the team he was paying and corrected Thomson.
“I want my damn trophy back.”
The volcano erupted, spraying alcohol in all directions. Middleton, the richest man in a room full of millionaires, disappeared into the carbonated haze, completely obscured by a torrential downpour of imitation champagne.
This embedded content is not available in your region.
Subscribe Baseball Bar-B Lineup To , , or
His message was not new. Quite the opposite. Every member of this organization understands the task. The first NL East title since 2011 was cause for celebration, but all wine-soaked revelers know that an October trip means little if it doesn’t end with a World Series title.
That’s become the norm in Philadelphia, an expectation Middleton helped establish by greenlighting one free agent contract after another. The effects were felt throughout the floor Monday night and all season long. Home runs by JT Realmuto (5 years, $110 million) and Kyle Schwarber (4 years, $79 million) gave the Phillies an early lead. Six strong innings by Aaron Nola (7 years, $172 million) kept the Cubs offense in check.
While parties like the one Monday at Citizens Bank Park have become an annual tradition for the Phillies, not much time has passed since this franchise snapped the National League’s longest postseason drought. In fact, that streak ended less than two years ago, on October 3, 2022. Since then, the Phillies, their fan base and their ballpark have become main characters of MLB’s fall tournament.
Roster continuity — eight of the 10 Phillies starting on Oct. 3, 2022, including Nola, were in the starting lineup for their decisive 2024 game — has helped that development. It has also given consistency to this group, which, along with a spate of injuries to the Atlanta Braves, helped propel Philadelphia to the division title. The Phillies were briefly derailed by a midseason slump, but a late-summer rebound secured them the division title.
That reliability was most evident in the rotation, where the quartet of Nola, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez started the vast majority of games. This group is also the Phillies’ biggest asset heading into October’s tournament. They are experienced, healthy and in top form, with the exception of Suárez, who has disappointed somewhat since returning from injury in August. Still, his postseason track record provides ample comfort.
The offense, as high-caliber as it may be, remains the club’s weakest point. In last year’s NLCS, the Phillies couldn’t stop chasing. Arizona noticed this and attacked hitters like Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner with a never-ending stream of breaking balls. The Diamondbacks used this strategy to beat the Phillies on their own turf, winning Games 6 and 7 to reach the World Series.
Amid all the rollicking moments of this championship-winning NL East season, there were constant reminders of last year’s loss. Last week, the Phillies struck out 16 times in consecutive games, a franchise advantage. If they can’t limit the punchouts, another early exit in October is a real possibility.
But none of the drinkers were bothered by that on Monday. There was simply too much to celebrate.
A division title in the 162-game marathon of the regular season is a true indicator of a team’s strength, but success in October is much less likely. And so there is anticipation, excitement and a sense of unmistakable urgency in the City of Brotherly Love.
Middleton’s demand set the stakes; he might as well have said, “I need my damn trophy back.”
