NEW YORK — The Phillies played pregame Friday night.
They shook hands and patted each other on the back after a 12-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. They had just clinched their third straight playoff appearance, but the scene on the field looked like any other victory in any other month this year. The only difference was the look and feel in the locker room. The Phillies donned blue “October Ready” T-shirts. They gathered in the middle of the visitors’ locker room to hear Phillies manager Rob Thomson speak.
“It’s extremely difficult to get to this point, to make the playoffs,” Thomson said. “This is the third time in team history — over 100 years — that a team, a Philadelphia team, has made the playoffs three years in a row. That’s how difficult it is.”
Thomson thanked a few people, told his players he loved them and said this was the first step.
They raised their champagne glasses, took a sip, turned up the music and did what they usually do after games.
On Friday, the festivities did not take place. In fact, several untouched glasses of champagne still sat on a table in the clubhouse, long after many players had left.
On Friday, they just acknowledged an accomplishment.
“Anytime you can make the playoffs, no matter how you do, it’s huge,” Bryce Harper said. “This game is tough. It’s tough to make the playoffs from start to finish, and I think our team has done a great job this season. We have bigger goals and things like that, but it’s a big moment.”
In the short term, the Phillies want to clinch their first National League East title in 13 years. That could happen as early as Saturday night. They’ll open the champagne and beer bottles and party like they usually do, whenever that happens. After that, they’ll want to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, because Citizens Bank Park is “four hours of hell,” as an opposing coach once told Thomson.
But ultimately, the Phillies want to hoist the World Series championship trophy, parade down Broad Street and party with millions of Phillies fans.
“Not everybody gets a chance to be in the World Series every year,” Alec Bohm said. “Even if the people in this room think this is where we should be, it’s still an accomplishment.”
The Mets took a 2-0 lead Friday after a rough first inning by Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who has a 5.02 ERA in 14 away starts compared to a 2.05 ERA in 16 home starts.
Phillies catcher JT Realmuto visited Sánchez on the mound after he walked Harrison Bader with one out in the second inning.
Sanchez retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced.
“He told me to throw punches, he asked me if I was scared,” Sánchez said through the team’s interpreter.
The Phillies scored runs in the second and third innings to tie the game. They opened the scoring in the fourth. They had runners on second and third with one out when Johan Rojas scored both runners with a groundout double to give Philadelphia a 4-2 lead. Trea Turner’s two-out single to right off reliever Adam Ottavino brought in Rojas to make it 5-2.
Ottavino intentionally walked Harper, and Bohm followed with a three-run home run to left-center field to make it 8-2.
Philadelphia sailed from there.
The Phillies were hoping to clinch a playoff spot and maybe even a spot in the NL East earlier this week in Milwaukee. They bought champagne and beer to prepare.
When the fights didn’t happen, they dropped the beer outside the visitors’ clubhouse at American Family Field.
The Phillies thought someone in Milwaukee would do it. They knew they could find others in New York.
On Friday night, they toasted with champagne. They hope not to leave New York without drinking beer.
One more win this weekend and they will do it.
“It will definitely be a little more hectic,” Bohm said.
