Ken Rosenthal Reopens Old Wound in Braves-Phillies Rivalry

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal was curiously discussing the Atlanta Braves during the Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets brodcast on Thursday night.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa (33) gets force out on Atlanta Braves outfielder Ramón Laureano / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

This weekend, Atlanta Braves fans are also begrudgingly fans of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are facing the New York Mets, who entered Thursday with a two game lead over the Braves in the National League wild card race.

But Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal appeared to do his best to make it difficult for Atlanta sports fans to root for the Phillies.

During Thursday's Phillies-Mets matchup, Rosenthal reported that one of the most vivid memories he has of this season was the reaction Phillies players had to Braves manager Brian Snitker discussing the difficulty of playing in the postseason after a bye.

"I was inside the Phillies clubhouse [in spring training] when the Phillies learned of Brian Snitker's comments about the affect of the five-day layoff before the division series. Snitker said that he doesn't like the playoff system explaining, 'It's hard to hit velocity when you haven't seen anything in five days,'" said Rosenthal.

"A number of Phillies took offense. They believe Snitker was making excuses and demeaning their back-to-back triumphs as a wild card team over the Braves in the DS. The Phils said, to a man, they would much rather have the rest. This year, they will get it."

"A number of Phillies took offense. They believe Snitker was making excuses and demeaning their back-to-back triumphs as a Wild Card over the Braves in the DS."@Ken_Rosenthal talks about how the Phillies felt about the comments made in the spring by the Braves manager pic.twitter.com/F8DbUmap2s

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 20, 2024

The Phillies can find motivation in whatever they'd like, but there appears to be some truth in what Snikter said. The Houston Astros were the only team with a bye in last year's MLB playoffs who advanced to the league championship series.

Since the league adopted its new playoff format in 2022, teams coming off the bye are 3-5. The Astros account for two of those three victories.

There could be many reasons for that poor record, including simple variance. The teams with the best record don't always win a 5-game series because it's a small sample of games.

Now, that doesn't mean the Phillies players are wrong. The wild card round, which features three-game series, could be even more random. That's why I'd agree with the Phillies players that it's better to avoid the round altogether.

But assuming your team wins the wild card round, is it better to have played every night, staying sharp against that velocity, or resting at home on the couch? The brief history of the format suggests the former is an advantage.

Rosenthal, though, is right about one thing. The Phillies will have the opportunity this fall to prove otherwise.