Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies First Team to Crucial Milestone With Walk-Off Win

The Philadelphia Phillies reached a critical milestone in style against the New York Mets.

Tyler Maher

Sep 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto celebrates his walk-off RBI single.
Sep 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto celebrates his walk-off RBI single. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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With their midseason swoon finally out of the way, the Philadelphia Phillies are surging to the finish line.

The Phillies won again on Sunday, walking off the New York Mets 2-1 at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia overcame a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the eighth, tying the game on back-to-back doubles by Weston Wilson and Buddy Kennedy before winning it on J.T. Realmuto's clutch two-out single in the bottom of the ninth.

With the comeback win, the Phillies became the first MLB team to reach 90 wins this year, beating out the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers.

That puts them in the driver's seat to earn the top seed in the National League, which would give the team a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Philadelphia's magic number to win the NL East over the Mets and Atlanta Braves is down to five. The Phillies are closing in on their first NL East title since 2011.

This marks Philadelphia's 17th 90-win season in franchise history, including their second in a row.

The Phillies have caught fire over the last few weeks, going 16-5 over their last 21 games (including 11-3 over their last 14). They've either won or tied their last seven series and have essentially locked up the NL East, expanding their lead to nine games over the division.

While 100 wins is still a long shot, Philadelphia could get there if they go 10-3 or better over the final 13 games.

That's a tall order, however, with the Brewers, Mets, Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals coming up.

Even if the Phillies don't reach 100 wins for the first time since 2011, at least they'll have some time to line up their rotation and get some rest for their starters.

Sometimes, it pays to be the team with the best record in baseball.

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Tyler Maher

TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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