Philadelphia Phillies Walk-Off Clinches Something Not Accomplished In Five Years

It has not been pretty for the Philadelphia Phillies, but they've been able to claw their way to winning record 17 games into the season.

Apr 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Cristian Pache / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Things have certainly not started the way the Philadelphia Phillies might have envisioned.

Instead of being a high-octane offense like they have shown in the past, they entered Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies with the 24th fewest runs scored and the least amount of runs per game in the National League.

That's a far cry from what this lineup loaded with superstars should be doing.

However, this sport is all about scratching together victories, and that's what the Phillies have done through their first 17 games.

While things haven't looked pretty, Philadelphia sits above .500 at 9-8, accomplishing something they haven't done in five years.

Phillies 2, Rockies 1 (F/10). The Dead-Ball Phillies win it on a Cristian Pache walk-off single. The Phillies cannot score and they are 9-8 -- their best 17-game start in five years.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 16, 2024

Cristian Pache played hero on Monday to make this stretch much more palatable.

The Rockies entered the game 4-12 and one of the worst teams in the league. Losing to them would have been a major problem.

Of course it's baseball and anything can happen in this random sport, but the Phillies were only able to put up one run through nine innings when facing a starting pitcher who had given up 12 runs through his first three outings and a bullpen who ranks 28th in the MLB with a 5.61 ERA.

Not exactly the start they were looking for after putting up 13 runs in four games.

Philadelphia needs their superstar players to start performing, and much of that starts with Bryce Harper.

It was a good sign that he was able to drive in a run during the third inning to initially give them a lead, but they're going to need much more than what they have gotten from the rest of the lineup to date.

Still, it's telling that even amongst all this negativity, the Phillies still have gotten off to the best start in five years.

When they finally start hitting, this team could make a run at the NL East title if they continue to scrape together wins while they try to find their offense.