Shocking Revelation Reveals Philadelphia Phillies Knew They Had Problems

Comments made by a Philadelphia Phillies star reveals the team knew they had some problems coming into the playoffs.

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks to owner John Middleton after game two of the NLDS against the New York Mets for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies will have to figure out how to pick up the pieces following another disappointing elimination in the playoffs.

This one felt different than in 2023.

Last year, they looked like the best team remaining in the postseason when they returned to Citizens Bank Park needing to win just one more game to reach back-to-back World Series where they would have been favored to lift the trophy.

That didn't happen, and their inability to find a way to advance in that situation laid the groundwork for what took place this year.

Motivated to get off to a fast start, the Phillies were dominant in the early portion of the season when they entered the All-Star break with a 62-34 record that was the best in Major League Baseball.

They looked like juggernauts, dominating anyone they faced with an overpowering lineup that seemed to have improved their chase rate issues that got them into the trouble late last year, and a pitching staff who was shutting down their opponents.

But, there some cracks in the foundation during the second half of the season.

Philadelphia got out of the gates slowly, and despite fans being nervous about what was taking place when watching this team revert back to their old habits, the players and manager continued to downplay what was taking place by insisting they were just in a slump and that nothing was wrong.

Well, now that they have been eliminated, some truth is coming out.

Star catcher J.T. Realmuto made a shocking revelation about the mindset of the Phillies heading into the playoffs.

"We were just hoping ... "he said before taking a pause per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia, "we knew we weren't playing our best baseball coming into the postseason but we were hoping that once the lights turned on, we'd flip the switch and our offense would get back going. It just didn't happen for us."

That admission is what fans had been fearing for months.

It's not time to take a victory lap regarding how Philadelphia clearly had some issues coming into the playoffs the team didn't want to admit, but this should also be used by the organization when factoring in what needs to be done this offseason.

What made them feel like they had to flip the switch?

Was it their alarmingly high chase rate of 35.3% that led Major League Baseball in the second half?

Was it the fact they internally felt like they might have lost some fire during the 162-game schedule?

Was it a lack of confidence regarding what had taken place after the All-Star break?

Those are are all questions that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has to find an answer to before things get going this winter that could determine if the Phillies are going to have another disappointing result in 2025, or if they are going to live up to expectations.