Phillies clinch NL East in LA thriller over Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, left, is congratulated by Bryce Harper, center, after hitting a solo home run as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Chuckie Robinson stands at the plate during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Phillies had a chance tonight to be the earliest team in Phillies history to clinch the division, and coming into the game, they would be the fastest team by 2 days by clinching today. The 2011 Phillies clinched on September 17th, and with a win tonight, this would cap an incredible season, thus far, for the Phils.
In an exciting game where Ranger Suarez didn’t have his best stuff, he battled against one of the strongest lineups in baseball. He held the Dodgers to three runs and outlasted Emmit Sheehan, who held the Phils offense in check all game. This game tonight was the perfect example of what the Phillies have been all season. It’s poetic that this is the way they clinch the National League East: a back-and-forth 6-5 win over the Dodgers.
In a game where nothing was easy, as you’d expect against the Dodgers, it felt like it was meant to be for David Roberson to get the final outs with drama that not even Alfred Hitchcock could have penned.
In a surprising move, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started journeyman lefty Anthony Banda because of the lefty-heavy top of the Phils lineup and to try to neutralize Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in particular. This backfired because Schwarber took his 2-2 pitch with a swing that appeared to have zero lower half in it, but Schwarber is so strong that he deposited the ball into the right field pavilion for his 53rd home run of the season.
Roberts’ strategy was not well thought out because while lefty-on-lefty matchups typically favor the pitcher, Schwarber has had unprecedented success as a lefty hitter against southpaw pitching this season. He tied Stan Musial and Matt Olson with 22 home runs off lefty pitching in a season, passing Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds — if you’re passing those names, you’ve had a legendary season. In fact, the entire 4 years he has worn a Phils uniform, he has the third most home runs in the first 4 seasons with a team — Mark McGwire had 191 with St. Louis, Babe Ruth had 189 with the Yankees, and now Kyle Schwarber has 184 with the Phils, with 2 solid weeks to go. He is in rare company indeed.
After the Dodgers carried a 3-1 lead, Sheehan was cruising, but due to him coming off Tommy John surgery last season, he was on a pitch limit and was pulled when Otto Kemp hit a hard ground rule double. As soon as he left the game, the Phils rallied with Bryson Stott singling home Kemp, setting the table for Weston Wilson to give the Phils the lead with a home run.
The Dodgers weren’t ready to quit, and Mookie Betts took an Orion Kerkering fastball deep to tie the game. In the next inning, Harper, who is never afraid of a big moment, wrote his own Hollywood script and hit a home run to take the lead — powering the Phils to a 5-4 lead.
After all of the long ball hits in the game, a sacrifice fly was what drove the winning run in tonight. Poetic.
Coming into the season, all of the talk was about the Dodgers and their free-spending ways. The discourse around Major League Baseball circles was all about whether or not the Dodgers would challenge the MLB single-season wins record and how many games the Mets would walk away with the division because of their addition of Juan Soto. People were discounting the Phillies; the national media was so focused on those two teams, and seemingly penciling them into the NLCS before spring training even started. So, to eliminate the Mets against the Dodgers is lyrical.
This season has been an incredible season with so many unforgettable moments, many of which have been driven by Schwarber, the heroics of the starting pitching, and the additions of Harrison Bader and Jhoan Duran. There have been so many story lines for the Phils that are worthy of a Hollywood script. There have been many struggles, including the many struggles of Jordan Romano, losing the staff ace when the playoff push was beginning, the struggles of Nick Castellanos, the early struggles of Harper, and his incredible redemption arc late in the season. Not to mention national attention for the selfish antics of a Phillies fan in Miami.
This season has truly given us everything, including an exciting finish in the clinch game. The Phillies truly earned the moniker the Fightin’ Phils tonight. They never gave up, and that has been the identity of the Phillies this season, so winning in a nail-biting fashion tonight is just par for the course. One thing was proven tonight: this Phils team is ready for the spotlight, and “Red October” is going to be an exciting time.
For the second consecutive season, and for the 13th time in franchise history, the Philadelphia Phillies are the National League East champions. Somehow, this time it feels sweeter; perhaps it’s because they overcame the Mets faster than ever. Maybe it’s because they clinched on the home field of the reigning World Series champion and pre-season darlings, the Dodgers. While the celebration on the field was muted, almost as if the Phils are proud of this accomplishment, they know that there is a bigger celebration to come.
Next up is to catch the Milwaukee Brewers for that number one seed in the National League for the playoffs.
Rob Thomson asked J.T. Realmuto how many wins they have left. He said the most Philly answer ever: “Whatever the hell it takes.”
While there is still unfinished business, let’s just enjoy this moment for now. I’ll say it again, it’s September 15th, and your Philadelphia Phillies are the champions of the National League East.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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