Phillies Offense Finally Shows Some Fire, Uses Last of Flame to Sneak Their Way Into Postseason: ‘We Got In’
Sep 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) pours beer on himself during locker celebration after win against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
2026 has been a whirlwind of a season for Phillies baseball. They fired their manager, Rob Thomson, after 28 games. They needed a change of voice in the dugout, and they turned to bench coach Don Mattingly for that.
After previously falling 10 games under .500, the Phillies turned things around, with a big trade deadline acquisition of second baseman Luis Arraez helping spark the offense.
They went 21-7 in August, putting themselves in position to compete for the NL East. But September quickly unraveled, as they went 10-14 and lost three straight series, including the final two against the Milwaukee Braves, ending their division hopes.
The Phillies then found themselves fighting Arizona for the final Wild Card spot. After losing four of six heading into the final series, Philadelphia dropped the first two games against the Rays, making their playoff hopes even more uncertain. From Sept. 15-26, they scored just 31 runs in 11 games, while J.T. Realmuto endured an 0-for-34 stretch.
Then, Arizona lost its second-to-last game, bringing the Phillies’ magic number down to one. That set up Game 162 at home, where the Phillies had the opportunity to clinch the No. 6 seed in the National League Playoffs during a nor’easter.
Despite all of the struggles, despite all of the bad offensive performances, despite all the blown bullpen leads, and all the low-spirited people, the Phillies just needed one win to get in.
They sent out their ace, Zack Wheeler, who they were hoping to save for the first game of the Wild Card series, but Sunday’s finale was an impromptu playoff game for Philadelphia.
Wheeler went out and did what he does best. He was an ace. He tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just five hits, and striking out five. Wheeler was in complete control all afternoon, allowing the Phillies offense to take the pressure off themselves and go out and just play.
“This was like the playoffs, win or go home,” Wheeler said postgame. “I was just pitching like it was win or go home. To see [the offense] get going gave me a little extra comfort out there on the mound of not having to be perfect with every pitch. It’s always good when you have that backing.”
Play they did, as the offense broke out for four runs in the first two innings, thanks to doubles from Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber. Three innings later, the long ball showed up for what felt like the first time in months, as Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa left the yard, extending their lead.
When it was all said and done, Jhoan Duran came on to close the door, sending the Rays down in order to pick up the win and sending the Phillies to the playoffs. It’s the second time the Phillies have made the playoffs in fifth stright season, the other case coming from 2007-2011.
“There are 162 games in a season and it took us 162 to get in,” Harper said. “What does it matter? We wanted to do it two weeks ago and we should have. But, for me, I don’t care. We got in.”
The Phillies did what they love following that speech: pop bottles of champagne and celebrate. Garrett Stubbs, as he has done for the last five years, got the party started as the Phillies celebrated a long, grueling season, one that ended with them making the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
“We didn’t play our best getting in here, but we’re in, and that’s all that matters,” Alec Bohm said. “We know we can be as dangerous as anybody.”
The season has officially restarted, and the Phillies are heading down south to their biggest foes, the Atlanta Braves, for a three-game series. The Phillies went 4-9 against the Braves this season, a clear separation in terms of dominance in 2026. However, all that doesn’t matter; all that matters is the three games they planned.
“Everyone starts 0-0,” Jesus Luzardo, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning Sunday, said. “We’re looking forward to getting off on the right foot on Tuesday. Like I said, I think the biggest thing is worrying about tomorrow and just take it day by day. That’s all we can do.”
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox:
