Phillies Hoping For Renewed Energy After Season Finale Playoff Clinching Win

by Marc Narducci | Sep 28, 2026

The Phillies showed that every game in the marathon 162-game MLB schedule counts. They avoided a colossal collapse by winning their final game of the season, beating the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3, behind Zack Wheeler, who allowed just one run in six innings, striking out five and walking none.

Of course, the Phillies were hoping to clinch earlier and save Wheeler for the wild card round with the Atlanta Braves, so that will put the Phillies at a disadvantage.

Of course, it beats the alternative, which would have been watching the postseason from their couches.

As it turns out, the Phillies actually didn’t need the win over the Rays because Arizona lost 9-4 to the San Diego Padres. Had the Diamondbacks won that game, then the Phillies would have needed the win as well.

Either way, the Philies are in the postseason for the fifth consecutive year, the second time in team history they have qualified five straight seasons.

The first came from 2007-2011 that included the 2008 World Series winner.

Unlike many of those teams, this Phillies unit won’t be a favorite to even advance out of the wildcard round. They are the sixth and final seed in the National League and must play the entire best of three series in Atlanta against the No. 3 seed Braves.

Here is the schedule

Phillies (6) at Braves (3)

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- Seizing the Moment

After the spring season was canceled last year due to the pandemic, these standout student-athletes from South Jersey are hoping to make the most of their opportunities in 2021.

Game 1: 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, NBC & Peacock
Game 2: 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, NBC & Peacock
Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday on NBC/Peacock/NBCSN

In this current five-year run, here is how the Phillies have fared in the regular season and postseason.

2022: 87-75. Lost in six games to the Houston Astros in the World Series

2023: 90-72. Lost in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series

2024: 95-67. Lost in the National League Division Series to the NY Mets, 3-1.

2025: 96-66. Lost in the National League Division Series to the LA Dodgers, 3-1.

2026: 88-74. ??

The Phillies have kept regressing in the postseason since their World Series appearance in 2022.

This year, especially with the late-season swoon, the expectations aren’t very high for the Phillies. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of pressure.

The Phillies had to fire manager Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start and hiring interim manager Don Mattingly proved to be a good move, although there were plenty of critics of Mattingly, especially his handling of the bullpen.

It was interesting that in the season finale win over Tampa Bay, Jesus Luzardo, who should finish among the top five in the NL Cy Young voting, returned to action in Sunday’s win over Tampa and pitched one inning of scoreless relief, throwing just four pitches.

It was his first appearance since pitching a complete game 1-0 win over Atlanta on Sept. 7. After that he was placed on the injured list with shoulder stiffness.

Since he has only thrown one inning now in three weeks, Luzardo may have to pitch in relief in the series with the Braves.

Wheeler is likely not going to pitch the series, so the Phillies will be shorthanded. And this is against a Braves team that the Phillies went 4-9 against this season.

The one thing that may be in the Phillies favor is that now the pressure of making the playoffs is off, they have renewed energy. At least that is the hope for the Phillies faithful.

There is no doubt that when the Phillies were up by five games on Arizona for the final wild card spot with eight games to play and then up by four games with five left, that they began pressing.

The bats went silent, the bullpen couldn’t get consistent outs and there was talk about cleaning house if the Phillies didn’t make the playoffs.

Now, the Phillies can face the Braves as a looser team, while Atlanta will have the pressure as the favorite. Like the Phillies, Atlanta has seen a postseason decline recently. Since becoming World Series champions in 2021, the Braves then made the playoffs the next three years. Here is how they fared

2022: Lost in the National League Division Series, 3-1.

2023: Lost in the National League Division Series, 3-1.

2024: Lost in the National League wild card series, 2-0.

2025: Didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

The biggest obstacle the Phillies will face is Braves lefthander Chris Sale. This year in four starts against the Phillies, Sale was 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA.

Even if the Phillies lose to Sale, they are capable of beating the rest of the Braves staff in two games, but the Atlanta offense will put plenty of pressure on the Phillies pitching staff.

It should be a great series, but neither team will consider the season a success by being ousted in the wild card round. That should add plenty of spice to a series between these two division rivals.

Courtesy Phillies Twitter/X

Author: Marc Narducci

Phillies Hoping For Renewed Energy After Season Finale Playoff Clinching Win

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