Phils clinch playoff spot, keep champagne on ice

NEW YORK — The only remnants of a clinched postseason appearance Friday night was the champagne on a table in the middle of the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field. The customary debauchery was absent. Goggles weren’t worn because they weren’t needed. Alcohol wasn’t chugged nor was it sprayed. There was music, but nothing out of the ordinary.

It was mellow because the Philadelphia Phillies expect more than just a spot in the playoffs.

“This is the standard,” manager Rob Thomson said. “The goal is now firmly entrenched that it’s to win a World Series. And that’s it. And that’s good to feel. It really is.”

The Phillies met their standard Friday night with a 12-2 trouncing of the New York Mets. Afterward, following a subdued on-field celebration, Thomson gave a toast. He thanked everyone involved in the accomplishment, from the front office to the support staff to the players, and everyone went on with their night.

With the win, the Phillies clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season — a feat that had been accomplished only twice before in the franchise’s long history. The previous two postseason entries were as a wild-card team.

This time, the Phillies have a chance to claim their first National League East title since 2011. They overtook the Atlanta Braves for the NL East lead on May 3, when they were 22-11 and the Braves were still considered the heavy favorite to win the division for the seventh consecutive season.

More than four months later, their win Friday, coupled with the Braves’ 4-3 loss to the Marlins in Miami, eliminated Atlanta from contention for the NL East crown. Now, with their magic number at two, the Phillies just need a win Saturday or Sunday over the second-place Mets.

“It’s great. Huge for us,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “I think any time you’re able to go to the postseason, no matter what the clinch is like, it’s huge. It’s hard to go wire-to-wire.”

The Phillies, holders of the best record in baseball at 92-62, already surpassed their win totals from each of the past two years. In 2022, they went 87-75 and then made a stunning run to the World Series, where they lost in six games to the Houston Astros. Last year, they went 90-72 before squandering a 3-2 NL Championship Series lead to the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks to fall a game short of a return. Both times, they toppled the favored Braves in the NL Division Series.

This year, they could confront the Mets, another division foe, making this weekend’s four-game series a potential October preview.

On Friday, Alec Bohm fueled Philadelphia’s offensive barrage, tallying four hits and four RBIs, including a three-run homer in a six-run fourth inning. Nick Castellanos had three hits and two RBIs, J.T. Realmuto contributed a two-run homer, and the Phillies stole five bases as they extended their NL East lead to seven games with eight to play.

The ultimate objective is to win the third championship in franchise history. That’s the standard. But for now, their eyes are set on the next goal: a division title — and a bigger celebration.

“It’ll be a little more rowdy, for sure,” Bohm said.