Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Phillies

James Condelles ‘26

STAFF WRITER

The Philadelphia Phillies’ season came to a heartbreaking end with a 4-1 loss to the New York Mets in Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), marking a disappointing finish to a year that began with high expectations. After falling short in the 2022 World Series and 2023 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the Phillies entered the season with a "World Series or bust" mentality, hoping to finally capture the title.

The Phillies brought back nearly every key player from last season, knowing they had a winning roster. However, struggles from last season continued in the first month, leaving the team with an 8-8 record by mid-April. Soon after, the Phillies pitching and offense found their spark, and the team jumped to the fourth-best record in all of baseball. They were the first team in the MLB to reach 20 wins and ranked second in total home runs.

Success continued through May and June, propelling the Phillies to an impressive 55-29 record and a comfortable hold on first place. The offense appeared to be clicking, and everything seemed to be coming together for what looked like a championship-caliber promising season. Unfortunately, the promising first half of the season took a sharp downturn. In June, the Phillies went 10-17, losing five of their last six games and surrendering a whopping 126 runs over the month. This slump left the team reeling heading into the All-Star break.

Although August saw slight improvement with the Phillies playing .500 baseball, the once-dominant lead in the National League had vanished. Nevertheless, the team had a small hot streak toward the end of the season, winning five straight games and clinching a playoff berth on September 20. They soon secured first place in the division, ending the regular season with a 95-67 record, the second-best in MLB, behind only the Dodgers.

As the second seed in the NL playoffs, the Phillies earned a first-round bye, setting up an NLDS matchup against the New York Mets. The Mets, who had struggled earlier in the season but finished strong with an 89-73 record, snuck into the playoffs as the last seed.

Game 1 of the series showed signs of rust for the Phillies, as they lost 6-2 at home after giving up five runs in the eighth inning. However, Game 2 was an instant classic. Down 3-0 in the sixth inning, Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper hit crucial home runs to tie the game. After the Mets regained the lead with a solo home run in the seventh, Bryson Stott's two-run triple in the eighth helped the Phillies take a 6-4 lead. In a dramatic ninth inning, the Mets hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 6-6, but Castellanos walked it off with a single to give the Phillies a thrilling victory.

In Game 3, the Phillies were blown out 7-2, putting them on the brink of elimination. In Game 4, the team held a 1-0 lead for much of the game, but a crushing grand slam by Francisco Lindor in the sixth inning sealed the Mets’ 4-1 victory, sending the Phillies home and ending their season.

Despite a late-season collapse, there is some reason for optimism for the Phillies. This year’s squad will likely return unchanged next year and will have the offseason to improve and work on some glaring issues.