MLB’s new format for the playoffs, in which six teams per league make it, gave the Philadelphia Phillies a very good chance to get into the party.
They haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, where they fell in the Division Series.
With an 80-67 record, they are in a good position to secure their ticket at some point in the next week-and-a-half.
However, they have two enemies to beat: the Milwaukee Brewers and themselves.
Yes: Philadelphia has lost five games in a row, and are clinging to that last Wild Card spot to get in.
The Brewers are 78-70, just 2.5 games behind the Phillies and ready to challenge for a spot in October until their last breath.
The Phillies were much more comfortable a week ago, but they started dropping games and put themselves in a tough spot.
Philadelphia Needs To Wake Up: It Is Risking Its Place In The Playoffs
The margin for error is much smaller now.
It would be a monumental failure if the Phillies dilapidate this opportunity after being in such a good position for months.
“If the Phillies end up blowing this playoff opportunity, it will easily be the worst of all their September collapses,” writer John Stolnis, host of Phillies Podcast “Hittin’ Season,” tweeted.
If the Phillies end up blowing this playoff opportunity, it will easily be the worst of all their September collapses.
— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) September 21, 2022
Two-and-a-half games with just under two weeks to play is a lot to overcome: the Brewers can’t slip and aren’t allowed to lose more than just a game or two if they want to apply pressure to the Phils.
However, it’s still a small gap that could be solved in about a week if Philadelphia doesn’t wake up.
The final stretch is about to become very, very interesting with the fight for the final Wild Card spot.
NEXT: Odds Show How The Phillies Saved Their Season