The Philadelphia Phillies secured their second consecutive National League East title with a 6-5 extra-inning win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. The victory came after a challenging travel schedule, as the team arrived in Los Angeles later than planned due to mechanical issues with their plane.
Despite the late arrival, the Phillies managed to overcome both fatigue and a strong Dodgers lineup. Kyle Schwarber opened the scoring for Philadelphia with his 53rd home run of the season. The Dodgers held a lead going into the seventh inning, but Otto Kemp’s ground-rule double and Bryson Stott’s RBI single helped close the gap. Weston Wilson added a two-run homer to give Philadelphia a brief advantage.
The game remained competitive, with Mookie Betts tying it for Los Angeles in the bottom of the seventh. Bryce Harper responded in the eighth by hitting a go-ahead home run. Harper celebrated enthusiastically as he rounded the bases and after touching home plate.
“That was a heavyweight fight, man,” said Harper.
If current standings hold, Philadelphia would earn a first-round bye in the playoffs as the NL’s No. 2 seed and could face Los Angeles again in October. The Phillies have made several postseason runs in recent years but have yet to secure another championship since their last World Series appearance in 2022.
“We keep pushing, we keep grinding,” Schwarber said. “It’s a lot of the same faces, right? Everyone knows and expects what we expect out of each other. I think that’s the great thing. We expect a lot out of ourselves.”
This year’s roster includes new additions Harrison Bader, Jhoan Duran, and David Robertson. Duran allowed a game-tying home run in this contest but has generally been effective since joining from Minnesota via trade earlier this summer; Robertson was signed as a free agent.
“I wanted to win out there, I wanted the save,” Duran said. “But I can’t be perfect every time.”
Robertson faced pressure situations during Monday’s game but managed to prevent any runs from scoring despite loading the bases in extra innings.
“I knew this team was good,” Robertson said. “I knew we had a good chance to win the division. Definitely didn’t picture myself being out there in the extra innings with runners everywhere and trying to make a pitch just to get out of it. But this is an intense environment. It was a fun game. It felt like a playoff game.”
Phillies managing partner John Middleton commented on exceeding MLB’s luxury tax threshold following these roster moves: “Money’s easy,” Middleton said. “That’s the easy part.”
Bader has become popular among teammates and fans for his energy on and off field—a sentiment echoed by manager Rob Thomson referencing Bader’s catchphrase “what a gift,” which also appears tattooed on Bader’s arm.
“I think energy is everything, and I absolutely love what I do,” Bader said. “And it’s my personality. And I’m just thankful that my teammates accept my personality and let me go out there and do my stuff on that field. And I think you can just run with really good energy. So I just share my love of the game with them.”
On why he repeats “what a gift,” Bader explained: “I have it tattooed on my arm… It just puts a lot of things into perspective, honestly… Even if it’s something that’s bad or annoying or uncomfortable, it just immediately changes your perspective… you say ‘what a gift.’ It changes everything.” He added about getting it tattooed: “It’s meant to be.”
