Philly Leader

NEW YORK -- The Phillies clinched their third consecutive trip to the postseason following Friday’s 12-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. They celebrated the achievement, acknowledging the difficulty of winning in baseball and the importance of enjoying each step along the way.

The Phillies have greater ambitions beyond making the postseason. In the short term, they aim to secure their first National League East title in 13 years, potentially as early as Saturday night. They plan to celebrate this milestone with champagne and beer, continuing their tradition of exuberant celebrations. Ultimately, they aspire to win a World Series championship and celebrate with millions of fans on Broad Street.

At Citi Field, a significant number of Phillies fans were present to witness the game. The Mets initially took a 2-0 lead after a challenging first inning for Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. Sánchez entered with a 5.13 ERA in 13 road starts compared to a 2.05 ERA in 16 home starts. Despite issuing a career-high five walks in five innings, he did not allow any runs after the first inning.

Sánchez's performance gave the offense an opportunity to recover and secure an easy victory. The Phillies scored one run in the second inning on Edmundo Sosa’s sacrifice fly and another in the third on Nick Castellanos’ double to left field, tying the game.

The team broke open everything in the fourth inning with runners on second and third and one out when Johan Rojas scored both runners with a ground-rule double, giving Philadelphia a 4-2 lead. Trea Turner’s two-out single against reliever Adam Ottavino extended it to 5-2.

Ottavino intentionally walked Bryce Harper, but Alec Bohm followed with a three-run homer to left-center field, making it 8-2.

Earlier this week in Milwaukee, the Phillies hoped to clinch their postseason berth but fell short despite buying ten cases of beer for celebration purposes. When they didn't clinch there, they left the beer outside American Family Field's visitors' clubhouse before moving on to New York where they eventually opened them Friday night.