09/16/25 02:17:00
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09/16 02:15 CDT Phillies clinch 2nd straight NL East title with 6-5 win over
Dodgers in 10 innings
Phillies clinch 2nd straight NL East title with 6-5 win over Dodgers in 10
innings
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- A barechested Bryce Harper poured a bottle of Champagne
over his head, soaking in the Philadelphia Phillies' second consecutive NL East
title.
Kyle Schwarber celebrated by chugging beer out of a hose as his teammates fed
the contraption in the middle of a darkened visitors' clubhouse after the
Phillies rallied for a wild 6-5 victory in 10 innings over the Los Angeles
Dodgers on Monday night.
"You've got to enjoy this," Schwarber said later, puffing on a fat cigar. "This
doesn't happen all the time."
The Phillies hope it keeps happening all the way through October as they chase
the franchise's third World Series crown and first since 2008.
"We're playing really good baseball right now and just got to keep going and
keep understanding we've got a bigger picture," Harper said. "We've got things
on our mind that we want to win."
Philadelphia was already assured its fourth straight National League playoff
berth on Sunday, when the San Francisco Giants lost to the Dodgers.
And with the second-place New York Mets idle Monday, the Phillies needed a win
to become the first division champion in the majors this season. They blew
three one-run leads before finally getting past the NL West-leading Dodgers for
their ninth victory in 11 games, opening a 12 1/2-game lead over the Mets in
the NL East with 11 to play.
Philadelphia had just one hit --- Schwarber's 53rd homer --- until the seventh
inning. But then Weston Wilson and Harper homered as Philly rallied against the
defending World Series champions.
"They're just tough and they're resilient," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said
about his team. "They just keep fighting and I'm proud of them. This is a
really special group."
After the Dodgers' Max Muncy grounded out to end it, the Phillies gathered near
the mound to celebrate. They posed for a photo on the field as red-clad fans
cheered behind their dugout at Dodger Stadium.
Then the party was on.
It was the earliest division clinch in Phillies history, two days sooner than
the 2011 team that won the NL East on Sept. 17. This squad got it done in Game
151, second-fastest behind those 2011 Phillies who did it in Game 150.
Philadelphia (90-61) has three straight 90-win seasons for the third time in
franchise history.
"I feel like we've done such a great job this year," Schwarber said. "We've had
a lot of really big injuries happen to us and we just have that next-man-up
mentality. I felt like guys came up, they stepped up right away and they got
the job done. That's how you win big baseball games."
Since the July 31 trade deadline, the Phillies are 29-14.
They lost ace right-hander Zack Wheeler when he went on the injured list a
month ago with a blood clot in his right shoulder. Wheeler was 10-5 with a 2.71
ERA in 24 starts when he was sidelined, but Philadelphia's pitching depth has
allowed the team to absorb such a huge loss.
It certainly helped that the Phillies acquired closer Jhoan Duran and center
fielder Harrison Bader from Minnesota at the trade deadline.
"We're a little bit different than we have been in the past," Thomson said. "We
can do some things. We're going to slug but we also can play some small ball to
win games, too. It's a good balance."
All-Star shortstop Trea Turner (right hamstring strain) and third baseman Alec
Bohm (left shoulder inflammation) are both on the IL. Thomson said Bohm could
return later this week at Arizona, while Turner could be back in time for the
final homestand of the regular season.
The victory made Thomson the third manager in franchise history to win
consecutive division titles, joining Charlie Manuel (2007-11) and Danny Ozark
(1976-78). Thomson is the fourth manager in Major League Baseball history to
reach the postseason in each of his first four full seasons. Among the other
three is Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts.
"I don't feel 62 right now," Thomson said. "The last four years has been the
most fun I've had in baseball. It's because of the guys. They have a lot of
fun." -__
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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