Pardon the skepticism, but well, the Phillies have been here before.
Four years running, in fact, they held a playoff spot or trailed by no more than 3½ games in the division or wild-card races as September began. Every time, they packed their things on the last day of the season after failing to qualify for the postseason tournament.
Since 2018, their record after Sept. 1 is 47-69.
