Three weeks before the Phillies celebrated a trip to the National League Division Series by pouring Budweiser down one another’s shirts until the puddle on the floor nearly reached their ankles, there was another celebration here. It took place down the hall, in the visitors clubhouse, after Atlanta beat the Phillies to clinch its sixth straight division title, guaranteeing a chance to try for a second World Series in three years. But Atlanta manager Brian Snitker wasn’t looking that far ahead. No, he just wanted to get out of this place.
“This was a tough series,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m really glad we [have] an off-day tomorrow, because we’re going to need it.”
A day earlier, he had admitted, “This team scares me as much as any team in the game, honestly.”
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He was right to worry. Atlanta seems to be clearly the most talented club in baseball, but there might be no hotter squad than the Phillies right now. Philadelphia steamrolled the Marlins 7–1 on Wednesday to sweep the National League wild-card series and easily create the most compelling of the four Division Series matchups. When the Phillies meet Atlanta for Game 1 on Saturday, they will provide a rematch of last year’s NLDS, which the Phillies took in four games on their way to winning the pennant. Atlanta responded by winning the NL East this year by 14 games. But each club went 16–13 in the season’s final month, and three of their last seven meetings went into extra innings.
“It’s gonna be an electric series,” said Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper.
Fans deserve one, after last year’s ho-hum affair. The first game featured a ninth-inning rally to bring the score within one, but none of the others were particularly close. Atlanta officials believed the long layoff—they earned a bye, which meant they waited six days between the end of the regular season and the start of the series—dulled the players’ timing. The team has instead spent this week playing simulated games in front of crowds. And Atlanta should be hungry a year after getting bounced early.
But the Phillies have “built for the postseason,” said Harper. Asked to elaborate, he wiped champagne from his eyes and said, “Vibes. That’s it. I mean, we have such good vibes with our fans and the city. It’s a blast. We all love doing this. We know that we’re a really good team, and we’re just gonna continue to do that.”
It could be a classic. Atlanta employs probably the most talented man in either dugout, right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who recently created the 40–70 club, and the major league home run leader, Matt Olson. The Phillies are a bunch of beefy boys in cutoff T-shirts who hit bombs and throw dance parties. And somehow they might be the only team that can beat Atlanta.
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“They have a great club,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Don’t sell them short at all. But I think we do match up. I think our offense can go against anybody’s. Our two starters, our two guys that threw in this series, they’re really pitching well right now. They’re on a roll, and hopefully they stay on a roll.”
Indeed, against the Marlins, Phillies starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola combined to allow one run in 13⅔ innings. The bullpen allowed one more in 4⅓. And if the lineup has holes, the Marlins could not find them: Every starter reached base at least once Tuesday; on Wednesday, all but two did.
But they will face perhaps one of the most terrifying lineups in recent memory. This season, Atlanta led the league in WAR by first basemen. It led the league in WAR by third basemen. It led the league in WAR by right fielders. It ranked third among catchers, third among second basemen, third among DHs, eighth among center fielders, 10th among pitchers. Its worst hitter, shortstop Orlando Arcia, was an All-Star. It scored 947 runs, the most since the league began testing for performance-enhancing drugs in 2004, and hit 307 homers, tied with the ’19 Twins for the most ever in a season.
“We know how good [the Braves] are,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “We’ve played them a lot. But we’re not intimidated by them.”
He grinned and added, “Every series we go into, I say, ‘Don’t give the Phils a reason to party,’ because these guys like to have a good time. We like to celebrate together, and that’s part of the reason we play so well on the field. This group jells well, and we have a lot of fun together.” Then he took a puff of his victory cigar and waded back into the vibes.
