The Phillies clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 11 years on Monday night. In doing so, they set the entire National League field.
Rob Thomson and the team celebrated in the clubhouse with beer and champagne. In the same year Joe Girardi was fired, Thomson led the Phils back to the postseason, and cemented his status as the long-term manager of this team.
Philadelphia baseball fans rejoice, you’re back in the playoffs.
Scenes from the clubhouse celebration were lovely as ever, with Thomson pumping up the masses with a speech months in the making.
Is there any other way to greet such discourse? Is this 300, or Gladiator?
Phillies back in playoffs after 11 long years
The Phillies have, unfortunately, been defined by late-season chokes in recent years. The team that once housed Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay is long gone. In its place, finally, is another winner.
Thomson even admitted the Phils did everything in their power to avoid another late-season collapse. This season was different.
“No question,” Thomson said, per The Athletic. “It’s always the thing coming down the stretch is: Are you guys going to blow it? The September swoon, and all of that stuff. To just squash that is huge. Now we can focus on other things and move on.”
Despite all of that, by no means are the Phillies satisfied. If they have their way, this is just the first step in a memorable episode of Always Sunny, except this time, Mac actually does get to play catch with Chase Utley (or perhaps Bryce Harper in an updated version).
“We have a really cool opportunity to keep this thing going,” Harper said. “We have a great pitching staff, we have an awesome bullpen, we have the hitters to do it.”