After squeaking into playoffs, Phils bounced by rivals in Wild Card round
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ATLANTA -- The Phillies planned to fly to Los Angeles in the early morning hours on Friday, if they somehow found a way to beat the Braves in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series at Truist Park.
Those plans have changed.
So, probably, has the future of the franchise.
The Phillies stumbled in a 6-2 season-ending loss to the Braves on Thursday night, failing to carry the momentum from a dramatic come-from-behind victory in Game 2 into the elimination game. They started Aaron Nola, hoping his second-half renaissance would propel them into a rematch with the Dodgers in the NL Division Series. Instead, Nola allowed a first-inning three-run home run to Michael Harris II to put them in an early hole. Zack Wheeler, pitching in relief for the first time since Game 7 of the 2023 NL Championship Series, allowed a two-run home run in the fourth inning to Ozzie Albies.
It felt like the end.
It felt that way because only one team in MLB history had overcome a five-run deficit in a winner-take-all game: the Cardinals, who beat the Nationals in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS. And this Phillies offense, which has carried the weight of past postseason failures, was not up to the task.
It’s been this way for a while, though. The Phillies have had World Series-or-bust expectations ever since they won the NL pennant in 2022. They have now lost each of their last four postseason series, which is a sobering thought considering they have a $322 million payroll.
Now the Phillies must consider what’s next.
They “ran it back” this offseason, bringing back the majority of a roster that went from losing the World Series in 2022 to losing the NLCS in 2023 to losing in the NLDS in both 2024 and 2025. They started the season 9-19. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski dismissed Rob Thomson on April 28.
Don Mattingly took Thomson’s place. The Phillies had the fourth-best record in baseball (79-55) under him, but they stumbled in September and needed to pitch Wheeler on the final day of the regular season on Sunday just to clinch the final NL Wild Card spot.
Changes feel inevitable.