After 141 seasons, a first for the Phillies
Brent Maguire
@bmags94Established in 1883, the Phillies are one of the oldest franchises in baseball. Now, in their 141st season, they’ll be playing their first postseason Game 7.
After losing Game 6 of the NLCS against the D-backs, the Phillies are set for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Remarkably, a team that has 16 postseason appearances and has played 132 postseason games hasn’t found itself in this exact spot before. The Phillies have, however, played in winner-take-all games before. They won Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS vs. the Astros on their way to a World Series title that season. Philadelphia lost Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS vs. the Cardinals and Game 5 of the 1981 NLDS vs. the Expos.
The Phillies have had some close calls in several Game 6s. With Philadelphia down 3-2 in the 2010 NLCS vs. the Giants, the game was tied, 2-2, before Juan Uribe hit the decisive home run in the top of the eighth inning. More notable is Game 6 of the 1993 World Series vs. the Blue Jays, when Joe Carter hit his memorable walk-off, title-clinching home run against Mitch Williams in Toronto.
As noted by The Athletic senior writer Tyler Kepner, the only other teams to not play a Game 7 were established in the expansion era (since 1961):
- Padres (est. 1969)
- Mariners (est. 1977)
- Rockies (est. 1993)
(The White Sox played in a Game 7 in a best-of-nine World Series in 1919.)
On the flip side, the Cardinals hold the record for most Game 7s (16), with an 11-5 record. Behind them are the Yankees -- who are 6-9 in 15 Game 7s -- Red Sox (11 Game 7s), Dodgers (10), Giants (eight) and Pirates (eight).
The best winning percentage in winner-take-all Game 7s belongs to the Marlins (2-0), Rays (2-0), Nationals (1-0) and D-backs (1-0). Arizona will look to move its Game 7 record to 2-0 on Tuesday vs. the Phillies.
Meanwhile, there are three teams that have played in a Game 7 and never won. The Orioles (1971 and ’79) and Brewers (1982 and 2018) are 0-2, while the Blue Jays lost their lone Game 7 appearance, in the 1985 ALCS.