Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
It’s do or die for the Phillies, as the same thing that’s plagued them all year got them again yesterday—the bullpen surrendered the lead.
The Flyers get underway today and are looking to build on last year’s playoff run.
September 30 has been a good day for the Phillies’ division hopes.
Repeat
On this day in 1978, the Phillies beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh to clinch their second consecutive NL East title.
Greg Luzinski homered and drove in three runs, while Richie Hebner had two doubles and four RBI.
And pitcher Randy Lerch added two solo home runs of his own as the Phillies celebrated another division championship.
Trivia – Who holds the Phillies record for games played in a season? (Answer below)
The Start of Something Special
On this day in 2007, the Phillies went into their final game of the season against the Nationals tied with the Mets atop the NL East.
A win—or a loss coupled with a Mets loss—would guarantee the Phillies at least a one-game playoff for the division.
There was also a convoluted tiebreaker scenario that could have potentially led to another one-game playoff for the Wild Card.
But it was all a moot point.
Ryan Howard homered and drove in three runs, while the Mets lost to the Marlins, giving the Phillies their first NL East title since 1993.
The chase down of the Mets was complete.
Jimmy Rollins added one more exclamation point to his MVP season. In his final at-bat, Rollins hit an RBI triple, his 20th of the season, setting a new team record.
It also made Rollins just the fourth player in MLB history to join the 20-20-20-20 club—20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases.
3-Peat
On this day in 2009, the Phillies clinched their third consecutive NL East title when the Braves lost to the Marlins.
It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, as they took care of business on the field, beating the Astros 10-3.
Trivia Answer – Pete Rose played in his team record 163rd game on this day in 1979.
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