Bryce Harper, Phillies batter, leads Rangers to best start in franchise history
The Philadelphia Phillies made their National League debut in 1883. Prior to this season, no Phillies team had won 36 of its first 50 games. No MLB team has done so since the 2001 Seattle Mariners.
There are plenty of superlatives that could be used to describe the 2024 Phillies season through 50 games, but historic feels like the best fit.
The Phillies appear to be breaking franchise records every night, as seen by their 11-4 victory over the reigning champion Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Philadelphia trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the second inning. It tied the game in that inning, took the lead with a run in the bottom of the third, then seized control with three more runs in the fourth.
The Phillies have gotten off to an incredible start, with contributions from nearly every player on the team. On Wednesday, all but one of the starters scored a run. Bryson Stott was that player, but he also had Philadelphia’s first hit of the game and helped keep the game rolling in the second inning, when they scored twice.
The Phillies hit three home runs, and five players had an RBI. The bullpen relieved starter Taijuan Walker, who did not make it out of the fifth inning, allowing only one hit in 4.1 innings of work.
Philadelphia leads the MLB in runs scored and fourth in OPS. Its pitching staff has a 3.17 ERA, which ranks third best in baseball. The Phillies are winning as a team and having fun doing so.
Putting the Phillies’ historic start into perspective
The bulk of Phillies supporters struggle to understand this type of start. Even in 2022 and 2023, when Philadelphia advanced to the World Series and NLCS, they struggled in the first half before picking it up later in the season.
This year, the Phillies hoped to avoid a sluggish start and win the World Series before the end of the season. They’ve surpassed all expectations in the first two months of the season, but they’re bored of talking about the regular season. They understand that if they do not win the final game of the 2024 MLB season, it will all be for nothing.
The aforementioned 2001 Mariners set an MLB record by winning 116 games.
“What did they do at the end?” According to Marc Feinsand, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after the game on Wednesday.
They fell in the ALCS, failing to advance to the World Series.
“You need to keep going. “You just have to keep grinding and pushing all the way through.”
MLB seasons are marathons, not sprints. Phillies players are aware of this, but they also understand that if they continue to play as they have, they will most likely be the last club standing in November.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Bryce Harper stated. “You play a full season for a reason, so we just have to stay the course, stay confident and just keep doing our thing.”
The Philadelphia Phillies are the 27th club since 1900 to win at least 36 of their first 50 games. Only 11 of the previous 26 teams won the World Series, with the last being the 1998 New York Yankees. The 1998 Atlanta Braves were the last National League team to match Philadelphia’s 50-game start. They failed to make it to the World Series.
An uncommon regular season does not usually lead to postseason success. The Phillies hope that isn’t the case in 2024, and after last year’s NLCS loss, they have everything to play for this season.
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