Philadelphia Phillies clinch NL East title. Set sights on No. 1 seed in playoffs

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to clinch the National League East Division title for the first time in more than a decade.

JT Realmuto hit a two-run homer in the second inning to get the offense going, and Kyle Schwarber hit a solo homer in the third.

Starting pitcher Aaron Nola had a strong outing – going six innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven – before giving way to the bullpen. Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez each pitched a scoreless frame before the Phillies celebrated on the home field.

Were the Phillies already in the playoffs?

Yes. The Phillies 12-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday combined with the Atlanta Braves 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins put Philadelphia into the postseason for the third straight season.

When was the last time the Phillies won the NL East?

Philadelphia last won the National League East in 2011. The Phillies won 102 games that season but lost in the National League Division Series to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

The Phillies were anchored by a starting pitching staff of Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Offensively, Philadelphia still had the nucleus of the 2008 World Series winner – Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.

During their recent playoff run, the Phillies finished third in 2022, 14 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves and New York Mets before reaching the World Series. In 2023, the Phillies were second, 14 games behind Atlanta, before losing in the National League Championship Series.

Can the Phillies get the best record in baseball?

The Phillies are a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. The team with the best record will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The New York Yankees are a half-game behind the Phillies.

Here's a look at the standings and matchups for the week.

• Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63): Tuesday-Thursday vs. San Diego; Friday-Sunday at Colorado

• Philadelphia (93-64): Tuesday-Wednesday vs. Chicago Cubs; Friday-Sunday at Washington.

• New York Yankees (92-64): Tuesday-Thursday vs. Baltimore; Friday-Sunday vs. Pittsburgh.

Tiebreakers: If the Phillies tie the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia owns the tiebreak, having won the regular season series 5-1. If Philadelphia and New York tie, the Yankees have the tiebreaker after sweeping a 3-game series in late July.

When will the playoff start for the Phillies?

Philadelphia has a three-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the second seed in the National League. If the Phillies earn the second seed, they will receive a bye and advance to the division series. The division series is tentatively scheduled to begin Saturday, Oct. 5.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philadelphia Phillies clinch NL East. Eye top seed in MLB playoffs