Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Ruiz (66) and catcher Garrett Stubbs (21) celebrate after defeating the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
The Phillies ended the 2024 regular season on a high note Sunday, defeating the Nationals 6-3 in Washington, DC. They will kick off the NLDS on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, playing the Brewers, Mets, or Diamondbacks.
The Phillies didn't have much to play for on Sunday, but getting swept by the Nationals would have been a dismal way to end the season. Luckily, the Phils' offense showed up right out of the gates. They loaded the bases in the first inning on two walks and a single and scored two runs via productive outs.
Alec Bohm RBI groundout
— Austin (@austin_phillies) September 29, 2024
Phillies 2, Nationals 0 pic.twitter.com/LQyERSrOvC
In the fifth, the Phillies expanded their lead to five runs with RBI hits from Kyle Schwarber and Weston Wilson. Schwarber ended the season with a .248 average, .851 OPS, 38 HR, and 104 RBI.
Schwarsingle alert! pic.twitter.com/cr3akkIvtw
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 29, 2024
Bring 'em home, Weston!! pic.twitter.com/JMAcX2rZU6
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 29, 2024
Phillies loaded the bases with no outs in the 1st, made 12 straight outs (though two of them produced runs), then loaded the bases with no outs in the 5th
— Jack Redfern (@PhilEagFlySixer) September 29, 2024
Schwarber broke the pattern with a two-run single
It's nice to see the Phillies offense. 6-1 courtesy of Weston Wilson! #RingTheBell
— Stray Garfield (@StrayGarfield) September 29, 2024
weston wilson > austin hays i said what i said.
— emily ♡ | RED OCTOBER ERA (@clemenstimee) September 27, 2024
Austin Hays will have played in 22 of 58 possible games with the Phillies.
— Matt Watson (@MattWatsonMedia) September 28, 2024
His inability to stay on the field has created opportunities for Wilson and Clemens.
They both should be ahead of Austin on the club’s playoff roster.
Simply adding Hays because they added him at the…
The Nationals made things interesting in the ninth. Down 6-3 with the bases loaded and two outs, Nats first baseman Juan Yepez came close to hitting a walk off grand slam. But Kody Clemens made a fantastic catch in left field to end the game.
Scott Franzke with the great call on Kody Clemens' catch to end the regular season pic.twitter.com/1hwYiyITGN
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) September 29, 2024
How the Nationals' season ended at the glove of Kody Clemens pic.twitter.com/txur9YBSiC
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) September 29, 2024
A Kody Clemens leaping catch at the wall with the bases loaded up by 3 in the 9th is exactly the way the 2024 Phillies regular season was supposed to end
— Jordan Hirsh (@JordanHirsh_PxP) September 29, 2024
KODY F*CKING CLEMENS!!! PHILLIES WIN IT!!! They finish the regular season with 95 wins. You (and I) LOVE to see it.
— Brooklyn (@Brookie425) September 29, 2024
Not to be dramatic but idk how I’m going to survive without the Phillies until Red October next weekend. I already miss them. GO PHILS. ♥️⚾️
Sunday's win ensured that the Phillies will have home field advantage against everyone other than the Dodgers this postseason.
Remember that Kody Clemens catch when the Phillies are hosting Game 7 of the World Series against the Yankees . . .
— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) September 29, 2024
Nick Castellanos started his 162nd game of the season on Sunday, making him the first Phillies to play all 162 since Jimmy Rollins in his 2007 MVP campaign.
The best fans in baseball ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lDNrUUEeSZ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 29, 2024
Nick Castellanos bu sezon 162 maçın tamamında oynadı!
— Philadelphia 76ers Türkiye🇺🇸🇹🇷 (@76ersTr_) September 29, 2024
Büyük bir tebriği hak ediyor 👏#Phillies #NickCastellanos pic.twitter.com/sZXG0kxl0f
Nick Castellanos when he was pulled one inning after getting his 162nd straight start. pic.twitter.com/51knhpO3gF
— Ariel Melendez (@a_melendez10) September 29, 2024
One day after Zack Wheeler reached 200 innings pitched for the season, Rob Thomson gave Aaron Nola every opportunity to do the same. Nola pitched five innings and came back out for the sixth despite a pitch count over 90. Nola needed just two more outs to reach 200 innings even, but couldn't get there.
Aaron Nola is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball to start 32+ games in every season since 2018 (excluding 2020). pic.twitter.com/pDdi3xyRJb
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) September 29, 2024
Aaron Nola’s final line today:
— Donovan Vogel (@Donnie_BROgel) September 29, 2024
5 IP 9 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 7 K
*1 HR allowed
96 pitches thrown, 63 strikes
Cole Hamels and A.J. Burnett remain the last pair of Phillies teammates to reach 200 innings in the same season.
— Corey Seidman (@CSeidmanNBCS) September 29, 2024
Aaron Nola fell 2 outs shy of joining Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler: 200 IP, 2.57 ERA
Nola: 199⅓ IP, 3.57 ERA
Trea Turner finished the season one stolen base shy of a 20/20 season. Like Nola, Turner had a good chance to reach his milestone. But umpires called him out on this close play at second on an attempted steal, and upheld the call after the Phillies requested an instant replay review.
turner was definitely safe and umps still suck. groundbreaking.
— C O U R T N E Y (@icourtneycries) September 29, 2024
yeah screw that ump and the mlb review center. Trea Turner was safe and it wasnt even close. How was that not overturned?
— Philadelphian Sportsman (@philysportsman) September 29, 2024
In the NLDS, the Phillies will face the winner of a wild card series between the three-seed Brewers and whichever team ends up the six seed (either the Mets or the Diamondbacks).
Sunday's results set up a chaotic finale to the regular season, with the Mets and Braves playing a doubleheader in Atlanta to determine the fate of all three postseason hopefuls. Anthony detailed the postseason scenarios here. But in short, the Diamondbacks need the Mets and Braves to split the doubleheader to make it to the dance. If the Mets win both games the Braves go home, and vice versa.
The D-Backs and Mets have won and the Braves have lost, leaving all three teams tied
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 29, 2024
If the Mets or Braves get swept in tomorrow’s doubleheader, they will be out of the playoffs
If they split the doubleheader, Arizona will be out pic.twitter.com/yMaNEG5SgW
the mets and braves celebrating on the field together tomorrow after splitting the doubleheader pic.twitter.com/wk12TCVboZ
— steph (@whutyearisit) September 29, 2024
The Braves & Mets discussing splitting tomorrow’s doubleheader so they both make the playoffs pic.twitter.com/LyMiCMEKzv
— Trent (@Trenciarte) September 29, 2024
John Kruk just being John Kruk 😂 pic.twitter.com/p8gEScA2SN
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 29, 2024
