Phillies Clinch Playoff Berth Ending Longest Active NL Postseason Drought
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For the first time since 2011, the Philadelphia Phillies are going to the Major League Baseball playoffs.
The Phillies clinched a playoff berth Monday night, beating the American League leading Astros 3-0 in Houston.
The Phillies snap their 11-year postseason drought, the longest active drought in the National League. They will be appearing in the playoffs as a Wild Card team for the first time in franchise history.
The Phillies entered Monday with a magic number of one, needing either a win or a Milwaukee Brewers loss in order to make the playoffs.
Since the Phillies won the head-to-head series with the Brewers, they own the tiebreaker over the Brewers. The Phillies led by two games. The only way the Brewers would clinch the final National League playoff spot would be by finishing a game better than the Phillies, sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks while having the Astros sweep the Phillies.
The Brewers staved off elimination earlier in the night, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 in extra innings. The Brewers' win inadvertently made the Phillies' clinching moment even sweeter, as the Phillies got to celebrate their playoff berth after recording the final out of Monday's win.
The Brewers are now eliminated from contention, meaning that all six National League playoff spots have been clinched.
The Phillies trail the San Diego Padres by a half-game for the second National League Wild Card spot. The Padres play their final three games of the season in San Francisco against the Giants. If the Padres lose Monday night, or allow the Phillies to tie them by the end of the week, the Phillies would move into the second NL Wild Card spot, as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres.
If the Phillies own the five-seed, they will likely play the New York Mets in a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series next weekend. All three games would be in New York. If the Phillies remain the six-seed, they'll play a best-of-three in St. Louis next weekend against the Cardinals.
