Mets' sweep of Phillies could set major tone for NL East

The New York Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday that could set a tone for the National League East this season.

Apr 23, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) scores the game winning run against Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) on a walkoff single by designated hitter Starling Marte (not pictured) during the tenth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are the proud owners of the best record in baseball after Wednesday's walk-off win against the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to seven games. The victory allowed the Mets to complete a series sweep of the second-place Phillies, who they also eliminated from the playoffs last October.

A big key to the Mets' strong start has been an excellent use of Citi Field's home-field advantage, with the Mets racking up a 12-1 record in their first 13 home games to mark their best start to a home season in franchise history. The fact that the latter series came against the Phillies could have a massive impact on the National League East race this season.

Read More: New York Mets make history with hot start at Citi Field in 2025

With the Atlanta Braves scuffling to start the season with a 10-14 record, the Mets' biggest division threat at the moment is the Phillies, who they have done well against in the recent past. Despite dropping the season series by a 7-6 margin in 2024, the Mets finished strong by winning three of four against Philadelphia in a critical series at Citi Field in late September; New York then won two more home games in the National League Division Series to eliminate the Phillies from postseason contention.

Citi Field has been a house of horrors for the Phillies, who have gone just 7-18 in their past 25 games in Flushing (including postseason) dating back to 2022. It certainly feels like the Mets are in the Phillies heads after manager Rob Thomson claimed in a postgame interview yesterday that Mets' closer Edwin Diaz faked an injury to get the umpires to overturn a balk in the 10th inning.

Seeing a major league manager imply an opposing player is faking an injury is certainly unusual and could imply that the Phillies are overly concerned about their ability to beat the Mets in a big spot. While it is only April 24th, the Mets are already five games up on the Phillies in the division and need just four wins in their final 10 meetings to secure the season series and the all-important tiebreaker that goes with it.

The Mets and Phillies don't meet again until the third weekend of June in Philadelphia, at which point the Mets could conceivably have both Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas back in their rotation. While seven of the remaining ten games between the teams are at Citizens Bank Park, the Mets have clearly built a mental edge over the Phillies that could be very meaningful in a tight division race.

Recommended Articles:

feed