This Day in Phillies History: September 30

On this day in Philadelphia Phillies history, the Phils clinched their third straight National League East title in 1978 when they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-8 at Three Rivers Stadium.

The winning pitcher of the game, Randy Lerch, also launched two homeruns and aided Philadelphia in snapping Pittsburgh's 24-game winning streak at home.

In 2007, the Phillies once again captured the division title, their first in 14 seasons. And it was all made possible by the New York Mets who lost six of their last seven games and subsequently let their seven-game lead slip away with 17 left to play.

Perhaps the biggest catalyst in the Phillies run for the division in 2007 was later named NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins.

Rollins tripled in the 6-1 win over the Nationals on this day to become only the fourth big leaguer to record 20 stolen bases, 20 homers, 20 triples, and 20 doubles in a season. He joined Frank Schulte, Willie Mays, and Curtis Granderson as the only players in major league history to accomplish the feat.

And finally, in 2009, the Phillies won the division again on this day, their third straight. With a 10-3 win over the Houston Astros in front of a crowd of 45,207 at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia moved to 92-66, with a six game lead over the Atlanta Braves.

What's that Andy Bernard quote from The Office? "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." Yeah, that applies here.

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