Phillies Accomplish Impressive MLB First With Impressive Turnaround

The Philadelphia Phillies' in-season turnaround has led to history being made.

Jun 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) celebrates his two run home run against the New York Mets with on deck hitter Brandon Marsh (16) during the third inning at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

There wasn’t a team that got off to a slower, more disappointing start in the 2026 MLB season than the Philadelphia Phillies.

They started the season 9-19, which led to manager Rob Thomson being fired. Players on the team knew that it was their fault for the move being made, and felt bad about getting such a good person fired.

Despite what happened, the Phillies still have a huge fan in Thomson, who has been watching and rooting them on. With Don Mattingly taking over as interim manager, the team has caught fire. They were 46-36 entering play on June 26, which resulted in them making history.

As shared by Jeff Kerr of On SI on X, Philadelphia is the first team to be at least 10 games under the .500 mark in April and then reach at least 10 games over the .500 mark before the calendar flips to July.

Phillies have made history with in-season turnaround

Jun 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the New York Mets during the third inning at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Naturally, in their first attempt to move even further over the .500 mark against the New York Mets, the Phillies suffered a 6-2 loss to fall to 46-37. They will have a chance to get back to double-digit games on Sunday in the series finale.

Reaching the historic mark against the Mets is quite a coincidence. When the Phillies were 9-19 and fired Thomson, it was their National League East rivals with whom they were tied at the bottom of the standings.

While Philadelphia made a move looking to shake things up, and it was successful, New York didn’t. And both teams have gone in totally different directions, with the Phillies thriving and the Mets actually getting worse.

New York ended up firing their manager, Carlos Mendoza, right before this weekend's series got underway. They have been one of the most disappointing teams in the MLB, holding a 34-47 record at the time of the move being made.

The #Phillies are the first team in #MLB history to be 10 games under .500 in April and be 10 games over .500 at any point prior to the end of June.

— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) June 27, 2026

What has helped Philadelphia avoid a fate similar to what its rivals have suffered? Their veteran-laden team has woken up, playing up to their regular levels. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, first baseman Bryce Harper and outfielder Brandon Marsh have all played well, but the supporting cast is now stepping up, too.

Second baseman Bryson Stott has the most RBI of anyone at his position since May 1. After a brutally slow start, Alec Bohm has gotten on track and is in the running for a starting spot on the NL All-Star Team.

Timely hitting from Derek Hill, acquired midseason from the Chicago White Sox, has helped get the team on track as well. With the supporting cast now playing well, the Phillies are playing closer to the expectations they had coming into the year.

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