Phillies' Magic Number Drops With Help from Yankees

The magic number for the Philadelphia Phillies dropped with some help from the New York Yankees.

Sep 18, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Tanner Banks (58) pitches in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies were unable to secure the win on Friday night in a bullpen game against the New York Mets. The absence of Jesus Luzardo was certainly felt in the rotation in this game. 

With the season coming to a close, every game counts right now for the Phillies, and the team not being able to beat the Mets on Friday was unfortunate. New York jumped Tim Mayza in the first inning and never looked back. 

Philadelphia had to go to the newly acquired Jose Urquidy a bit earlier than anticipated with Mayza not being able to make it out of the first inning, but the right-hander was strong. 

In his debut with the team, he went 4.2 scoreless innings and really kept the Phillies in the game. However, Orion Kerkering had a tough outing, and the offense for Philadelphia continued to struggle. 

However, even though the team might not have been able to secure the win, they did get some help from the New York Yankees, who were able to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have not been playing well of late, and that has created quite a bit of separation in the wild card race. 

 Magic Number Hits 4 

Sep 18, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Edmundo Sosa (33) hits a double in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While it would have been nice to see the Phillies get the win, they are one game closer to clinching a playoff berth. When looking at the playoff race now in the National League, there is a three-way tie. 

The San Diego Padres have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, and with the Chicago Cubs and Phillies not playing at their best, the Padres have been able to catch them both. 

Philadelphia still has eight games to go, but they need to improve in a couple of different areas. The offense for the team is certainly one of those areas. This is a group that is not scoring nearly enough runs, and it is putting a lot of pressure on the pitching staff to be perfect. 

While the rotation for the most part has been able to rise to the occasion, the bullpen hasn’t been great this month. Getting the ball to Jhoan Duran in the playoffs is going to be a concern, and over the next week, finding some rhythm in the bullpen will be important. 

With Andrew Painter and Zack Wheeler pitching the next two games for the Phillies, they will be hoping to win this series and get closer to clinching a playoff berth.