When was the last time in the regular season you've confidently said, the Phillies are the best team in baseball? At 24-11 the 2024 squad sits alone atop the standings of Major League Baseball, and how they're doing it is even quite impressive.
After dropping their first two series of the season to Atlanta and Cincinnati, the Phils have either won or split every series since. They've won five in a row, 16 of 19, and have a nine game home winning streak—their longest since 2010. The magic number of run support for the pitching staff: five. Phils are 18-1 when scoring five or more runs in a game.
Many teams like to forget the past and focus on the future, which can result in the same mistakes being made. In 2022 and 2023 it seemed like this team didn't starting playing baseball until June, which put them in a significant hole resulting in a battle for a Wildcard spot.
"The awareness of the last couple years where we didn't get hot until June, that sort of motivates people and our guys have done a really good job," said Rob Thomson said Sunday night.
Doubling down on the manager's comments, Bryce Harper said, "I think a lot of people had an opportunity to say stuff about how we start seasons and things like that, and trying to get ahead of everybody and stuff, but obviously games in April mean alot, but we have to stay consistent with the way we play, and we have to be consistent throughout the whole season. Not just April, May, or August or September or whatever."
You can't win a division in April or May, but you can cetainly lose it. Through 35 games, the Phillies have their most wins since 1995.