There are nights when a baseball season feels like it’s playing out in fast-forward. One minute, the Mets are unraveling yet again in Queens. Moments later, Kyle Schwarber is circling the bases in South Philly, sending another ball into orbit, and the Phillies are erasing another deficit on their way to another win.
This is what September baseball looks like when a division title is practically begging to be claimed. And the Phillies, winners of six straight, have spent the past two weeks making sure no one else gets the chance. Saturday night was another chapter: an 8–6 win over the Royals, powered by Schwarber’s 51st home run and Brandon Marsh’s scorching hot bat.
It didn’t start pretty. Taijuan Walker dug the Phillies an early three-run hole in the first inning, and Citizens Bank Park grew uneasy. But this team doesn’t stay down long anymore. Marsh ripped a double in the bottom half to slice the deficit, Otto Kemp kept proving why he belongs on a postseason roster with another run-scoring swing in the fifth, and Schwarber’s blast turned momentum into inevitability.
Marsh, meanwhile, is playing like a man possessed. Two more extra-base hits on Saturday pushed his average to .286. He’s hitting .434 over his last 15 games, driving this offense as much as Schwarber’s muscle. Add in Harrison Bader’s three-hit night, and the Phillies lineup keeps finding new heroes while steamrolling toward the finish line.
Kansas City, meanwhile, watched Salvador Perez homer twice in a losing cause. For them, it was another setback in a September that keeps nudging their playoff hopes closer to fantasy. For the Phillies, it was another piece in a winning streak that now stretches to six, with their magic number sitting at one.
That’s not just another division clinch waiting to happen. It’s a reminder of how different this team looks compared to mid-August, when a three-game losing streak raised questions. Since then? Nineteen wins in twenty-six tries. A homestand that can end at 7–0 if Aaron Nola finishes the sweep Sunday. A chance to not just lock up the NL East but to chase down Milwaukee for the National League’s top seed.
So yes, the Phillies could clinch on Sunday with one more win or one more Mets loss. But what feels more important is the inevitability of it all.
September has turned into a countdown, not a contest. And Saturday night in Philadelphia was just the latest reminder that this team isn’t simply closing in on a division title — it’s beginning to look like it belongs in the conversation for so much more.
Loading Phillies schedule...
Loading NL East standings...
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »