It’s been a long time since the Phillies put together a winning season.
More than 70 games into the 2021 season, the Philadelphia Phillies find themselves five games back in the National League East, tied for third place with the Atlanta Braves, and once again under the .500 mark.
As in recent seasons, it just seems as though the team squanders away winnable games, such as Wednesday, when they led 5-0, 9-5, and 12-11, before ultimately losing to the Washington Nationals, 13-12.
The Phillies just can’t seem to get things trending in the positive direction for them and they seem poised to miss out on the postseason for the 10th consecutive season if things do not turn around.
Bob Vetrone Jr. recently shared this statistic that will make you miss “Red October” postseason baseball even more — the Phillies have the longest drought among Major League Baseball teams for a season without a record over the .500 mark.
Last completed season with a record over .500:
- 2020: Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Indians, Marlins, Padres, Rays, Reds, Twins, White Sox, Yankees
- 2019: Astros, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Mets, Nationals, Red Sox
- 2018: Mariners, Pirates, Rockies
- 2016: Giants, Orioles, Rangers, Tigers
- 2015: Angels, Royals
- 2011: Phillies
The Phillies came close to having a record over .500 in both 2012 and 2019, when they finished 81-81 in both. Not only did the team’s 2019 season finale loss prevent them from having a winning record, it also secured the franchise’s 11,000th all-time loss — a reminder that they are the losingest team in professional sports history.
During the shortened 60-game 2020 season, the Phils fell in seven of their last eight games and finished three wins away from a winning record.
The Phillies just split a four-game road series against the New York Mets, including a doubleheader that was played on Friday. Like any series within the division, it was crucial for them to have success, and could dictate whether the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, only taking two of four from the first-place Mets just leaves the Phillies stuck in the middle yet again.