The Philadelphia Phillies are the oldest continuous franchise in Major League Baseball; they’ve been the Phillies in Philadelphia since 1883.
Over 139 seasons, they’ve played 21,047 games, and have a losing record of 9,935-11,112. In 2007, they became the first team in MLB history to reach 10,000 losses.
The losing bleeds into the postseason, too; in all those years, the Phillies have only made 14 playoff appearances, in which they have won seven pennants and two World Series championships.
The Phillies haven’t earned a postseason berth since 2011. This week, Leo Morgenstern noted that with the new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the hilarious and often-disturbing love letter to Philadelphia in television form, there have now been more seasons of the show than playoff berths for the beloved baseball team often referenced and/or featured in the show.
There have now been more seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (15) than there have been seasons in which the Phillies made the playoffs (14).@alwayssunny has existed since 2005. The Phillies have existed since 1883.
— Leo Morgenstern (@morgensternmlb) January 13, 2022
Philadelphia sports teams play a prominent role in Sunny. Star and co-creator Rob McElhenney’s love for Chase Utley is heavily documented, beginning with a love letter to the longtime infielder in a season five episode titled, “The World Series Defense.”
Utley finally responded to Mac’s letter in 2013.
Years later, they finally had that catch.
Utley and Ryan Howard actually guest-starred in an episode of Sunny, and the gang behaved terribly around the Phillies stars, getting drunk and wrestling to impress them at a charity auction.
Kaitlin Olson, who plays Dee Reynolds, went into labor with hers and McElhenney’s first child at a Phillies game.
The gang went to open tryouts for the Eagles in season three. In season 13, they filmed an episode at what would end up being the Eagles’ first Super Bowl championship.
In season six, Mac wins a radio contest and the prize is that he gets to take a shot from center ice at a Flyers game.
What will happen first, the final season of Sunny, or another Phillies championship?