The Philadelphia Phillies are set to play their 140th season in franchise history, and they’ve accomplished a lot in those first 139 years.
They’ve called five ballparks home and won eleven division titles, seven pennants, and two World Series championships. Some of the greatest players in MLB history are enshrined in the Hall of Fame with a Phillies cap on their shiny bronze plaques.
Yes, the Phils have done quite a bit so far in their long and storied existence. However, one very specific postseason achievement has eluded them, and it’s that exact thing that MLB insider Jim Bowden thinks they’ll finally accomplish this season.
Jim Bowden predicts the Phillies will clinch their first Wild Card berth in 2022
On his list of 22 predictions for the 2022 season (subscription required), Bowden names the Phillies, Cardinals, and Padres as the National League’s wild card teams. He thinks that Mets fans will be “disappointed once again,” which will be outrageous and extremely Mets if his prediction comes true.
The wild card has been around since 1994, so the Phillies’ drought in this category isn’t nearly as long as the 97 years it took them to win their first World Series. But considering the original single-team wild card format expanded to two teams and a play-in game in 2012, they’ve had some time to get one. Of course, from 2007-11, they won the NL East every year, and you don’t need to clinch the wild card if you’re the division champs.
The Phillies currently own the second-longest postseason drought in MLB, unable to grab a wild card or win their division since 2011. But this year, the wild card system expands to three teams per league, a new format somewhat like the NFL. The top two division-winning teams will receive byes, or free passes, to their league’s division series, leaving the other division champs and three wild cards to face off in a best-of-three series.
Clinching one of the three wild card spots is a very attainable goal for this Phillies squad. Their newly-upgraded lineup, with the additions of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, can certainly go toe-to-toe with any other in the league. The pitching department is a bit dicier, but this team still looks better than any in the last decade.
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