It really is an amazing time to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan right now. The team is coming off the heels of an excellent seven-game homestand which saw their magic number to clinch the NL East for the second consecutive season dwindle all the way down to just one.
The week started with a four-game sweep over the New York Mets that shattered the faint hope their rivals had of winning the division. The Phillies then won the series against the Kansas City Royals to finish 6-1 during the homestand and earn themselves an enviable position near the top of MLB's latest power rankings.
Phillies' near-perfect week has them ranked No. 2 in MLB's Power Rankings
As they start the second-to-last week of the MLB regular season, the Phillies sit with a superb 89-61 record and have officially clinched a playoff spot for the fourth straight season.
Get ready for Red October#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/kHsLuyapoK
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 14, 2025
They became the second team to offically punch their ticket to the postseason after the Milwaukee Brewers, who are the only team ahead of the Phillies in this week's MLB.com power rankings by Will Leitch. What's most impressive about this current hot stretch the team is on is that they're doing it without several key pieces.
Getting production from unexpected contributors is a sign that this team could be destined for greatness. The homestand started without the Phillies' regular left side of the infield, as both Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were placed on the IL hours before the opener versus the Mets. Their offense still posted 46 runs behind an impressive week by call-up Otto Kemp, who hit .375 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
The unfortunate injury to Zack Wheeler has made an already elite starting rotation up their game even further, and they even got an impressive five-inning, one-run outing from recent pickup Walker Buehler in his Phillies debut. The team is clicking on all cylinders at the right time and will be even better upon the eventual return of Turner and Bohm ahead of the postseason.
Although they failed to clinch the division at home on Sunday, the Phillies will inevitably celebrate a division crown during their West Coast road trip that begins in an important series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Once the division is clinched, the club will only have to play for a first-round bye for the Wild Card Series that could be vital towards their chances of making a deep playoff run.
They trail the Milwaukee Brewers by two games for the NL's top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs and currently hold leads of three and a half games over the Chicago Cubs and four and a half over the Dodgers for the second seed. This series is big for the head-to-head tiebreaker for the Phillies, who are currently 2-1 against the Dodgers this season.