The champagne was on ice, but the Philadelphia Phillies didn't get to pop the bubbly on Sunday after dropping a disappointing series finale to the Kansas City Royals. Heading into the afternoon affair, the Phillies' magic number to clinch the National League East was down to one.
A win or a New York Mets loss would have secured Philadelphia's second consecutive NL East title. Instead, the Phillies' 10-3 loss in front of an expectant crowd at Citizens Bank Park ensured that the celebrations would have to be put on hold for at least one more day.
Now Bobby sends one to the seats! pic.twitter.com/KN9kgHueta
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 14, 2025
Phillies' loss to Royals paired with Mets' win stalls NL East celebrations as magic number stalls at one
With the Phillies sweeping the Mets in four games earlier in the week, the magic number was five coming into the series with the Royals. After taking the first two against Kansas City, the magic number for the division was down to one, but the Phillies couldn't get the job done.
After the anticlimactic end to a magical week at home for the Phillies, fans stayed at the ballpark to watch the end of the Mets-Rangers game. Unfortunately, a Pete Alonso extra-inning home run and a 5-2 Mets victory put an additional damper on what would have still been a celebration in Philly.
So, as it stands heading into Monday's action, the Phillies' NL East magic number remains at one.
The good news is that the Phillies did manage to secure their playoff berth, with the help of the Los Angeles Dodgers (the Phillies' next opponent) who beat the San Francisco Giants later on Sunday. Th other good news is that the Giants can help push the Mets out of the playoffs with a series in San Diego this week.
With 12 games left on the schedule and a 12-game lead in the division, it's inevitable that the Phillies will win the NL East. The Mets are off on Monday, so we can't count on them continuing their free fall to seal the division. Phillies fans will have to wait until late Monday night, or more likely early Tuesday morning, to find out if they'll accomplish the task in their first game of six on the West Coast.
As for the other things to watch for in the standings over the final two weeks of the season, the Phillies still have something else to play for — the No. 1 seed in the National League. They enter Monday trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by two games for the top spot in the NL and in the majors.
While finishing in one of the top two spots guarantees a bye past the Wild Card round, grabbing that top spot would secure home field advantage for the Phillies through the playoffs. There's no doubt that the more games the Phillies can play at home in October the better.