3 reasons Phillies should embrace playoff rematch with Braves, 1 they shouldn’t
Should the Phillies hope to face the familiar postseason foe again this year?
The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have been long-time rivals, in particular after the realignment that took place ahead of the 1994 MLB season that put them together in the same division. That rivalry has since heated up after meeting head-to-head in the postseason for each of the past two years.
As a result, who wouldn’t want to see the Phillies and Braves battle it out once again this season in the playoffs? Well, if you are the Phillies, there are many reasons why they would crave for a rematch with the Braves, but from a bigger-picture perspective, it might not be the best of ideas.
3 reasons Phillies should embrace playoff rematch with Braves, 1 they shouldn’t
Let’s take a look at three reasons why the Phillies should welcome such a matchup and one reason why it’s best that they avoid it.
The Phillies-Braves head-to-head postseason record
Although the Phillies and Braves haven’t met in the playoffs as much as one would think, when they have met, the Phillies have held the upper hand each time. In total, Philadelphia and Atlanta have played each other in the postseason just three times (since the Braves moved to Atlanta). It just so happened that in each instance, the Phillies achieved something significant as a result.
In 1993, the Phillies defeated the Braves 4-2 in the NLCS to prevent Atlanta from reaching the World Series for the third consecutive season at the time.
In 2022, the Phillies took the NLDS 3-1 to halt the Braves in their quest to repeat as World Series champions after their win in 2021.
Just last season in 2023, the Phillies knocked the Braves out of the postseason for a second consecutive year in the NLDS by taking the series 3-1 once again. In doing so, the Phillies took out the league’s top offensive team who also happened to sport the best record during the regular season.
With a lifetime 3-0 playoff mark against the Braves, the Phillies would have all the confidence and momentum in facing them if they were to meet once again as they aim to keep the unbeaten streak going.
The Braves have tough road ahead
By the time the Phillies could meet the Braves this year in the postseason, the Braves could be all battered and bruised. Why is that? They are currently battling hard just to get into the playoff picture, and they would need to play all out to make sure that they get in.
That means playing all their best players with barely any rest till the end of the season, because they still have some tough teams ahead in their schedule, including the Kansas City Royals, the daunting Los Angeles Dodgers, and their main Wild Card competitors in the New York Mets.
On top of that, if they do manage to get in, barring a major collapse by the Phillies, the Braves will need to also play in the NL Wild Card Series. In doing so, they would likely be using up at least two or three of their top pitchers in the process. If they manage to get through, by the time the Braves could meet the Phillies in the NLDS or NLCS, their starting rotation most likely won’t have their best starters lined up against the Phillies’ best.
Moreover, with all the extra games the Braves would need to play, fatigue could start settling in, giving the Phillies a huge advantage when they do meet. Added to the fact that they have also their top player in Ronald Acuña Jr. and top pitcher Spencer Strider not coming back this year due to season-ending injuries, the Braves could be right there for the picking by the Phillies.
Two words: Orlando Arcia
The Phillies should welcome the exciting drama and entertainment that has been stirred up by Braves infielder Orlando Arcia. The rivalry between the Phillies and Braves has always been there, but it probably picked up steam big time after the "Atta Boy Harper" incident from last season’s NLDS. For those needing a reminder, Arcia coined that phrase to mock Phillies’ superstar Bryce Harper after Harper made a crucial base-running error that led to him being doubled off to end Game 2 of the series.
Nevertheless, Harper and the Phillies got the last laugh in the end as the star first baseman came back in the very next game to deliver two big home run blasts to power Philadelphia to victory. And each time, Harper showed up Arcia by giving him the now famous staredown as he rounded the bases.
In case people thought that was the end of it, just recently, Arcia was at it again in a game against the Phillies on Aug. 21. During the fourth inning, Arcia hit a 387-foot homer off Phillies’ starter Aaron Nola. As he rounded the bases, he stared down Harper, hoping to return the favor to the Phillies’ first baseman.
As a result, for those that want to see what more theatrics Arcia can pull out of his sleeve and how it will end, stay tuned if the Phillies and Braves rekindle this October for some must-watch baseball. Wouldn’t it be great to see the Phillies stick it to Arcia and the Braves as they eliminate them once again from the postseason?
The Braves’ resilience and dumbfounded magic when hit with injuries
For whatever reason, the Braves seem to always play their best baseball when they appear down and out while meeting big-time adversity at the same time.
Back in 2021, they were hit hard when they lost their top player in Acuña and also perhaps one of their top pitchers at the time, Michael Soroka. With a middling record of around .500, the Braves made some key trade deadline additions that included Jorge Soler. As a result, they somehow went on a magical run that ended up getting them into the playoffs. From there on out, they remained resilient and cruised through the playoffs, ultimately capturing the World Series that year to the surprise of many.
Could it be déjà vu all over again in 2024? This season, the Braves have lost Acuña once again for the season, along with their top starter Strider. To make matters even worse, more players have suffered injuries this time around, with stars Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley also missing significant amounts of time as well. Yet, the Braves have somehow managed to stay afloat in the playoff race to date. And who did they also get again at the trade deadline? That’s right, Jorge Soler is back once again.
So do the Phillies really want to meet a team that’s looking to repeat history once again this very season? Probably not, so it’s probably for the better if they can actually avoid the Braves this time around.
They should hope instead that another team can eliminate the Braves early in the Wild Card Series, or perhaps even keep them out of the postseason altogether by eliminating them from contention during the regular season. That way, the Phillies can make their own history and not become one that would be part of Braves history.
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