Phillies players not impressed after Braves manager complains about winning division

When the Philadelphia Phillies dispatched the NL East division winner Atlanta Braves from the NLDS last season in four games, the Phillies did it in commanding fashion by dominating in almost every facet of the game. In particular, it was certainly quite the accomplishment to hold the league’s top offense to just eight total runs in those four games, including shutting down Braves' superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. by limiting him to just two hits in the entire series.

Apparently, Braves manager Brian Snitker believes that what hurt his team the most leading to their early playoff exit wasn’t the result of the Phillies' great play, but instead was a consequence of the bad playoff scheduling format. In a recent interview on the Foul Territory podcast, he was peeved about having five days off prior to their first playoff game after winning the division, saying that the long layoff ultimately snuffed their offense.

“It’s hard to hit velocity when you haven’t seen anything in five days," Snitker said. "That’s my biggest thing. We had a team that set all these records and everything offensively, and we didn’t hit much in the postseason."

"I don’t like the system quite honestly. We’re gonna have to deal with it," Snitker continued. "We better figure it out because we’re gonna try like hell this year to win the division and have five days off again. ... I think as an offensive player, when you’re not seeing, you know the lights aren’t on, the juices aren’t flowing, and you’re not seeing velocity like you’re going to face in the playoffs, you know it’s hard to score."

Phillies players don't buy Snitker's excuse

However, according to Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory, some Phillies players didn’t agree with Snitker’s "excuse" when they reacted to his comments.

Rosenthal relayed how Phillies players felt about Snitker's comment: “We won the series, we beat them, that’s the way it is. We would have rather had the bye [as] all guys want rest at that time of year.”

According to Rosenthal, one unnamed Phillies player in particular brought up the fact that the All-Star break is the same amount of time off, and nobody complains.

Not to mention that having some time off gives players who may be suffering any ailments the chance to rest and heal up before heading into the playoffs and start the postseason 100%.

So clearly, the Phillies believe that the Braves were just trying to find an excuse to explain their poor play in the playoffs and why they bowed out in the end. Perhaps Snitker should just gracefully admit that they lost to the better, more prepared, and more complete team in the end and just leave it at that.

Nevertheless, if there is still any doubt, the Phillies will have ample opportunities to show Snitker and the Braves who is the boss as the rivalry heats up for this upcoming 2024 season, and we are definitely here for that. The Phillies host the Braves for the opening series of the season, with Zack Wheeler and Spencer Strider facing off on Opening Day.