Philadelphia Phillies clinch 1st NL East title since 2011

 The Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East for the first time since 2011, clinching the division title with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto went deep. Phillies fans went wild. And pitcher Aaron Nola provided a taste of just how great it would feel for the franchise if Philly went all the way this time.

The Phillies had rolled tarp pinned above clubhouse locker stalls before the game, a familiar protective sight for the bottle-popping ahead for a team that's made the playoffs each of the past three seasons under manager Rob Thomson.

“We know there’s a really big picture ahead of us,” Schwarber said before the game. “Winning the division is a big thing. If we go out there and do our thing tonight, it’s going to be well deserved. It’s not an easy division to win. It’s never been an easy division to win. It definitely will be a cool thing.”

Oh, it was cool in Philly for an announced sellout crowd of 42,386, with temperatures in the 60s — a sneak peek of October weather.

That suits this team just fine.

With at least a National League wild card already clinched last week, Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner & Co. earned the franchise’s 12th division championship — and have their sights set on the top seed in the National League playoffs.

The Phillies (93-64) hold the No. 2 spot just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63) and would earn a first-round bye should the standings hold.

“The biggest things for me, really, are winning the division and getting the bye,” Thomson said. “If we get home field throughout, that’s a bonus. But I won’t put our players in danger to get there.”

The Phillies have two games left against the Cubs and close the season with a three-game set in Washington.

With playoff appearances now the norm for the Phillies, perhaps the inevitability of it all kept some fans home. After selling out game after game during a sensational season, there were pockets of empty seats at Citizens Bank Park, which topped 3.2 million fans in attendance.

Thomson once said a rival coach told him a playoff game in Philly was “four hours of hell.”

“I feel like it’s the best atmosphere in sports,” All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman said. “It feels like it’s 50,000-vs.-nine. It’s always a good feeling when you step on the field.”

Phillies fans were greeted by “CLINCHED” on the videoboard outside Citizens Bank Park, while the main entrance featured Harper and Nola as the anchor photos on a “Make More HISTORY” banner.

Philadelphia ended Atlanta’s run of six consecutive NL East titles and is trying to finish with the major leagues’ best record and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Seeking their third World Series championship following titles in 1980 and 2008, the Phillies overtook Atlanta for the division lead on May 3 and haven’t trailed since.

Philadelphia won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without making the playoffs. A wild-card entry each of the past two postseasons, the Phillies put together consecutive October runs that ended in heartbreak.

They reached the 2022 World Series, losing to Houston in six games, and dropped a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year after leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.

The path to this division title was a bit messy after the team raced to the best 50-game start in the majors since Seattle in 2001. The Phillies slumped in the summer, and returned home this week from a 2-5 trip against Milwaukee and the New York Mets.

Both are teams the Phillies could face in October.

It seemed fitting the 31-year-old Nola was on the mound for the clincher. Nola was a first-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2014, debuted the next year and has been with them his entire career. He’s been one of baseball’s most dependable pitchers — a valuable commodity with the modern stress on big league bullpens.

Nola helped Philadelphia secure an NL wild card last year, then went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four playoff starts. He made five postseason starts in 2022, going 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA.

Nola only briefly tested the free-agent market last offseason before signing a $172 million, seven-year deal to stick with the Phillies.

His reward — another postseason opportunity to bring home a World Series title now 16 years in the making.