The Philadelphia Phillies are on pace for their best win in 23 years.
The team's 11-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday improved to 36-14, not just the best record in MLB, but the best through 50 games in the league since the Seattle Mariners won an MLB-record 116 games in 2001.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was quick to point out what that actually means for the team's goal of winning the World Series, via MLB.com.
“What did they do at the end?” manager Rob Thomson said of the 116-win Mariners, who lost in the American League Championship Series. “You just have to keep hustling. You have to keep hustling until the end.”
According to MLB, only 26 teams in the modern era (since 1900) have won at least 36 of their first 50 games. Of those 26 teams, only 11 have won the World Series, and only two have done so in the divisional era (since 1969): the Detroit Tigers in 1984 and the New York Yankees in 1998. Multi-round playoffs are a game of chance, even for the elite teams.
It's not hard to see where the Phillies' success is coming from. They're hitting well, with Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Torii Turner, and Bryson Stott all posting OPS+ of at least 135 (or 35% better than league average when park-adjusted). ). Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, and Brandon Marsh are also well above average.
Their starting pitching staff is one of the best in MLB, with Ranger pitcher Suarez vying with Chicago Cubs sensation Shota Imanaga for the best record in the league, and Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola coming close to Suarez. The only area they fall behind is their relief pitching, with a 4.25 ERA that ranks 21st in MLB.
This team is fundamentally unchanged from the 2023 team that won 90 games and is seven games away from advancing to the World Series. So far, it looks even better.
Of course, there is still one big weapon left for the team's critics.
The strength of the Phillies' schedule is inevitable, but it's not the only thing.
Here's what Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz had to say about the Phillies' schedule on Tuesday:
As of Tuesday, Philadelphia's opponents' combined winning percentage this year was .465, by far the worst in MLB. The next easiest schedule was Tampa Bay's .477. No other team has ever had an SOS lower than .480.
It's a Charmin super-soft schedule. Cozier than Egyptian cotton. Far from a hard test. As smooth sailing as can be. But several things could be true at the same time: the schedule was bad, and the Phillies were better.
After one game, not much has changed. The Phillies played the team with the easiest schedule in MLB, but that doesn't mean they're very good.
After losing three straight games to the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies are unlikely to face a team above .500 again until June 3 when they face the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Of course, some of those teams are under .500 because they played against the Phillies. One of those guys is the Rangers, who were 24-24 going into the current series in Philadelphia.
Elite teams are supposed to look elite against weaker opponents, and the Phillies have looked elite so far this season. His +90 point differential for the Phillies is the best in MLB. If the Phillies took a step back when playing other rival teams, they would still be a very good team.
As of now, Philadelphia is one of the most entertaining teams in baseball, trailing the highly anticipated Braves by six games.
