The Phillies squeaked into the playoffs with a win in Game 162 on Sunday, avoiding one of the most memorable collapses in recent baseball history.
Needless to say, manager Don Mattingly was thrilled.
“F–k that, it doesn’t matter how you get in, you just got to get in. And we’re f–king in,” Mattingly told his team before popping champagne in the locker room after a 7-3 win over the Rays.
Mattingly led the Phillies to a resurgence for much of the season after Rob Thomson was fired on April 28 during a 9-19 start to the season, but the team slumped in these final weeks of the regular season.
Heading into play Sunday, the Phillies had lost six of their last eight games while the Diamondbacks surged.
Philadelphia had a four-game lead over Arizona for the last NL wild card spot last week, a seemingly insurmountable lead, but suddenly the Phillies needed a win Sunday to punch their ticket after Arizona won four in a row to pull within one game while the the NL East squad lost four in a row.
The Phillies clinched their spot in the postseason on their own accord and ultimately would not have needed outside help since the Diamondbacks lost 9-4 to Padres on Sunday.
Had Arizona won and Philadelphia instead lost AL-best Rays, the Diamondbacks would have taken the Phillies’ spot in the playoffs.
In an effort to salvage the season, Philadelphia started Zack Wheeler on Sunday, who was supposed to start the first Wild Card game on Tuesday.
In the moment of desperation, the Phils changed their plans and Wheeler gave them six innings of one-run ball.
The Phillies will open the NL Wild Card series on Tuesday against the NL East rival Braves in Atlanta.
