Phillies' season mentality of World Series-or-bust ends in ‘failure'

NEW YORK – The next baseball game at Citizens Bank Park, originally scheduled for late Friday afternoon, has been postponed.

Postponed until March 31, 2025. With a new season’s home opener against the Rockies that will feature all the usual pomp and circumstance.

But not the raising of another pennant or championship banner.

The Phillies all but flew streamers up and down Clearwater Beach during spring training, took out billboards up and down I-95, to remind everyone that they were hellbent on making it back to the World Series. Two years after participating in the Fall Classic and one season after coming within one home win of returning, anything less would be unacceptable.

So what do you call it when you aren’t going to the World Series, aren’t going to the NLCS, managed just one win against the wild card Mets in the NLDS?

“Failure,” said shortstop Trea Turner. “I feel like we failed.”

A decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series, which would have been played in front of a roaring home sellout with ace Zack Wheeler on the mound, was rendered unnecessary when the Mets completed dismantling the team that finished the regular season with the second-best record in baseball.

Red October officially ended with a 4-1 loss Wednesday night at Citi Field. Once again the offense was impotent. Once again, going to the bullpen was a baseball version of Russian Roulette, but with cartridges in all the chambers. In the four games, the Phillies were outscored 23-12.

“Very disappointing,” said manager Rob Thomson. “We got beat in a short series.”

It’s true that anything can happen in the best-of-five format. But the fact is, this outcome shouldn't have been shocking to anybody who’s been paying attention. The Mets were one of baseball’s best teams in the second half of the season. The Phillies were 33-34 after the middle of July.

“I don’t feel like we were playing like ourselves the last couple weeks,” Turner said. “I don’t have an answer for why. If I did, we probably would have fixed it. Sometimes things don’t click. You can look in the mirror. You can ask a million questions. I know we’re all going to do some version of that. Try to figure it out. But it’s hard to find an answer.”

Now there will be organizational meetings. The general manager’s meetings will be next month. The winter meetings the month after that. Decisions – tough decisions – will have to be made.

The person ultimately responsible for finding the answers is president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. He didn’t speak to the media in the somber postgame clubhouse, but an informal survey of the room thought running it back with the same group was a splendid idea.

“I would hope (they keep the core group together),” Turner said. “I think we’ve got the right guys in here. Teams I’ve been on in the past that have won consistently have most of the team coming back. I think you’ve seen that here the last two or three years. Some guys will come and go or whatnot, but I think we have what it takes in here and we have to find a way to get it done next year.”

Even though the Phillies have exited the playoffs a little earlier each of the past two years, Thomson insisted he doesn’t think that’s a trend. “I don’t see us going backwards, no,” he said, adding that he thinks the talent is on hand to make a deep run in 2025.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Absolutely. There were times during the ebbs and flows of the season where you get into a rut. It happens in the postseason, too. But that doesn’t mean things won’t change next year.”

The reality, though, is that the Phillies made unusually few changes coming into this year and took another step backward. That’s a baseball issue but there’s a perception problem, too. You know the old, overused line that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Still, the players are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best.

“It’s tough to lose a game like that,” said reliever Carlos Estevez, who gave up the grand slam to Francisco Lindor that sunk the Phillies after Jeff Hoffman had loaded the bases. “But, at the same time, I know this is a really good group. It’s not the last time they’re going to be in the playoffs.”

There’s no guarantee Estevez will be back, though. He’ll be a free agent this winter.

Said third baseman Alec Bohm: “Winning a championship is the hardest thing in sports. It’s never going to be easy. Things didn’t bounce our way this time. But we have a little extra time now in the offseason to clear our heads and then come back and try to do it again.

“I definitely think we’re all tough enough to get back on the horse and come back and get back to where we want to be.”

Now the ball’s in Dombrowski’s court.