MLB Playoff Picture 2024: Phillies win NL East; updated bracket, standings | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

The Philadelphia Phillies are NL East champions for the first time in more than a decade.

The Phillies won the division on Monday with a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs, which puts them at the top of the NL East for the first time since 2011.

That last division win came during a streak of five NL East titles from 2007 through 2011, culminating in the Phillies’ 2008 World Series victory, followed by a decade without a postseason appearance.

Now the Phillies aren’t just back in the postseason. They’re looking to compete for the third title in franchise history.

Here’s how the playoffs will look now that the Phillies have secured their spot atop the division.

Expected American League Playoff Games

• First Round Bye: No. 1 New York Yankees, No. 2 Cleveland Guardians
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Detroit Tigers, No. 4Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Kansas City Royals

Expected National League Playoff Games

• First Round Bye: No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers, No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies
• Wild Card Series: No. 3Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks, No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 New York Mets

The Phillies earned a first-round bye and a trip to the NLDS thanks to their dominant regular season.

The stakes are even higher for the remainder of the regular season. The Phillies could secure home-field advantage for the entire postseason if they can beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in MLB.

1. New York Yankees (92-64)*
2. Baltimore Orioles (86-70, 6GB)
3. Boston Red Sox (78-78, 14 GB)
4. Tampa Bay Rays (78-78, 14 GB)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (73-83, 19GB)

1. Cleveland Guardians (90-67)*
2. Kansas City Royals (82-74, 7.5GB)
3. Detroit Tigers (82-74, 7.5 GB)
4. Minnesota Twins (81-75, 8.5 GB)
5. Chicago White Sox (36-120, 53.5GB)

1. Houston Astros (85-71)
2. Seattle Mariners (80-76, 5GB)
3. Texas Rangers (74-82, 11 GB)
4. Oakland Athletics (67-89, 18GB)
5. Los Angeles Angels (63-93, 22GB)

1. Baltimore Orioles (86-70, +4 games)
2. Kansas City Royals (82-74)
3. Detroit Tigers (82-74)
4. Minnesota Twins (81-75, 1 GB)
5. Seattle Mariners (80-76, 2 GB)
6. Tampa Bay Rays (78-78, 4 GB)
7. Boston Red Sox (78-78, 4 GB)

1. Philadelphia Phillies (93-64)**
2. New York Mets (87-69, 5.5 GB)
3. Atlanta Braves (85-71, 7.5GB)
4. Washington Nationals (69-87, 23.5 GB)
5. Miami Marlins (57-99, 35.5GB)

1. Milwaukee Brewers (89-67)**
2. Chicago Cubs (80-77, 9.5 GB)
3. St. Louis Cardinals (79-77, 10 GB)
4. Cincinnati Reds, (76-81, 13.5 GB)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (73-83, 16 GB)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63)*
2. San Diego Padres (90-66, 3GB)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (87-69, 6GB)
4. San Francisco Giants (77-79, 16GB)
5. Colorado Rockies (60-96, 33 GB)

1. San Diego Padres (90-66, +3 games)
2. New York Mets (87-69)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (87-69)
4. Atlanta Braves (85-71, 2 GB)

*Indicates that the play-off spot has been achieved

**Indicates a closed division

The Phillies’ last two playoff appearances ended in disappointment.

Two years ago, Philadelphia reached the World Series for the first time since 2009. They led 1-0 and 2-1 against the Houston Astros, but then lost in six games.

The Phillies then moved one win away from another trip to the World Series after taking a 3-2 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NL Championship Series, only to lose Games 6 and 7 to the NL West Wild Card team.

To return to the World Series this fall, the Phillies may have to face another NL East opponent in the NL Division Series. The Atlanta Braves, who ousted the Phillies from both the 2022 and 2023 NLDS, will battle the New York Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the NL.

The Braves are reportedly set to bring Cy Young favorite Chris Sale to the mound, while Francisco Lindor’s slugger is a candidate for the NL MVP award on behalf of the Mets.

The Phillies hope to face both potential division opponents with one of the best starting rotations in MLB.

Zack Wheeler is expected to start in Game 1 of the postseason after posting an NL-best 0.96 WHIP in 31 starts this season. Cristopher Sánchez will benefit from home-field advantage after finishing third in the NL with a 2.05 ERA at home.

Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez complete the NL’s strongest rotation entering the postseason, though both will need to recover before the postseason. Nola posted his highest ERA of the season in September, while Suárez has struggled for consistency since returning from the IL in late August.

The Phillies’ pitching has often been more reliable than the team’s offense, which threatened to undermine the team’s hopes of a division title as scoring stagnated in the early stages of the season.

After last year’s World Series hopes were dashed when the Phillies scored a combined three runs in the final two games of their loss to the Diamondbacks, Philadelphia will need a consistent offense featuring hitters like Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper to advance this postseason.

The Phillies’ focus will now be on securing the best record in MLB and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. If the team can generate consistent pitching and build offensive momentum during this final stretch, the Phillies could enter the postseason as favorites for the team’s third consecutive trip to the NLCS.