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Fifth time a charm? John Middleton believes in ‘MLB's best pitching staff'
For the fifth straight year, the Phillies are heading to the postseason!
John Middleton was a nine-year-old kid sitting with his dad in the upper deck at Connie Mack Stadium on September 21, 1964 when Chico Ruiz of the Cincinnati Reds stole home. The moment remains painfully seared in the minds of Phillies fans of a certain era because it started the infamous 10-game losing streak that resulted in the team blowing a 6 ½ game lead with 12 to play, denying it a spot in the World Series.
All these years later, Middleton was in the owner’s box at Citizens Bank Park as the final days of the 2026 regular season ticked down. His Phillies owned a four-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot in the National League with five to play. No team in major league history had blown such a lead.
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Phillies put tumultuous week behind them to punch playoff ticket
They popped champagne and beer bottles, smoked cigars and blared music in the home clubhouse on Sunday evening at Citizens Bank Park. It felt cathartic. It represented a fresh start. Last week, the Phillies had a four-game lead over Arizona for the final NL Wild Card spot with five games to play, and no team since postseason play began in 1903 had blown a lead like that.
But the Phillies stumbled. They lost four in a row, while Arizona won four in a row. Suddenly, the Phils needed to beat the Rays on the final day of the 162-game season to punch their ticket to the postseason and avoid being immortalized alongside the 1964 Phillies, who infamously blew a 6 1/2-game lead with 12 to play to lose the NL pennant to St. Louis.
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