Phillies 2025 magic number tracker, playoff scenario explainer
Last updated on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m.
Red October is just around the corner.
The Philadelphia Phillies are virtually a lock to make the postseason for a fourth consecutive season. Who they will play, when they will start and how many home games they could potentially have is still to be determined.
The Phillies’ lead over the New York Mets for the National League East is now at 8 games with 18 to play.
The division isn’t the only thing the Phillies are playing for in the September stretch run. They have a 4-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-best record among division leaders in the National League. Finishing with the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs gives the Phillies a first-round bye to the National League Division Series and home field advantage in the best-of-five series.
The Phillies could still catch the Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 1 seed in the NL. Philadelphia is 4.5-games behind Milwaukee for the NL’s top seed and home-field advantage through the National League Championship Series. The team with the highest regular-season winning percentage has home-field advantage in the World Series.
Remaining Schedule
- 3 vs. NYM
- 3 vs. KC
- 3 at LAD
- 3 at AZ
- 3 vs. MIA
- 3 vs. MIN
NL East Standings
- Phillies (84-60)
- Mets (76-68)
NL Playoff Standings
If the Postseason started today, the Phillies would have home-field advantage in the National League Division Series and play the winner of the Dodgers (3) vs. Mets (6) best-of-three Wild Card Series in Los Angeles. The NLDS begins on Saturday, Oct. 4. There is no reseeding in the MLB postseason.
Relevant Phillies Tiebreakers
The first tiebreaker in MLB is head-to-head record. The second is intradivision record and the third is interdivision record.
- The Phillies have lost the tiebreaker over the New York Mets.
- The Phillies have a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the tiebreaker. A series win over the Dodgers next week in Los Angeles will give the Phillies the tiebreaker. If the Phillies lose two out of three, the team with the best record within its own division gets the tiebreaker. The Dodgers are 27-13 against NL West opponents with 12 games left. The Phillies are 26-20 against NL East opponents with six games left.
- The Phillies have lost the tiebreaker over the Milwaukee Brewers.
- The tiebreaker against the San Diego Padres will be determined by record within the division. The Padres are 26-19 against NL West opponents with seven games left.
- The Phillies have won the tiebreaker over the Chicago Cubs.
- The Phillies have lost the tiebreaker over the San Francisco Giants.
- The tiebreaker against the Cincinnati Reds will be determined by record within the division. The Reds are 17-22 against NL Central opponents with 13 games left.
Other Relevant National League Tiebreakers
- The Dodgers have won the tiebreaker over the Padres.
- The Mets have the tiebreaker over the Giants, but not the Reds. The Mets currently trail the Padres 0-3 in the season series. The two teams play three more games next week at Citi Field. The Mets also have a 2-1 lead over the Cubs in the season series. The two teams play three more during the final week of the season at Wrigley Field.
Magic Numbers
- The Phillies’ magic number to clinch a postseason berth is 8
- The Phillies’ magic number to guarantee a home playoff game is 11
- The Phillies’ magic number to clinch the NL East is 11
- The Phillies’ magic number to clinch a bye to the Division Series is 15
The earliest possible Phillies NL East clinch date is Sunday, Sept. 14 vs. the Kansas City Royals.