The Phillies’ August was a month for the ages. Sporting a 21-7 record across 28 games played, they swept four series in a month for the first time since 1991. They won 20 games in a month for only the fifth time this century, and with Monday’s 2-1 defeat of the Diamondbacks reached 21 wins in a month for only the second time this century.
This surge was led by starting pitchers Jesús Luzardo (1.31 ERA in 34 1/3 innings) and Cristopher Sánchez (1.72 ERA in 36 2/3 innings), alongside a pesky offense that for the month paired MLB’s highest walk rate (11.2%) with its lowest strikeout rate (15.9%).
The Phillies will look to end the regular season with a similarly strong September. But before then, it’s worth comparing this August to their other best months in recent years, to highlight just how rare a run of this caliber is.
May 2001 (20-8)
Under new manager Larry Bowa, the 2001 Phillies began their season with a solid April. But they really took off in May, going 20-8 to give the team a 34-18 record by month’s end. They received production up and down the lineup that month, with Pat Burrell and Scott Rolen each hitting over .320 while Travis Lee and Bobby Abreu both walked more than they struck out. Center fielder Doug Glanville hit seven of his 59 career home runs in May 2001 alone.
On the pitching side of things, the Phillies were led by left-handed starter Randy Wolf, who posted a 1.53 ERA across five starts. The rotation also received quality contributions in May from right-hander Robert Person and lefty Omar Daal. Closer José Mesa saved 10 games, blowing just one opportunity in a game the Phillies later won.
Although the scorching start gave them an eight-game division lead against the underperforming Braves at the beginning of June, the Phillies could not maintain their early advantage. They remained locked in a close NL East race into October, but ultimately fell two games short of ending Atlanta’s division title streak. Nevertheless, the 2001 Phillies’ 86-76 record gave them their first winning season since 1993, and gave fans a taste of better things to come later in the decade.
July 2009 (20-7)
The reigning world champion Phillies got off to a lukewarm start in 2009. After a good April and May, they lost nine of 10 in a late June slump, entering the following month 39-35 on the season. Philadelphia dropped their first two July contests as well, but then turned on a dime to win 20 of their next 25 games.
The team’s two high-leverage relievers – Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson – each posted ERAs over five in July, but it didn’t seem to matter. Joe Blanton was the Phillies’ best starting pitcher, putting up a 1.21 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, while J.A. Happ and Jamie Moyer provided additional stability. In the bullpen, Chan Ho Park pitched to a 0.67 ERA in 13 1/3 innings, helping to offset the struggles of Lidge and Madson.
But it was the offense that powered this hot stretch. In July, six of the Phillies’ eight starting position players hit for an OPS of .884 or higher. Jayson Werth hit seven home runs, while Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each hit six. On the basepaths, Jimmy Rollins stole 11 bags.
The highlight of the month was a 10-game winning streak from July 8-21, interrupted briefly by the All-Star break. These ten victories included three walk-off wins and two extra inning games of at least 12 innings.
The team’s final win of the month came on July 31, courtesy of a complete game effort by the Phillies’ main trade deadline addition, acquired just two days earlier – starting pitcher Cliff Lee.
May 2024 (20-7)
Through 50 games, the 2024 Phillies were off to their hottest start in franchise history. Their May was a large part of the reason why.
The Phillies entered the month with a 20-11 record, already 12-3 in their last 15 games. They then somehow got even hotter, going 17-3 through their first 20 games of May. In total, this 29-6 stretch tied the 1892 Phillies for the best 35-game span in team history.
This team was firing on all cylinders, beginning with a rotation that sported four starters pitching like aces. Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Aaron Nola combined for a 13-2 record in May, with each starter posting an ERA between 2.03 and 2.84 for the month while pitching at least 31 innings. The bullpen was just as automatic, if not more so, with five different relievers throwing at least 10 innings with an ERA of 2.13 or lower. This includes Jeff Hoffman’s ERA of 0.84 for the month, as well as Matt Strahm’s perfect 0.00 ERA across 12 innings.
The offense also had its best month of the season, with impressive stretches by Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto. Trea Turner suffered a hamstring strain on May 3 and missed the rest of the month, but Edmundo Sosa slotted in and seamlessly replaced his production, hitting .306/.375/.597 in May as he made regular starts at shortstop.
The Phillies might not have been able to sustain this level of performance in the second half and postseason. But for a while, they were the dictionary definition of a complete team.
September 2010 (21-6)
Before August 2026, the Phillies had won more than 20 games in a month only once this century, and it came towards the end of a 97-win season.
Philadelphia entered September 2010 with a 74-58 record for the season, locked in a tight division race with the Braves. Three games back of first on Sept. 1, they needed to play almost perfect baseball to catch Atlanta. And they did.
After struggling with offensive inconsistency all season, the Phillies lineup put it all together in September, becoming baseball’s best-hitting team in the season’s final weeks. Five everyday starters posted an OPS of .920 or higher for the month, with additional contributions from role players and bench pieces like Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez, Brian Schneider and Ross Gload.
The pitching staff was similarly dominant. Trade deadline addition Roy Oswalt pitched to a 1.12 ERA across 40 1/3 September innings, while Cole Hamels posted a 1.93 ERA across 32 2/3 innings. Roy Halladay had his worst month of the season, meanwhile, going 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA and only one complete game shutout. At the back of the bullpen, Ryan Madson put up a 1.26 ERA across 16 games, and Brad Lidge was perfect as closer, going nine for nine in saves with a 0.79 ERA.
From September 12-24, the Phillies won 11 games in a row, which remains their longest winning streak of the 21st century. The highlight of this stretch took the form of a midweek series from September 20-22. Up three games in the division, the Phillies welcomed the Braves to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series, with Hamels, Halladay and Oswalt lined up to start. The three aces proceeded to shut down Atlanta hitters three consecutive nights, sweeping the Braves in a late-season series that effectively clinched the Phillies’ fourth consecutive division title.
