ATLANTA – Zack Wheeler emerged from a back door in the visiting bullpen at Truist Park with his full uniform on, getting ready to throw. It was already too late. Aaron Nola could not find the strike zone. With two runners on and Nola down in the count 2-0 to Michael Harris II in the first inning, J.T. Realmuto walked to the mound to give his pitcher a breather.
Needing a strike, Nola threw a low changeup. Harris put the barrel on it for a three-run home run. What should have been ball three became a three-run home run and an early deficit. The Atlanta crowd, angsty at the thought of losing another postseason series to the Phillies, exploded.
The 6-2 final score of Game 3 suggests the Phillies had a chance until the very end. It was a slow burn, with hope slowly dissipating instead of evaporating all at once in a devastating blow. A change of pace, but the same result.
As Otto Kemp swung through a Chris Sale slider to end the season, a few Phillies lingered in the dugout to take in the final moments of a trying season. Justin Crawford, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner stood together, leaning on the railing as the Braves celebrated the series-clinching win. Marsh hugged the rookie Crawford. Derek Hill stood at the top step with his helmet still on and bat in hand.
Inside the locker room, players packed to catch a midnight bus to the airport. Soon-to-be free agents went around the room and said their goodbyes. Bryce Harper, dressed and his belongings ready to go, sat tucked into his empty locker. He surveyed the room.
The Phillies were getting on a plane after the game no matter what, final destination to be determined. They did not play well enough to fly west for another shot at the Dodgers in the NLDS. They will head back to Philadelphia, pack up and head their separate ways for an undetermined amount of time. The lockout following the expiration of the CBA will almost certainly delay the start of spring training, and potentially the beginning of the regular season.
There’s never a good time to shut down an entire sport over money. But maybe now is the time to get away from the Phillies, and not come back for a long while.
The season will end in October for a fourth straight year with no championship. The 2022 team, the one that caught fire, stayed hot until November and ignited a period of memorable baseball, left the visiting locker room in Houston on the last night proud of all they had accomplished. What could have been a somber moment, losing a World Series, felt uplifting.
The Phillies have fallen further and further away from the ultimate goal since that magical run. Same ending, different story.
Needing just one more win to clinch a second pennant in as many years, the Phillies failed to put the Diamondbacks away at home in 2023. The pain felt in the home clubhouse that night still lingers.
The 2024 team steamrolled through their schedule early, but stumbled through the summer. They were outclassed by their biggest rivals in the National League Division Series.
The 96-win 2025 Phillies entered the postseason with a lot of mojo, but couldn’t keep up in a heavyweight fight against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers. The ending, a walk-off error on a ground ball to Orion Kerkering, was nearly as stunning and painful as the Game 7 defeat in the 2023 NLCS.
The 2026 Phillies had their moments, but they were maddening. They dug an early hole, got out of it on the backs of incredible starting pitching and never quite reached their potential. The lineup, top five or ten in most categories since 2022, struggled in every month except one. They entered the playoffs with three – maybe four – trustworthy relievers. Almost nothing about this season made sense. They died on the first day of October.
Don Mattingly, who won 24 more games than he lost as interim manager, will likely leave his post to make room for Dave Dombrowski’s hand-picked manager: Alex Cora. Change is coming, but the man most responsible for every dollar and every big decision the franchise makes isn’t going anywhere.
A transformative offseason for the sport and the Phillies is looming. Maybe it’s best that everyone takes a long break. The Phillies – and those who choose to live and breathe with every pitch – need one. You’ll eventually miss them, but not now. Maybe not for a long time.
GeoProf
October 2, 2026 at 5:40 am
In the consistent manner in which the Phils played in September and for stretches in other parts of the season, they have finally died and ended our misery.
Next season, I do NOT want to see
— Turner at shortstop
— Harper and Schwarber batting back-to-back
— Crawford
Actually, the list goes on and on
Dave
October 2, 2026 at 11:19 am
I’m trying to find a silver lining. At least the Phillies starting pitchers don’t have to throw any more pitches in 2026 and can rest up for next year. Also, the Phillies don’t have to pay Castellanos anymore.
Doug D.
October 3, 2026 at 9:49 am
This team needs, among other things:
(1) A different approach at the plate. “Let the ball travel.” “Look away and react in.” “Low fastballs and high curveballs…not the other way around.” Just go back to August, where OBP shot through the roof, chase rate went way down, guys were taking their walks, and some actually were “directors, not producers” by using that big infield hole on the non-pull side of the diamond, i.e., hit ’em where they ain’t. Trea and JT are two guys who should look to “go the other way” all the time, as that is when they are at their best. And Marsh’s troubles re-surfaced because, as an All-star, he fell into that “pull the fastball” mindset that so many of others suffer from, causing him to be way too early on anything off-speed. He needs to just go back to hitting the ball where it’s pitched.
(2) More aggressive with stealing bases. With their speed, there’s absolutely no reason why Trea and Bryson shouldn’t have 40 stolen bases every season. Crawford certainly has that same potential moving forward, but when he gets on base from the 9-hole, there is that resistance to run for fear of getting thrown out while Schwarber is hitting. Screw that! Steal 2nd and allow Schwarber or Harper to score you with a single. Same goes for Trea whenever he gets on base.
(3) Learn how to operate a rundown. This is Little League 101: When you get a runner stranded, the eventual goal is to tag him out as he’s running back to the previous base, so that any trailing runners are not able to advance. But nooooooooo! Nearly every rundown put on by the Phils this season ended with the runner being tagged moving forwards, usually with the trail runners taking the extra base.
Tom Dockery
October 6, 2026 at 12:56 am
Misery loves company dept:If you thought that the Phillies had trouble hitting in the Wild Card series,the 3-7 hitters for the Yankees in the Division series have gone a hard to believe 0 for 33 in the first two games.