MLB-best Phillies off to best 50-game start in franchise history - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Rob Thomson watched Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto hit solo homers and Edmundo Sosa hit a three-run shot to lead the Philadelphia Phillies past the Texas Rangers 11-4 on Wednesday night in a game that gave them the best 50-game start in baseball since Seattle in 2001 and came away with one question about the Mariners.

«What'd they do?» Thomson asked.

The third-year Phillies manager asked the rhetorical question because he knew exactly the fate of those Mariners who started 38-12 and went on to tie an MLB record with 116 wins.

The Mariners failed to win the World Series.

«That's right,» Thomson said. «So you've got to keep going. You've got to keep grinding, keep pushing all the way through.»

Realmuto extended his hitting streak to 12 games and added three RBIs and Alec Bohm hit a two-RBI double in the sixth inning that made it 10-3 and gave him an NL-best 46 RBIs.

Already boasting the best record in baseball, the Phillies are 36-14 — the best start over 50 games in franchise history, and they are just the 26th team in National League history to win at least 36 games over the first 50 played. The 1998 Braves were the last to get off to such a fast start.

The Phillies had never been better than 35-15 (1993, 1976) through their first 50 games over the course of franchise history that dates to 1883.

The Phillies won their fifth straight game, 17 of 20 overall and are 21-8 at home — and winners of 17 of 19 at Citizens Bank Park.

«We know that in any situation we're put in, we can come through it,» Realmuto said. «We have a chance to win every game no matter where we're at. If we're down late, we have confidence in ourselves. I think that just speaks to the culture that we've built here.»

Matt Strahm (3-0)