Phillies Celebrate NL East Title But Want More: 'We’ve got a bigger picture'

LOS ANGELES - Delayed by mechanical issues with their plane, the Phillies landed in Los Angeles around 2 a.m. Monday morning. They clinched a playoff spot while en route, but they wanted to save the revelry for whenever they clinched the division. 

They didn’t have to wait long. 

Twenty hours later, Phillies players were downing champagne and absorbing a concoction of Miller Lite and Budweiser through a beer funnel as cigar smoke and the sounds of Kendrick Lamar filled the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. 

They exhibited no adverse effects from the late arrival while answering every punch from the reigning champions in a back-and-forth extra-inning victory that made them the National League East champions for the second straight year, a 90-win team for the third straight year and the first team to clinch their division this season. 

"You’ve got to enjoy this," said Kyle Schwarber, who started the scoring in Monday's 6-5 win with his National League-leading 53rd home run of the year. "This doesn’t happen all the time."

Phillies fans know. 

In 2022, the Phillies finished third in the NL East before making a dazzling run to the World Series. A year later, as the runner-up in the division, they made it to the NLCS before falling short of their goal. Last year, they captured the division for the first time in 12 years, only to win just one game in the NLDS. 

This year, in what could be the last hurrah with the nucleus of standouts who’ve helped them reach the postseason four straight seasons, the urgency seemed to kick up a notch. Sept. 15 is the earliest in a season they’ve claimed a division title in franchise history — two days sooner than the 2011 club. 

"We’re a really good team," said Bryce Harper, who launched a