Phillies clinch NL East, their 1st division title since 2011 - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner shouted for his booze-soaked Philadelphia Phillies teammates to clear a path — the clouds of smoke formed from puffs of his celebratory cigar certainly opened a hole — as he rode into the clubhouse on a platform truck also stacked with cases of beer.

Hoodie up, googles on, Turner jumped and splashed into the swill of beer and bubbly that sopped the clubhouse floor, the All-Star shortstop ready to crash the bash that had circled him.

The Phillies are used to the party, though this one came with a twist — for the first time in 13 years, they are headed to the postseason as NL East champs.

Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto went deep. Phillies fans went wild. And pitcher Aaron Nola provided a taste of just how great it would feel for the entire franchise if Philly went all the way.

The Phillies won the NL East for the first time since 2011, clinching the division title with a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

«That was our main goal in spring training, to win the division and get that first-round bye,» slugger Bryce Harper said. «Do all the things we can to kind of set us up for the postseason. The division was the first thing.»

The Phillies had rolled tarp pinned above clubhouse locker stalls before the game, a familiar protective sight for the bottle-popping ahead for a team that's made the playoffs each of the past three seasons under manager Rob Thomson.

They went wild moments after Carlos Estevez retired Michael Busch on a flyball to end the game. Phillies players swarmed each other in excitement on the infield. The Phillie Phanatic stormed the celebration waving a 2024 flag as fans stood and filmed it all.

«We know there's a really big picture ahead of us,» Schwarber said