Three reasons why the Phillies are the best team in baseball

By the numbers, the Phillies are clearly the best team in Major League Baseball. They have the most wins (36) and the highest run differential (+90). They're the only team with fewer than 17 losses, and one of just two teams with 20 or more home wins.

At 36-14, this is the best 50-game start in franchise history, and the best in MLB since the 2001 Mariners opened 38-12. Like that historic Seattle club, Philadelphia is currently on a 116-win pace.

The sizzling-hot beginning to the season is new for a Phillies fan base that is used to slow starts. Even in the past couple of seasons, when the Phillies advanced deep into the postseason, they chased the Atlanta Braves for the division lead for the entirety of the year. But this season, they took hold of first place in the National League East on May 3 and have proceeded to build the majors' second-biggest division lead.

Phillies fans haven't seen a season start nearly this well since 1976. They set a franchise record with 19 wins last month, surpassing the 102-win club from 2011 that won 18 games in April.

Let's examine the three key reasons why the Phillies are the best team in baseball, and what that tells us about their chances of returning to the Fall Classic after falling a win short last year.

1. They've been locked in for seven straight weeks

Baseball, more than any other sport, requires extreme focus. The season is long. The games are long. Outfielders can go an hour without making even a single play, only to suddenly be required to be twitchy on their feet and make a spectacular jumping or diving catch. Pitchers sometimes sit idle for 45 minutes on the bench in between innings. If you get easily distracted, or even absent-minded, baseball is not for you.

This