The race for the National League East isn’t over. But it’s almost over: per FanGraphs, the Phillies have a 99.4% chance to capture the divisional crown. Unlikelier things than a 0.6% chance of missing out on the divisional title coming through have happened (just ask the Dodgers and their 99.5% chance of beating the Orioles last Saturday night). And the Phillies have (again per FanGraphs) a 77.9% chance of securing a bye. Much is still left to be settled. But still, we can at least pencil in our
hopes for who we’d like to see in the playoffs.
Perhaps you want the Mets, to extract some vengeance for last year’s exit. Perhaps you really don’t want them, so as to avoid more Citi Field nightmares. What about the Giants, making a late surge? The Phillies don’t always play well at Oracle Park, but their presence would mean the Mets choked— and that would certainly bring some joy. There’s also the Dodgers, although it’s admittedly hard to make an argument for why anyone would want to see them as the foe. Maybe you want revenge for the 1977 and 1978 NLCSs, and 1983, 2008, and 2009 weren’t enough?
So: who do you want to see as the Phillies’ first playoff foe?
