On August 24th, the Philadelphia Phillies were 9-14; last place in the NL East. A team with one of the best offenses in baseball, an MVP candidate, and two Cy Young candidates were losing game-after-game. The team was struggling largely due to the worst bullpen in baseball. Actually, their bullpen at that moment would have been the worst since 1894, per Jayson Stark.
That night, new Phillies manager Joe Girardi held a team meeting. He was brought in because of his winning pedigree. After the meeting, Phillies slugger and leader, Bryce Harper, said the team needed to win nine of their next 10 games to get back into the playoff race and salvage their season.
Bryce Harper says the Phillies need to win 9 out of 10 to get back in the race. The Phillies have not won 5 games in a row since July 31-Aug 5, 2018. More than 2 years ago.
— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) August 23, 2020
10 games in 11 days later, the Phillies just finished winning nine out of their 10 contests. They are now 18-15 and stand second in their division and in the 5th playoff spot. A team struggling so mightily pulled off several moves to revamp their bullpen. In addition, several struggling players, including Rhys Hoskins, are starting to hit. Meanwhile, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are battling for Cy Young supremacy.
Are the Phillies the hottest team in baseball? Do they scare your team? Let us know your thoughts and if you disagree, who is hotter?
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