Braves-Phillies rivalry revived

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Braves and Phillies have rejuvenated their rivalry to the point it’s perhaps the best in the National League. That isn’t changing in 2024.

Despite the Braves running away with the NL East the past two years — and winning it six consecutive seasons overall — the Phillies have eliminated the Braves in the past two NL Division Series.

“I think I consider it more of a respectful rivalry,” Phillies starter Aaron Nola said. “Whereas us with the Mets is kind of a different rivalry. I think respected rivalry between us and the Braves. I feel like it’s definitely (heightened) just being matched up against each other during the NLDS the past couple years. But it’s all fun.”

Braves starter Max Fried concurred: “I’d say (Nola’s comment) is a fair characterization. It’s two teams that are very familiar with each other. There are no secrets. … When you’re in the same division, there’s not much to conceal or hide. They’re going to bring their best every time. It’s just a bunch of heavyweights duking it out. They have some great players who play hard, and it’s always fun going against them.”

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler: “It’s always a tough matchup, starting-pitching wise, against that lineup. You have to keep them guessing. We’ve just gotten the better of them in the playoffs the past couple years. So hopefully we can do it again this year if we end up matching up against each other.”

Both teams are loaded with All-Stars, so they share the same expectation: We should win the World Series. That aspiration begins with winning the division, which the Phillies haven’t achieved since 2011.

Despite the postseason results, the Braves have

finished 14 games ahead of the Phillies in each of the past two seasons. The Braves are one division title from being halfway to their record 14 consecutive division crowns (1991-2005).

“I feel like we’ve started slow, and they haven’t,” Phillies shortstop Bryson Stott said. “You start slow — last year I think we lost the first (four) games. You look up a month into the season and you’re seven games back already. I think it comes down to your start. And when you play them, you want to make sure you get those games.”

On June 1 last season, the Braves led the Phillies by eight games. A year earlier on that day, the Phillies were 12.5 games back.

“It’d be nice to start off a little hotter, that’d be a big key,” Nola said. “It’s a long season, man, anything can happen. But you know with the Braves, they win a lot. We have to — not worry about them, right? — but if we could start off pretty quickly, I think we could have a good chance. That’s our goal every year, to win the division. It’s been awhile since we have won one. That’s the first goal before getting into the playoffs again. We’re definitely looking forward to it. We’ve got pretty much the same team as last year and the year before. We all believe we can do something special.”

The NL East has put three teams into the postseason each of the last two seasons (since the postseason expanded). The Mets joined the Braves and Phillies in 2022; the Marlins qualified in 2023.

After flopping last season, the Mets have taken a step back, committing to a longterm approach. They could surprise as a wild-card candidate, though that isn’t the expectation. The Marlins have had a disappointing offseason in which they haven’t bolstered their offense. They vastly overachieved in 2023, making the postseason despite a negative run differential, and are an obvious regression candidate. The Nationals are still rebuilding.

So perhaps the division isn’t as formidable this year, but it won’t be because of the top-two clubs. The other three aren’t total pushovers, either.

“I think the NL East has a good rep now as one of the best divisions in baseball,” Nola said. “I think it’s just the players and the strides the organizations have made. Just from me seeing it in this organization, we’ve brought good players in to pretty much change the team. Year after year, keep adding players. Former AllStars who’ve been in playoff situations, experienced it, won World Series. It helps a lot.

“But I think a really big part, of our team especially, is the chemistry. We just have a lot of good guys and I think that plays a big part. I think it gets overlooked sometimes nowadays, but I think other teams that are good, especially in the NL East, have that chemistry and camaraderie amongst themselves to propel them to the end.”

The Braves haven’t responded well to the Phillies’ punches the past two Octobers. In the most recent ousting, an unnecessary headline played a role. A Fox Sports story shared that Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia yelled “atta boy, Harper” in the clubhouse following his team’s victory in Game 2, when Harper was doubled up to end the game.

It started a debate about what should and shouldn’t be shared by media in the clubhouse. Some, including Braves players and fans, were outraged it became a story at all. But the Phillies used it as a rallying cry of sorts. And Harper, of course, was phenomenal as the Phillies won twice to finish the series.

“You never want someone mocking your guys,” Stott said. “But it’s whatever. It’s Bryce Harper, he’s one of the best players to ever play. He’s one of the best hitters in the league. And if that fueled him, what do you do? You see Arcia’s side. He’s in the clubhouse. But as major-league players, in any sport, you know when the media is in the room. If you slip up and say something, it’s your guys’ (the media’s) time to be in the locker room, so I don’t think he meant anything by it or said it in a jerk way. I think he was hyped up after the win and that’s sports, you’re going to have your banter here and there. It’s nothing (Harper) has never heard.”

Braves third baseman Austin Riley:

“For me, as I’ve thought about it during the offseason, the thing that Arcia said (about Harper), they used it to their advantage. It wasn’t anything serious, to me, that got blown up. The way I look at it: The way the last two postseasons have gone, you can either sulk over it or try to learn and get better from it. I’m going to try to do everything in my power to be there for my teammates and be as prepared as possible. And hopefully, we’re in a spot come October again, and we can change the page.”

Despite the headlines of the 2023 NLDS, the Braves and Phillies maintain their rivalry is one forged in mutual respect. The teams speak highly of each other and know a third consecutive postseason meeting is plausible.

“Obviously when we’re in between the lines, I want to beat them bad,” Riley said. “But there are some really good guys on the bases, I talk to them. I’d totally agree with (Nola). It’s a respectful rivalry.”