USA TODAY International Edition
Surprising Phillies eye division title
PHOENIX – The music was blaring as the clubhouse filled with fog and strobe lights flashed across the ceiling.
It was just another victory for the Phillies, but this celebration started a little late and lasted a little longer, forcing Philadelphia rookie manager Gabe Kapler to leave his office and become the first visiting manager at Chase Field to hold his news conference in the corridor.
It’s been that kind of season for the Phillies, the biggest surprise among first-place teams.
The Phillies, at 64-49 going into Wednesday, already are on the verge of matching last year’s victory total of 66 with seven weeks to spare. A year ago, they were in last place and 28 games behind the Nationals. The Phillies haven’t been out of first place since July 4.
They are vying for their first playoff berth in seven years and are virtually guaranteed their first winning season since 2011.
“I knew this team was going to be good, or (have) a chance to be this good,” Phillies veteran starter Jake Arrieta told USA TODAY, stepping around the ice cubes on the floor. “But nobody thought we’d be this good, this fast.
“We’ve got a chance to do something special here, and you’ve got to make guys understand this could be their only opportunity to do something special.”
It was Arrieta and veteran reliever Tommy Hunter’s idea to turn every victory into a disco party this year, just as Arrieta did with the Cubs, winning a World Series title and a Cy Young award and throwing two no-hitters.
He’s the guy nobody wanted five months ago, awash in the sea of free agency, waiting for someone to make the semblance of a fair offer, before signing a three-year, $75 million conST. tract halfway through spring training. Today, he’s the leader of the finest young pitching staff in the National League, with a league-leading 59 quality starts. The quintet of Cy Young candidate Aaron Nola, Arrieta, Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin are yielding a 1.46 ERA in their past eight games.
“Let’s get this straight, nobody wanted me,” said Arrieta, who is 9-6 with a 3.11 ERA. “But now I’m back to being valued. So let’s not forget that. But I’m so glad to be a part of this.
“We hold these guys accountable, and we’re not afraid to let people know that.”
First baseman Carlos Santana, who signed a three-year, $60 million free agent contract in December, swears he wouldn’t have signed unless he envisioned the turnaround.
Center fielder Odubel Herrera, who lost 286 games his first three years with the Phillies, noticed the cultural change in spring training.
Infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, acquired from the Mets last week, saw it from the other side of the field in April. Veteran reliever Pat Neshek, who was with the Phillies last season, departed at the trade deadline and couldn’t wait to sign back.
“It reminded me of 2015 when I signed with the Astros, and everybody kind of laughed at me, saying it was career suicide,” Neshek said.
“I said, ‘No, this is a great, young core. They’re going to get really good.’ I got the same kind of messages this year when I signed.
“My biggest concern was how we would gel, and I didn’t have one clue about Kapler. Well, if we had a different manager, I don’t think we’re in this position today. He let these young guys get comfortable, and once they got the confidence to go along with it, you’re seeing the difference.”
It’s hard to fathom that just four months ago, after the Phillies’ 1-4 start, folks were trying to run Kapler out of town. Today, he’s your leading candidate for NL manager of the year, perhaps joining Larry Bowa in 2001 as the only Phillies manager to win the Baseball Writers’ Association of America honor.
Certainly, it hasn’t been a smooth ride. They’ve had their share of heartbreaks, losing eight walk-offs and losing 13 games when they’ve been tied or had the lead after seven innings. They’ve had only 18 games the entire season in which they’ve won by more than four runs, outscoring the opposition by only 39 runs entering Wednesday.
Yet they pride themselves on their resiliency, managing to recover after those crushing losses, refusing to let the hangover last through the night.
“One of the characteristics of this team is that we know how to take a punch,” Kapler said. “We get knocked down, but we pop right back up. (Expletive) days happen. You don’t get bent out of shape . ...
“These guys know how to stay calm even when a storm is happening around us.”
They find themselves in the eye of the storm now, leading a three-way division race that might be their closest finish since 2007 when they beat the Mets by one game for their first NL East title since 1993.
“We’re not scared,” Santana said. “We are not scared of anybody. Let them be afraid of us.”