Phillies need 1 more win to clinch 1st NL East title since 2011

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Phillies are just one win away from clinching their first NL East title since 2011.

Aaron Nola is expected to be on the mound Monday night to start the three-game homestand vs. the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park.

"Hopefully we get it done because that'll be exciting," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Sunday night after the team's 2-1 loss to the Mets.

Seeking their third World Series championship, the Phillies overtook Atlanta for the division lead on May 3 and haven't trailed since.

Philadelphia (92-64) is on track for a first-round bye in the playoffs. It's the third time the Phillies have reached the postseason three years in a row (1976-78 and 2007-11).

"Not everybody gets the chance to play for the World Series every year, so as much as maybe people in this room feel like this is where we should be, it's still an accomplishment," All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm said Friday night when the team officially clinched a playoff spot.

Philadelphia won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without making the playoffs. A wild-card entry each of the past two postseasons, the Phillies put together consecutive October runs that ended in heartbreak.

They reached the 2022 World Series, losing to Houston in six games, and dropped a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year after leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.

Philadelphia's only World Series championships came in 1980 and 2008.