Getty Image
Despite not having been in legitimate contention since the spring, the New York Mets were, for some reason, on the mind of the Philadelphia Phillies as they were celebrating their National League Divisional Series victory over the Atlanta Braves, another NL East team.
While the Phillies first beat the Miami Marlins, yet another NL East club, in the Wild Card round before beating the Braves in four games in the divisional round, shots at the Mets were being taken admist the shower of beer.
“F— the Bravos, and whoever the f— we play next, and always the Mets,” yelled backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, who has contributed literally nothing to Philadelphia’s postseason run as he hasn’t appeared in a game since October 1, during the Phillies’ postgame celebrations in the locker room
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) October 13, 2023
The Phillies will now go on to play the Arizona Diamondbacks in what will be their second consecutive appearance in the National League Championship Series. The Phillies are currently favored to advance to the World Series over the Diamondbacks with odds of about -190.
In the NLDS, the Phillies were propelled by the long ball as they hit 11 home runs over the course of the series, which was 8 more than the 3 hit by the Braves, who tied the all-time MLB record this season with 307 home runs.
Over in the American League, which will be kicking off the Champions Series round on Sunday night, the Houston Astros — who will be appearing in their seventh straight ALCS — will be taking on the Texas Rangers.
As for the lowly New York Mets, who finished fourth in the NL East despite having the most expensive roster in the history of the sport, they’re facing an offseason in which they’ll be searching for a new general manager and a new manager. There’s also the matter of Pete Alonso, the face of the franchise, entering the final year of his contract.