The Phillies aren't playing real baseball games this week. They earned a break.

Thanks to their 96-66 record, the second best in the National League, they receive a direct bye past the Wild Card round and into the NLDS, which will kick off Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

Last year they had a bye, too. And they were victims of their own success.

"It's an advantage if you win the first series and disadvantage if you don't," Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski told media members prior to a full team workout Tuesday afternoon.

It's impossible to say whether their four-game NLDS loss to the Mets after having this same week off was why they had an early exit in 2024. But it definitely played a role.

In the two postseasons prior, the Phillies had much deeper runs making the playoffs as a Wild Card t

See Full Page