The Philadelphia Phillies secured their playoff position for the third year in a row with a commanding 12-2 victory over the Mets in New York on Friday night.

Alec Bohm, the All-Star third baseman, shone in the game, contributing four hits and driving in four runs. The Phillies took control of the match with six runs in the fourth inning and maintained their lead for the remainder of the game.

Looking ahead, the Phillies (92-62) aim higher, pursuing their first NL East title since 2011. This milestone could be achieved as early as Saturday if they beat the Mets again; otherwise, they have the chance to clinch it on Sunday.

In the previous two seasons, the Phillies reached the playoffs as one of the wild card teams.

During the 2022 season, the Phillies made it to the World Series but lost to the Houston Astros in six games. In 2023, they were eliminated in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series by the Arizona Diamondbacks, losing both Game 6 and Game 7 in their home stadium, Citizens Bank Park.

The team hopes to win their first World Series title since 2008 and only the third in their 141-year history.

When does the MLB postseason begin?

The regular season wraps up on Sunday, September 29, with the Wild Card Series for both leagues set to kick off on Tuesday, October 1, and run through Thursday, October 3, if necessary.

The opening games of all four Division Series will start on Saturday, October 5. If needed, potential Game 5s could occur on Friday, October 11, in the NL and Saturday, October 12, in the AL.

Who could the Phillies face in the playoffs?

The Phillies are hoping to achieve the best record in the league, which would secure them home-field advantage throughout the postseason, including the World Series.

If the Phillies finish with either the best or second-best record in the National League, they will earn a bye in the best-of-3 Wild Card Series. As the No. 1 seed, they’ll face the NL team with the lowest record in the best-of-5 NL Division Series starting on October 5.

If the playoffs began today, both the Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers would have byes. The Mets would be positioned as the No. 6 seed facing the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers, who are the No. 3 seed. The other two wild card teams, No. 4 San Diego Padres and No. 5 Arizona Diamondbacks, would be pitted against each other.

What other critical numbers remain for the Phillies?

• The magic number to secure the NL East title is 2. The primary competitors in this scenario are the New York Mets. The Phillies will clinch their first NL East title since 2011 with one more win over the Mets, who will host the teams on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. and Sunday at 7:10 p.m.
• The magic number to achieve the best record in the National League is 9. In this situation, the team to watch is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were in action against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. The Dodgers (91-62) are tied with the Phillies in the race for the best record. However, the Phillies hold the playoff tiebreaker, having won the season series 5-1 against the Dodgers.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl, on Threads and Instagram @martinfrank1.