The Philadelphia Phillies are inching ever so closely to clinching a spot in the 2026 MLB postseason. On Thursday, they grabbed a 3-0 win over the New York Mets on the road, giving them a five-game cushion over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card picture. With nine games to go, this should be a safe enough cushion for them to soldier on and play October baseball, provided, of course, that they do not meltdown in the final week or so of the regular season.

At the very least, Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper is already focusing on the task ahead as Philly comes to within a few more victories of clinching a postseason spot. But he is not getting ahead of himself. In fact, Harper is already calling the final few games of the regular season “postseason baseball”, as the Phillies look to avoid a disastrous collapse at all costs.

“This is postseason baseball for us right now. We’re fighting for that number one spot in the Wild Card,” Harper told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports after the Phillies' Thursday night win over the Mets.

“This is Postseason baseball for us right now. We’re fighting for that number 1 spot in the Wild Card”

Bryce Harper spoke with @Ken_Rosenthal after the Phillies 3-0 win over the Mets pic.twitter.com/ztn4kG1iF4

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 18, 2026

Article Continues Below

With an 85-68 record following tonight's victory, the Phillies are tied with the Cubs in the win-loss column. Alas, the Cubs won the season series, 6-1, so Philly will need to finish with a better record than Chicago to earn the number one spot in the Wild Card. Moreover, the San Diego Padres, at 84-69, are hot on both teams' tail.

The NL East title is also within striking distance for the Phillies. The Atlanta Braves are only leading them by four games, although Philly also needs to finish with a better record than them if they were to win the division crown (by virtue of the Braves winning the season series. 9-4).

But at the end of the day, getting to October is the goal for Philly. After all, earning a bye to the NLDS hasn't done them any good these past few seasons anyway. Fighting through the Wild Card set them up for success in 2022 and 2023, and perhaps they'll recapture that same magic this year.