Phillies’ division title party is unspoiled by unfinished business. Now, get the first-round bye.

The next one is the one that matters. The Phillies have clinched the division and also little of consequence. Nothing is materially different now than it was at this time last year. Last year, they entered the playoffs needing to win a three-game wild-card series at home to advance to the divisional round. That outcome is still in play this year. The all-important first-round bye is still a couple of wins away. The Phillies have won the division. But they haven’t won anything yet.

None of that seemed to dampen the mood in the Phillies clubhouse after a 6-2 win over the Cubs that clinched their first National League East title since 2011. Nor should it have. They had played 157 games in 179 days spanning three meteorological seasons. They won 93 of those games, more than any Phillies team had won in more than a decade. For the first time all season, they went to bed knowing that no team in their division would finish with a higher win total than theirs. To call a baseball season a marathon is more than an empty metaphor. There is real accomplishment in finishing. They earned the right to celebrate, and celebrate they did.

» READ MORE: Finally, these Phillies have something new to celebrate: Their first NL East title since 2011

The scene in the home clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park was comfortably familiar: Garrett Stubbs wearing a Phillies romper surrounded by 25 grown men dousing him in beer, Brandon Marsh dancing to a remixed country song, Bryson Stott wandering around the smoke and champagne mist in a visored UNLV football helmet.

It was a strange sight, watching a party rage with the next day’s game meaning just as much as this one. That’s not a criticism, just a fact, the inevitable by-product of a world where more playoff teams mean more playoff games and more playoff games mean more television dollars. Major League Baseball knew that expanding its postseason field came with a cost of some anticlimactic moments. Division titles have always meant more in their sport than others. But an unbalanced playoff field means one division title winner wins something a lot less meaningful than the other two. The goal now is to not be that team.

“That’s what we’re shooting for,” said Aaron Nola, who struck out seven while allowing two runs over six innings. “We enjoy tonight, celebrate tonight, but come back tomorrow and keep winning.”

The Phillies have plenty of margin for error. At 93-64, they are 3½ games ahead of the Brewers for the all-important second postseason seed. With five games to play, they need only two Milwaukee losses, or two wins of their own, or one of each. It would take a disastrous confluence of circumstances for things to break wrong.

Yet every day is a new one, especially this time of year. There is considerable benefit in finishing things fast. A hangover loss on Tuesday, an honest one on Wednesday, an off day on Thursday. Suddenly, it is Friday, and Zack Wheeler is preparing to pitch another game that matters. Take care of business before then, and Wheeler and Nola can spend their weekend preparing for Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS.

“It would mean we could shorten them up a little bit and make sure they come out of the regular season healthy,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before Monday’s win over the Cubs. “That would be big. I’d really like to do that.”

The Phillies still have a chance at the top overall seed with the Dodgers currently holding a half-game lead. But the competitive advantage of the No. 1 over the No. 2 seed pales in comparison to that of No. 2 over No. 3.

“I think everyone understands the progression of the goals,” Thomson said. “The next one is to win the division. We can’t get the bye unless we win the division. … The two biggest things for me are winning the division and getting the bye. And then if we get home field throughout, that’s a bonus. But I won’t put players in danger to get that.”

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For one night, at least, all that mattered was the present. It had been 13 years since the Phillies last won the division. It had been 13 years since they’d added another white flag to the center-field wall. It had been 13 years since they’d had a season like this. It’s easy to forget that, isn’t it? A World Series berth followed by a second straight National League Championship Series — they have a way of making you forget about the regular season. About all of those moments you turned off your TV in disgust in the springs and summers of 2022 and 2023. The Phillies made everyone forget them once October arrived. But there is something immensely enjoyable about a stress-free summer.

These Phillies still had their moments: stretches of ineptitude, causes for concern, reasons to wonder whether another shoe would drop. Every baseball team has them. But they are a lot easier to endure when you wake up in the morning to find yourself still in first place.

The Phillies have been there since May 3, after Game 33, a 4-3 win over the Giants. It is where they will be on Sept. 29, after Game 162, regardless of the result. The biggest prize lies ahead. But there is no shame in raising a glass.