Phillies playoffs: Schedule, tickets, opponent, and everything we know now that they’ve clinched

The Phillies officially clinched a playoff spot with their 12-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night. The Phillies currently hold the top seed in the National League. If the Phillies finish the season with a top two seed, they would receive a first-round bye and advance directly to the NL Division Series.

While the Phillies have clinched a postseason berth, they still have a little work left to do to clinch the division. After their win on Friday night, the Phillies now are seven games above the Mets with eight games to play. One more victory over the Mets this weekend will give the Phillies their first division crown since 2011.

The Dodgers look likely to clinch the National League West, and the Brewers have clinched the Central. The biggest question right now is the National League wild-card race, where the Padres, Diamondbacks, Mets, and Braves are battling for the final three spots.

The Mets play three games against the Braves in Atlanta from Sept. 24-26, and the Padres play three in Arizona against the Diamondbacks from Sept. 27-29, and those two series likely will decide who’s in and who’s out. The Mets own tiebreakers over San Diego and Arizona, the Braves own the tiebreaker over Arizona, and the Padres own the tiebreaker over Atlanta, so those final series will be critical, given how tight the race has been. Another wrinkle: The Padres have a series left against the Dodgers and are in striking distance in the NL West.

In the American League, the Detroit Tigers are also making a last-minute push in the AL wild-card race, charging from 11 games back to challenge the Twins for the final spot in the AL. The Twins own the tiebreaker, but the Tigers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball. The remaining playoff teams in the AL look pretty set, with the Yankees, Guardians, and Astros leading their divisions and the Orioles and Royals up in the wild-card race.

» READ MORE: How the Phillies’ path to a World Series is shaping up in a wide open National League playoff field

The first game of the playoffs will be on Oct. 1, with games in all four wild-card series. If the Phillies manage to clinch one of the top two seeds, they’ll play their first playoff game on Oct. 5 in the division series. If the Phillies continue to advance, the National League Championship Series would start on Oct. 13 — and the World Series on Oct. 25.

Here’s a breakdown of where each series will air on TV:

*If the ALCS and NLCS both conclude on or before Oct. 19, the World Series can be moved up to Oct. 22, and a potential Game 7 would be on Oct. 28.

If you don’t want to watch on Fox, the Phillies radio broadcast featuring Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen will continue to call games on 94.1 WIP through the end of the playoff run.

Season ticket-holders already had the chance to secure their playoff seats. For the rest of us, you can enter the Phillies playoff ticket lottery for a chance to purchase single-game tickets.

Register on the Phillies website with your email, and the team will contact you if you are selected.

» READ MORE: Phillies fans can register online for the chance to buy playoff tickets

In 2022, Phillies fans charged credit cards, plundered their savings, and cut back on discretionary spending to see the Phillies in the NLCS. One fan paid $309 for a single standing room ticket.

Generally, the earlier in the playoffs you go, the cheaper the tickets are. The pricing for partial season ticket-holders ranged from $60-$140 in the NLDS to $200-380 in the World Series for 2024, but the team also disclosed that single-game tickets will be subject to dynamic pricing, so you might have to pay even more than that. Plus, there’s the secondary market, where prices could be even higher.

The pitch clock is here to stay in the playoffs, folks, as it was in 2023. It gives pitchers 15 seconds between pitches with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners.

The designated runner rule, which, in extra innings, takes the last hitter in the previous inning and sticks him at second base to start, is gone for the playoffs. If a Phillies game goes to extra innings, the teams will start extras with no baserunners.

» READ MORE: Stock check of the Phillies’ top five relievers: How each is shaping up for a World Series run

The Dodgers are the current betting favorite to win the World Series, at around +300 at most sportsbooks. The Phillies and Yankees are the next two teams, at around +450 at most sportsbooks.

The Phillies are in the top spot in MLB.com, The Athletic, and Fox Sports’ power rankings and were the first team in baseball to reach 90 wins.