The Phillies celebrate (finally) punching their playoff ticket: ‘We’re not done’

HOUSTON — At around 10:26 p.m. on Monday night, the Phillies waited excitedly in the visitors clubhouse for their manager to arrive. Bryce Harper held a bottle of a champagne in his hand; Kyle Schwarber held two. Most of them had goggles on.

Finally, the man they had been waiting for, the man who had gotten them to this point, stepped into the middle of the room, raised a bottle of his own, and began to speak.

“First of all, there’s no BP tomorrow,” Rob Thomson said, to raucous cheers from his players. “Sleep in a little bit.”

He told them how proud he was of them for ending the organization’s 10-season playoff drought. He told them how proud he was of them for weathering the injuries of Harper, Jean Segura, Zach Eflin, Zack Wheeler and more. And then, in typical Thomson fashion, he looked forward.

» READ MORE: The drought is over: The Phillies clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2011

“We’re not done,” he said. “After Wednesday, we’ve got 13 more wins, and then we’re world champions. Okay? Congratulations. Enjoy this. You’ve earned it. Okay?”

That was all his players needed to hear. Champagne and beer started exploding into the air. Matt Vierling doused Alec Bohm. Schwarber doused Jose Alvarado. Brandon Marsh started to furiously shake his bottle, and then doused everyone in sight. It felt like a cathartic release, because it was.

For about a decade, the Phillies were synonymous with September collapses. They were a team that showed promise, but fell apart down the stretch. They seemed a team that simply could not step up to the moment. And then on Monday night, they stepped up to the moment against the 104-win Astros, thanks to contributions from players old and new.

Schwarber put them on the board immediately with a first-pitch home run. Rookie Bryson Stott tacked on a home run of his own in the top of the eighth, followed by another Schwarber shot in the next at-bat. Aaron Nola gave them six and two-thirds innings of perfect baseball — allowing no baserunners until the seventh — and after another stellar outing from Jose Alvarado, it was Zach Eflin who pitched the final three outs to take the team to the wild card round.

It was the first save of Eflin’s career, and it turned into an emotional moment for both he and Nola. While their teammates stood in the center of the clubhouse, dancing to the sounds of their own shouts and beer hissing out of their own cans, Eflin spotted Nola, and gave him an emphatic hug. They’re the two longest-tenured players on the Phillies’ active roster. They had never seen meaningful baseball in October, until now.

It was a surreal moment for both pitchers, in different ways. For Nola, Monday night was a chance to silence those who doubted his ability to pitch in big games. For Eflin, it was a chance to contribute — something he didn’t think he’d be able to do a few weeks ago, when he was on the injured list with a right knee bruise.

He was traded to the Phillies in 2014 for Jimmy Rollins, and has struggled to stay healthy for most of his eight years with the organization. Eflin hits free agency this offseason. The 93.2 mph sinker he threw to Mauricio Dubon in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday could well be the last regular season pitch he ever throws for the Phillies.

But it was one to remember — one that had a real, tangible impact.

“It’s unbelievable,” Eflin said. “There were times this year when I didn’t know if I was going to be back. I didn’t know if I was even going to be back. I was able to come back out of the bullpen and contribute to this team. That’s all I really wanted to do. I didn’t care if I was starting, relieving. But I came back and I’m healthy. I’m so thankful to be back.

To be able to get the ball tonight to get us into the postseason is a lifelong dream and a blessing for me. But we’re just getting started.”

Across the room, Schwarber sought out Jean Segura and put his arm around his shoulder. One of the reasons Schwarber was signed to a four-year contract earlier in the year was because of his postseason experience. But most of the players in that room didn’t have it. J.T. Realmuto is in his ninth season, Segura is in his eleventh, and neither had made the playoffs until Monday night.

» READ MORE: A brilliant Aaron Nola clinched the playoffs. He and Zack Wheeler are why the Phillies can win it.

“Segura been in the league 10 years and haven’t got a shot,” Schwarber said. “I reflect back to my first postseason, you get wide eyed, but I don’t think this group will like that. Don’t get me wrong, being wide eyed is not a bad thing. It can be a good thing because you’re excited and ready to go and that’s the beautiful thing, you can go out and do the unexpected.”

The Phillies are ready to do the unexpected. They’ve shed the weight of a 10-year postseason drought off of their shoulders. Now, they’re playing with nothing to lose. They’re ready to change the narrative.