Oh Thank Heaven ... Streak's At Eleven!!

September 24:  PHILLIES 3, New York 2 (Magic Number is 2)
Record since the "Houston Massacre":  23-4
Record in September:  19-3

On Wednesday, I wheeled the virtual champagne from the virtual wine cellar into the virtual chiller.  Tonight, I moved the virtual champagne from the virtual chiller to the virtual ice.

Yes, Phillies fans, your long, long wait for the 2010 Eastern Division Championship is almost over.  How many of us, myself included, saw this coming after the Phils turned a 24-13 start into a 49-46 record in July with a horrendous 25-33 run in which the team simply couldn't hit to save its life?  How many of us ... let's be honest ... gave up on the club's chances at the division, and started computing scenarios in which we could still get the Wild Card?  I know I did.

But I the one thing I refused to do is completely give up hope that the guys could at least get into the playoffs.  I love the Phils too much to give up on 'em completely, not in July.  I never thought they'd do what they've done, but I wasn't bailing on them until it was clear that they couldn't catch anyone.

Think about how this team could have stacked up with some of the great all-time teams if they had played like champions in that 58-game funk.  Let's take a look at it.  The Phils are now an MLB-best 93-61.  Subtracting out that 25-33 stretch, and the Phils are 68-28 in games prior to and after that 58-game aberration.  Here is what the Phils' record could have looked like (as of tonight) if:

The Phils had played those 58 games at their post-49-and-46 pace (.745) clip:  111-43
The Phils had played those 58 games at their pre-49-and-46 pace (.648): 105-49

The Phils had played those 58 games at their current pace (.604):  103-51
The Phils had played those 58 games at a .556 (90-win) pace:  100-54
The Phils had played those 58 games at a .500 pace:  97-57

Obviously, this is pure fantasy, as no one really knows what would have happened if the Phils had played much, much better over those 58 games than they actually did.  For openers, would they still have coveted Roy Oswalt with such a great record?  Would they have needed him?

The list above is interesting when you consider how we saw this club coming out of Spring Training.  We all thought this team, with Halladay, was even better than last year's team, and had the word "powerhouse dynasty" written all over it.  Did we think 100 wins were possible?  No, I don't think so ... I saw very few article or blog postings talking about 100 wins (Comments to posts?  Yes, but few bloggers themselves were predicting a cool century).  But if you look at what the Phils were capable of, even playing those 58 games at a 90-win pace (100-54 with eight games to play), you get the sense that the injuries and long hitting slump may have robbed us of a place in the pantheon of great single-season teams.

As it is, the current September is the stuff of legend.  As much as September of 2007 was epic, this has been a September that could rank as one of the greatest closing kicks ever by a pennant contender.  It's almost New York Giant-like in magnitude.

The Giants were 20-5 in September of 1951 to make up seven games after a 20-9 August ... the Phils are presently 19-3 making up three games after an 18-10 August.  That's a 40-14 finish for the Giants versus a current skein of 37-13.  Bet you haven't seen anyone compare the 2010 Phils to the 1951 Giants, have you?

So, let's enjoy this ride while it lasts, and keep reminding ourselves that we're watching something absolutely historical as the Phils continue to ride roughshod on the NL.  Like you, I hope the bottom doesn't fall out ... but somehow, I think the way this club responded to all the injuries (remember what happened to the Mets when they lost Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, and Putz last year) has them believing that they are the best team on the planet.

And I agree ... the Phils are the best team in all of baseball right now.  And just like I won't argue the merits of some Whiz wit on my steak ... I won't argue my previous point.