Phillies celebrate their first NL East title since 2011 in win over Cubs

PHILADELPHIA — After coming up short in back-to-back tries to win the National League East, the Phillies turned to a tried-and-true formula. They put Aaron Nola on the mound, at home, with a trace of a chill in the early-autumn air.

Been here, done this.

Well, not quite this.

Nola has pitched the Phillies to clinching victories before. He’s actually made it a habit. They sprayed beer and bubbly after securing two wild-card berths and five postseason series in the last two years, and Nola started four of the games that led to those clubhouse-crushing ragers.

But this? The Phillies hadn’t done this since 2011. Their last division title predated even the arrival of their longest-tenured player. So, when closer Carlos Estévez got Michael Busch to fly out to Nick Castellanos Monday night to cap a 6-2 victory over the playing-out-the-string Cubs, something happened that some among the sellout crowd of 42,386 hadn’t seen.

Raise another flag, one of those crisp white ones with “2024″ stenciled in blue, over Ashburn Alley.

For the first time in 4,755 days — and for the 12th time in their history —the Phillies are NL East champs.

Two of their regular-season goals down (make the playoffs: check; win the division: check), the Phillies, who have been in first place since May 3, have one left. They want to lock up a bye in the treacherous best-of-three wild-card round. It’s looking good. With five games to play, they lead the Brewers by 3 1/2 games.

Assuming they get the bye, the Phillies would host Game 1 of the best-of-five divisional round on Oct. 5.

But there’s time to clear your calendar for another Red October. In the meantime, soak in the images from Game 157, the third-fastest division clinching in team history.

When Castellanos closed his glove on Busch’s fly-ball, Estévez pumped his fist and embraced J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies streamed out of the dugout, gathered together behind the mound, put on red T-shirts that read “We Own The East,” and posed for a team photo.

The Phanatic charged on to the field, of course, with an oversized 2024 banner.

And after being denied a celebration for two nights in New York, the Phillies partied.

For posterity, Realmuto started the festivities with a vicious two-handed drive of a first-pitch fastball into the shrubbery beyond the center-field fence for a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Kyle Schwarber added a solo shot in the third before Castellanos singled home Trea Turner.

After scoring four runs in the last two games against the Mets, the Phillies pounded 11 hits behind Nola. The Clinchmeister blanked the Cubs for six innings before yielding two runs in the seventh.

The star hitters showed up, too. Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Castellanos, and Realmuto got two hits apiece. Schwarber recorded his 100th RBI, becoming the first Phillies player to reach that mark in consecutive seasons since Ryan Howard did it six years in a row (2006-11).

Back then, of course, these nights were common at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won five NL East titles in a row and were as omnipresent in October as Halloween.

It’s starting to feel that way again.

When Nola tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 160 in Houston in 2022, the Phillies made their return to the playoffs after a decadelong absence. When he delivered 6 2/3 solid innings in a walk-off victory in Game 157 last year, they won the wild card again.

In spring training, they defined their mission, more or less, as World Series or bust. That remains the only goal that matters. But a division title hasn’t happened here in 13 years. This was different.