Photo via Yahoo Sports

Phillies avoid historic choke to clinch fifth straight MLB playoff trip

Led by ace pitcher Zack Wheeler and late-inning home runs, the Philadelphia Phillies narrowly secured their fifth consecutive postseason appearance with a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Wheeler allowed only a single run across six frames, while Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa launched key fifth-inning long balls to snap an offensive slump and fend off a late-season charge by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The win brings the team's season total to 88 victories, avoiding a historic collapse reminiscent of the franchise's 1964 squad.

With the playoff berth finally locked down, the squad advances to a best-of-three wild card series against their division rivals from Atlanta. The upcoming matchup opens on Tuesday at Truist Park.

Alongside Wheeler's strong performance, the club saw the return of Jesus Luzardo from a shoulder issue for a scoreless frame, adding depth to their postseason pitching rotation alongside Cristopher Sanchez.

Up nextMLB· 12m ago

Jacob Misiorowski sets yet another record, this time for the fastest postseason pitch in MLB history