Phillies secure 1st NL East crown since 2011

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The Philadelphia Phillies are National League East champions for the first time since 2011 after defeating the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Monday.

The Phillies moved into first in the division on May 3 and never saw their lead shrink below five games over 143 days.

Team owner John Middleton said during the clubhouse celebration that he wants his "fucking trophy back."

It's the franchise's third straight postseason appearance. The Phillies lost the World Series to the Houston Astros in 2022 and were defeated by the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games during last year's NLCS.

The Phillies have more work to do after claiming the NL East crown; they'll now attempt to lock down their league's top playoff seed. They're currently tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 93 wins but own the tiebreaker if the clubs end up with identical records at the end of the regular season.

"We need to get the bye, that’s pretty important to us. Really important to us," manager Rob Thomson said postgame, according to Dan Gelston of The Associated Press. "Whether you're the division champion or not, I don't think that gives you any type of advantage. I think having home-field advantage and having a bye is going to help us quite a bit."