The Phillies' World-Series-or-bust season ends with NLDS heartbreak

NEW YORK — Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryson Stott and Weston Wilson gathered around a table in the middle of the visitors' clubhouse at Citi Field on Wednesday night.

JT Realmuto and Nick Castellanos sat in the corner a few feet away.

Among them, Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker huddled together.

The Phillies spent a few minutes after their 4-1 loss to the Mets in Game 4 of the National League Division Series reflecting on how a season that began with World Series championship hopes in Queens ended so spectacularly. He sipped a few beers and sat down to think. No one said much.

“Just feel like you've failed,” Turner said. “I think we had a fun season, we made some good memories and whatnot, but when it comes to winning a World Series, it feels like a failure.”

The Phillies reached Game 6 of the 2022 World Series before losing to the Astros in Houston. They reached Game 7 of the '23 NL Championship Series before losing to the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park.

Then, Philadelphia brought almost everyone back for another shot at the title.

The players loved the idea. They believed they already had a World Series championship-caliber roster. It looked like a stroke of genius, too. When the Phils beat the Mets in London on June 8, they improved to 45-19, putting them on a 114-game winning streak.

“Well, it's not how you start, it's not how you finish,” Castellanos said. “And we're off to a great start. We were the best team in baseball in the first half. Everybody and all the fans in baseball are saying, 'This is our year. This is our year. This is our year.' I don't know if expectations put on pressure. I don't know if I can guess, but one thing I do know is that we didn't cross the finish line.”

Including the NLDS, the Phillies went 51-51 the rest of the way.

“Yeah, not done,” Bryce Harper said.

The Phillies scored 12 runs in four games against the Mets in the NLDS. They batted .186 with a .597 OPS. They struck out 38 times. They walked 16 times.

The offense was a concern entering the season as it fell apart in the final five games of the 2023 NLCS. Everyone is worried that it will happen again.

“I don't know what to tell you,” Schwarber said. “It is [bleeping] It hurts not feeling good. It's a strange feeling, isn't it? It just felt like an interesting series, where — like I said, give them credit because they did a great job — but it also felt like something was hard to do. It was a battle where it was trying to get that innings going. We got it in Game 2, and it just felt like we couldn't get that big inning.”

The bullpen has been a steady force this year, but it has posted an 11.37 ERA in the series. It was the fifth-highest ERA (minimum 10 innings) by the bullpen in any series in postseason history, and the highest since Cleveland's 11.70 bullpen ERA in the 2018 American League Division Series.

Phillies right-hander Jeff Hoffman has been one of the team's best stories over the past two years, reviving his career and making his first All-Star team in July. In Game 4, Hoffman warmed up in the second, third and fifth innings as starter Ranger Suarez was in trouble.

Hoffman worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fifth. He pitched the sixth and loaded the bases with no outs, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches. Carlos Estevez, who was acquired from the Angels in July to be the Phillies' closer, replaced Hoffman with one out, the bases still loaded and Philadelphia leading 1-0.

“I came for situations like this,” Estevez said.

He threw a 2-1 fastball over the plate to Francisco Lindor, who crushed a back-breaking grand slam to right-center field.

This could be Hoffman and Estevez's final pitch for the Phillies. Both will be free agents.

Hoffman's eyes widened as he contemplated his future. He hopes to stay.

“Yes, that's what I want,” Hoffman said. “But it's hard to think right now.”

He choked up when asked what struck him most about his time in Philly.

“Just people,” Hoffman said.

The Phillies will make changes in the offseason. Problems need to be solved. They know it. But the core of the team will remain mostly intact. It currently includes Harper, Turner, Schwarber, Castellanos, Realmuto, Wheeler, Nola, Christopher Sanchez and more.

“Sure, it's getting smaller, isn't it?” Harper said about the win window with this group. “I think Showers has another one [year remaining on his contract]. I think JT has one more. But I think at the same time, you don't pay Wheels and Knowles [last offseason] If you don't think you're going to be competitive for the next five years.”

“I don't see us going backwards,” manager Rob Thomson said.

The Phillies could run it again but with a few tweaks to give them a better chance to win the postseason.

“[Bleep] Tweak, we can do it,” said Matt Strahm.

“The talent in this room,” Strahm said. “I mean, baseball is a game of hot streaks. It's a lot like basketball where it's the run game, but over 162 and the playoffs and all that. And when it's hot, it gets hot. Unfortunately, we ran into one [bleeping] flaming ball.”