The Philadelphia Phillies secured a first-round bye in the playoffs by defeating the Chicago Cubs 9-6 on Wednesday night. The victory was highlighted by home runs from Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, and Kody Clemens. Castellanos had a standout performance with three hits and three runs scored in the game. On the offensive end, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh also made significant contributions, with Stott collecting three hits and Marsh bringing in three runs for the Phillies. This win came after the Phillies clinched their first NL East title in 13 years on Monday night.

Philadelphia’s path to securing the first-round bye was solidified by Milwaukee’s 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh, granting the Phillies home-field advantage in the NLDS. The Phillies secured the bye due to owning the tiebreaker with the Brewers after winning the season series against them. The team’s success has been met with enthusiasm from fans, as evidenced by the 47th sellout of the season during the game against the Cubs, with a crowd of 42,438 attendees bringing the total home attendance for the year to 3,308,638.

Despite the Cubs’ efforts, with Nico Hoerner hitting two home runs and Isaac Paredes collecting four singles, they fell short in the series, losing two out of three games to the Phillies. The defeat left the Cubs with a 39-42 road record for the season. Looking ahead, the Phillies will close out their regular season with three games against the Washington Nationals, starting on Friday. The team has a chance to secure home-field advantage through the NL Championship Series by finishing the season tied with or ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who currently hold a half-game lead over the Phillies with a record of 93-64 as of Wednesday.