The Philadelphia Phillies had a 2024 MLB season that was truly worth remembering. Sure, they may have fallen short of their goal of reaching the World Series, but that doesn’t take away from their impressive year. They finished with a sparkling 95-67 record and captured their first National League East division title in over 13 years.
Overall, it was still a successful season for the Phillies that should be worth celebrating, as there were many great moments and memories that are worth reliving. As a result, we have compiled the 10 best and most exciting moments from their 2024 season. Hopefully, there will be more much of them that the Phillies and their fans can look forward to in the upcoming year as well.
10 most exciting moments from the Philadelphia Phillies 2024 season
No. 10: Heroics from an unexpected source
Cristian Pache may not have had many memorable moments offensively during his two-year tenure with the Phillies. However, on April 15, he was the unlikeliest of heroes for one night in a game against the Colorado Rockies.
In a match dominated by elite pitching on both sides, Pache came up clutch in the 10th inning by delivering a two-out, walk-off hit for the Phillies to secure the hard-fought 2-1 victory. What he didn’t know was that it would spark a seven-game winning streak, who had actually been struggling to start the season. That momentum would help pave the way to their eventual successful 2024 season.
As for Pache, that was likely the high point of his season, as he would eventually be traded at the deadline and then designated for assignment just shortly after that by the Baltimore Orioles.
No. 9: The ‘ooooo’ and ‘argh’ on the same amazing play
It is pretty rare that you could have one of the most exciting and worrisome moments of the season in the same play. But that was exactly what happened in the Phillies’ game against the San Francisco Giants on May 3.
With the Phillies up 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning and Trea Turner on second base, Giants catcher Tom Murphy allowed an easy pitch to get by him. Slow in retrieving the passed ball, Turner did the unthinkable and sprinted all the way home from second, surprising and wowing everyone in the process. Unfortunately, he also suffered a hamstring strain on the play that ended up sidelining him for almost six weeks.
No. 8: A home run celebration for the ages
The Phillies and the New York Mets took part in a special London Series showdown in London, England, in early June as part of the MLB World Tour. In the first game of the two-game set, the Phillies blew away the Mets with a big six-run fourth inning.
That rally all started when star first baseman Bryce Harper belted a home run with one out to get the Phillies on the board. The home run itself, though, wasn’t the defining moment. It was his celebration that took place afterward on his way back to the dugout that stole the spotlight.
In honor of the England fans’ love of football (a.k.a. soccer), Harper did his best soccer goal celebration impression with an emphatic slide with his arms raised in joy. The Phillies went on to take the game in commanding fashion 7-2.
No. 7: A surprising rare piece of Phillies history
Not many players in the history of the Phillies organization have managed to accomplish the rare feat, but on Aug. 15, utilityman Weston Wilson hit for the cycle against the Washington Nationals. Wilson got the hardest part out of the way first by legging out a triple in the fourth inning. He followed that up by beating out an infield single in the same bat-around inning.
Later in the seventh, Wilson added to the offensive onslaught with an opposite-field solo home run to right-center. Finally, he capped it off with a stand-up double in the eighth to become just the 10th player in franchise history to achieve the quadfecta.
No. 6: A huge comeback at just the right time
Following the All-Star break, the Phillies fell into quite the slump as their offense struggled to generate runs on a consistent basis. In doing so, they saw their once-enormous division lead shrink drastically in front of their eyes, with the arch nemesis Atlanta Braves gaining considerable ground.
Coming off a 10-0 blowout in the hands of the Houston Astros, the Phillies were set to meet the Braves, who were coming into town on a high after sweeping the Minnesota Twins, on Aug. 29.
The Braves busted out to a 4-0 lead by the sixth inning, and it appeared as though they were well on their way to victory, potentially closing the five-game gap even more. However, the Phillies managed to do the improbable by scoring five unanswered runs to prevail in a 5-4 comeback win over their division rivals. That helped spark Philadelphia to take the weekend series 3-1 in the end, and the Braves never came close to being a threat to the Phillies for the rest of the season.
No. 5: Bombs away into history for King Kyle
Coming off an all-time high after the series win over the Braves , the Phillies embarked on a six-game road trip starting with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 3. Despite the Jays jumping out to early 6-1 and 8-4 leads, the Phillies managed to claw all the way back thanks to the heroics of designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber had his second three-homer game of the season, capped by a towering three-run blast off of Jays closer Chad Green to complete the inevitable comeback for the surging Phillies. Philadelphia defeated Toronto by a 10-9 score as their late-season surge continued. Not only that, Schwarber became just the second Phillie in franchise history to finish a game with five hits and three home runs, with the legendary Mike Schmidt being the first one to do it.
No. 4: Another big day from the least expected source
The Phillies had their moments with unsung heroes throughout the 2024 season. After the Sept. 14 game, you can add outfielder Cal Stevenson to that distinguished list. Called up to the big league squad in the final month for his second stint of the year with the Phillies, Stevenson had himself an unforgettable day against the Mets.
With Philadelphia trailing 4-0 at one point in the game, he delivered a clutch two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning to officially put the Phillies ahead 5-4. In case that wasn’t good enough, Stevenson made a spectacular defensive play in the top of the eighth inning to rob J.D. Martinez of a game-tying home run. Philadelphia went on to win 6-4 to put a firm stranglehold on the division title by pushing the charging Mets back to eight games behind.
No. 3: The Phillies finally did something they hadn’t done in 13 years
On Sept. 23, the Phillies finally made some team history in their 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. After spending 13 years trying to chase down the Braves and other select company to be NL East leaders, Philadelphia finally clinched their first NL East division title since 2011 with over a week to spare in the regular season.
Big trade deadline acquisition reliever Carlos Estévez came on in the ninth to seal the deal as his teammates rushed onto the field in jubilation following the final out of the game. For a Phillies team that had been through so much over the years, their hard work and determination finally paid off.
No. 2: The biggest hit of the Phillies’ 2024 postseason
After being stymied by Mets pitching in Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS, more of the same appeared to be happening part way through Game 2 on Oct. 6. Not only were the Phillies’ bats mainly silent, their normally reliable pitching staff had failed them through the first two games, particularly their bullpen.
Nevertheless, going into the bottom of the eighth inning down 4-3, Philadelphia wasn’t about to mail it in without putting up a fight. After a Turner strikeout to start the inning, Harper followed it up with an easy four-pitch walk. Behind him was Nick Castellanos, who came through with a single to put runners on first and third.
Then up came Bryson Stott. Stott had been mired in quite the offensive slump heading into the playoffs. In his final 17 games, he batted just .213 with a .491 OPS, along with just five runs scored, one double, zero home runs and three RBI. He had already gone 0-for-3 in Game 1 against the Mets and had struck out twice already in Game 2 prior to the at-bat.
However, Stott battled hard to work his way to a full count. Then, on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, he delivered his biggest hit of the season, which probably turned out to be the biggest hit of the entire Phillies’ postseason in the end, given the circumstances. In doing so, it suddenly gave Philadelphia some life in the series and the belief that they could actually score and win again.
No. 1: The biggest win of the Phillies 2024 postseason
As big as the Stott hit was, the Phillies bullpen managed to blow it again in the top of the ninth inning, allowing the Mets to tie the game on a clutch two-run homer by third baseman Mark Vientos off of reliever Matt Strahm.
However, that was needed to help set up more of the dramatic in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Phillies. Who else would come through for the team than perhaps their best offensive player in the second half of the 2024 season in Castellanos? With two outs, two strikes in the count and the winning run at second, Castellanos did what he always does best by coming through and delivering the much-needed game-winning hit. His single helped the Phillies to the improbable 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Mets for their biggest, but sadly only win of the 2024 postseason.
Although Philadelphia eventually bowed out of the playoffs in four games to the Mets to conclude their season, these everlasting moments and memories from 2024 will forever remain in the hearts of the Phillies and their faithful to cherish and appreciate.
