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The Philadelphia Phillies do not have a shot at making the playoffs this season at 20 games out of first place. They are 15.5 games out of the Wild Card standings and still 13 games under .500. Yet lately they have been living up to their nickname the Fightin’ Phils.
In the past two games, the Phillies have been able to come from behind and not only tie the game but also win in the bottom of the ninth. On Wednesday night they were only down by one run, and the Phillies ended up scoring two runs to win the game. Last night the Phillies were down by three runs, and it seemed doubtful they could come back again with the way this season has been going. The offense surprised everyone, scoring two runs in the eighth thanks to a home run by Darin Ruf. Then in the bottom of the ninth the Phillies managed to score two more runs, won the game, and more importantly another comeback win.
Related: Philadelphia Phillies Showing Unfamiliar Heroism
The Phillies have shown that they still care about the game. Where was this in July? Before the All-Star break they were still in the playoff race. Before the break they had won series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Chicago White Sox. They couldn’t be stopped. They were making up ground in the division and giving everyone hope. After the break the Phillies collapsed and went on a losing streak they couldn’t get out of. They lost their playoff chances and just seemed like they lost their heart.
Now it seems like the players care about the game again, except it is too late. There is just over a month left to play. Playing with this kind of fight will make the fans happy and it will get them motivated for next season, but it would have been nice to see this momentum all season. Hopefully it will be there all of 2014.
