Section 215
Fansided

Finishing fourth place in NL East beyond embarrassing for Phillies in 2019

By Dan Parzych

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 29: Brad Miller #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated by Bryce Harper #3 after he hit a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 29, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Marlins defeated the Phillies 4-3. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 29: Brad Miller #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated by Bryce Harper #3 after he hit a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 29, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Marlins defeated the Phillies 4-3. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Phillies finished the 2019 season with an 81-81 record.

Words cannot even describe how difficult it is going to be for some Philadelphia Phillies fans watching October baseball knowing their beloved team missed out on the perfect opportunity to make a World Series run.

After years of high expectations that always resulted in the team coming up short, 2019 finally seemed like the year in which the Phillies would make the leap to become serious contenders in the National League.

Instead, Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins resulted in Philadelphia finished 81-81 on the 2019 season, coming up way short of their goal to even earn a Wild Card spot in the National League playoff picture.

And if that didn’t seem frustrating enough, it should also be noted the Phillies only finished ahead of the Marlins in the NL East, sitting in fourth place behind the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and New York Mets.

With all due respect to Philadelphia’s three rivals, other than the Braves finishing on top since this shouldn’t be viewed as this much of a surprise, it was surprising to see the Nationals and Mets finish ahead of the Phillies in the final standings.

Clearly, both Washington and New York exceeded all expectations during the 2019 season (especially the Nationals earning a trip to the playoffs), meaning there will be even more pressure on Philadelphia to bounce back in 2019.

Before the signing of Bryce Harper, the Phillies were already considered one of the big winners from the 2019 offseason, and the addition of the star outfielder just made it seem like Philadelphia found their missing piece to a World Series run.

Instead, the Phillies will enter the offseason with plenty of questions in need of serious answering, especially when it comes to determining whether Gabe Kapler deserves a third chance to prove himself in 2020 or if Philadelphia should pursue someone else as manager.

Either way, some will look at the 2019 season as a learning experience to improve next year. Some will look at what took place this season as a sign that Philadelphia needs to improve in numerous areas before they deserve to be considered a serious playoff contender.

Next. 10 worst losses of 2019 for Phillies. dark

But no matter what, nothing will take away from the disappointing feeling that came with the 2019 season since Philadelphia’s fourth-place finish in the division could be viewed as the icing on the cake of shame.

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