Five things Mets fans should know about the Phillies heading into Saturday afternoon’s Game 1 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park:
1. Somehow, a new chapter
There hasn’t been a shortage of meetings — 1,080 altogether — between the Mets and Phillies in their classic NL East rivalry.
There hasn’t been a shortage of postseason games (133) for Philadelphia, either.
But they’ve never faced the Mets before in the playoffs, and Citizens Bank Park will experience the first taste of that Saturday.
2. Schwar-bombs away
It would be one thing to just look at Kyle Schwarber’s numbers against the Mets across his career and this season: 18 homers in 73 games and one in 13 games, respectively.
But in 30 postseason games since signing with the Phillies in 2022, Schwarber has slugged 11 homers from his perch in the leadoff spot.
His 20 postseason home runs across his career (65 games) sit tied with Derek Jeter for fourth-most all-time, according to MLB.com.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Mets in the postseason:
- Pete Alonso’s looming free agency had likely ‘gotten to him’ before iconic Mets homer
- Mets-Brewers deliver record ratings for ESPN during Game 3 thriller
- Mets make shocking decision for Game 1 starter vs. Phillies
3. Long shot
Zack Wheeler remains — and will continue to remain, for as long as he’s with the Phillies — one of the most notable ex-Mets to face his former team, given the context surrounding his Queens exit.
But Kevin Long, who won a World Series with the Nationals as their hitting coach in 2019, filled that same role for the Mets during their World Series run in 2015.
He was a candidate to become their manager in 2017, too. And now he’s the mechanic behind an offense that finished fifth in average, OPS and runs scored during the regular season.
4. Mr. Dependable
No longer Bryce Harper the outfielder, Bryce Harper the first baseman — a positional change that stuck even after he fully recovered from Tommy John surgery — still managed to have plenty of success against the Mets at the plate this year with a .298 average, four homers and a 1.027 OPS.
And, like Schwarber, Harper has a knack for delivering in October. During the Phillies’ last two postseason runs, he collected a .324 average and 1.137 OPS.
5. Power the lights back on
The Mets didn’t manage a homer in their NL Wild Card Series until Pete Alonso’s late blast in Game 3.
But the Phillies pitching staff — despite featuring Wheeler, ace Aaron Nola and a group of proven relievers — has struggled to limit home runs in 2024, finishing the regular season in a tie for the sixth-most allowed in the majors.
