Phillies clinch N.L. East
Halladay does it up right, earns first playoff berth
WASHINGTON – Roy Halladay stood in the middle of the sort of wild clubhouse celebration he’d longed to be a part of for so many years, a pair of goggles perched on the brim of his dark cap with “Playoffs” written in white above a red Phillies “P.”
Rookie mistake, putting those goggles up there, instead of over his eyes: Halladay scrunched his face and braced against the sting as teammate Jayson Werth poured a full bottle of bubbly over him.
Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies are the N.L. East champions for the fourth consecutive year – and Halladay is heading to the playoffs for the first time. Fittingly, the right-hander helped seal the deal.
Halladay allowed only two hits to earn his 21st win with his fourth shutout and ninth complete game – all highs in the majors this season – and Werth drove in four runs, leading the Phillies to a, 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, wrapping up the division with five games left.
“That’s the reason you want to come to a team like this. They know how to do it,” Halladay said.
Halladay played his first 12 seasons with Toronto before being traded to Philadelphia last winter.
The Phillies have the league’s best record and are assured of home-field advantage throughout the postseason.