3 reasons the Phillies should panic after losing Game 1 to the NY Mets in the NLDS

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Let’s look at this series from the other side. Philadelphia isn’t too far of a drive away from New York. It should be easy for New York Mets fans to get into the heads of Philadelphia Phillies fans. After all, we’ve been where they are right now.

Down a game in this best of five series, the Phillies faithful shouldn’t look at the Game 1 win as “no big deal.” As steady as Zack Wheeler was, there is reason to panic.

Sorry brothers and sisters down I-95. These three reasons should have you sweating.

1) The Phillies should panic because this was the one game the Mets could afford to lose

Kodai Senga in only his second appearance of the year didn’t look so hot versus the first batter of the game. Then he settled down. The bullpen took care of business. The Phillies, as sure as they looked like they would win this one, just couldn’t put it together. A familiar foe of theirs, the bullpen, fell short.

If there was one game the Mets could have afforded to lose, it was the opener. Everything was in favor of the Phillies. The pitching matchup. The location. The restfulness of the pitchers. As Keith Raad on the radio broadcast brought up, could the poor performance by the relievers have been a result of not pitching at all over the last week while the Mets did battle with the Milwaukee Brewers?

Winning one of the two games in Philadelphia was an absolute must for the Mets. They got it out of the way already in the game where we probably didn’t think they had much of a chance. In the playoffs, you cannot afford to lose when your ace is on the mound. You especially can’t take the L when he pitches as well as Wheeler did.

2) The Phillies should panic because the Mets pitching was able to shut them down with ease

Every advantage in the world was on the Phillies’ side. They have better starting pitching. Their bullpen is better, too. You’d be a homer if you would prefer to have the Mets lineup. Even if the regular season results suggest these teams are much closer than it may seem, there’s a reason why they waltzed into the playoffs and the Mets took until game 161 to seal a seat. The Phillies are a better team.

But the Mets only have to be better three times before they are. On Saturday, the Mets hitters were much better—at least for yet another classic late inning rally.

This isn’t about us. This is about them. The Phillies managed only 5 hits. Only Phil Maton in the eighth allowed more than one. Two perfect innings out of Reed Garrett, three important ones from David Peterson in the middle where walks were his biggest issue, and a gobbled up ninth inning by Ryne Stanek accounted for the Mets’ bullpen usage. The dangerous Phillies lineup couldn’t do anything against this rag-tag bunch of pitchers who, frankly, aren’t consistent enough to fear.

In a short five game series against teams as good as the Mets and Phillies, even mediocre pitchers like these guys can stay hot enough for long enough.

3) The Phillies should panic because home field advantage no longer matters

Phillies fans are great. They pack the ballpark. They wear their passion on their sleeves and after a few too many, on their knuckles. It’s a rabid fan base in the City of Brotherly Love we can respect as long as they remain civil. The fans have created an atmosphere at the ballpark where visiting players aren’t welcomed.

Home field advantage does go beyond just the loudness of the raucous fans. Getting the last “ups” in games matters a ton, too. Because the Mets were able to steal Game 1, this no longer matters in this series.

Odds always favor the visiting team in a best of 5 being the home club when a series ends because they have a mathematical 66.7% chance at the start. The Mets always had the best chance to win the NLDS at home. The Phillies only ever could win at home if they took it to a Game 5. We’d like to avoid that.

Being able to beat the Phillies in this atmosphere matters a whole lot for a Mets team that seems to feed off of these situations. Although the kind Midwesterners of Milwaukee don’t have the same reputation as Phillies fans, Brewers fans weren’t passive about their team’s presence in the postseason.

Just as the Phillies did in 2022 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, the Mets are on their way to playing a lot of road games. Home games won’t be in abundance as the sixth seed in the league under any circumstance leading up to a possible World Series.

Atmosphere hasn’t led to the demise of the 2024 Mets this week. An intangible surely thought to have benefited the Phillies, it might not matter at all.

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3 reasons Phillies fans should panic after losing Game 1 to the Mets in the NLDS

1) The Phillies should panic because this was the one game the Mets could afford to lose

2) The Phillies should panic because the Mets pitching was able to shut them down with ease

3) The Phillies should panic because home field advantage no longer matters

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