The Philadelphia Phillies are celebrating in style after beating the Dodgers and clinching the NL East with more than two weeks to spare . For much of the summer, the division crown looked far from certain . On June 12, Philadelphia trailed the Mets by 5.5 games and faced questions about whether their roster could sustain a deep push. Since then, the Phillies have surged , leaving their rivals behind and putting themselves in rare company in MLB history. Expand Tweet

Only the 1975 Reds managed to clinch earlier after being more than five games back at any point in a season, and they went on to win the World Series.

The turning point came when Bryce Harper publicly stressed the need for urgency after a rough stretch in August. After being swept by the Mets, he said, “It’s about u

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