Phillies Will Face New York Mets In NLDS: Schedule, Odds, Tickets, Preview

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Late night heroics and sudden turns of fortune propelled the New York Mets into the National League Division Series by a hair on Thursday, setting up a showdown with their archrival Phillies starting on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The two teams and two fanbases have been at each others throats for all 63 years of the Mets existence. But this is the first time they'll ever be meeting in the postseason.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the next round of the MLB playoffs, as the Phillies look to return to the World Series.

Schedule

The NLDS is a best of five series, meaning the first team to three wins advances.

• Saturday, Oct. 5 at 4:08 p.m., Game 1 in Philadelphia
• Sunday, Oct. 6 at 4:08 p.m., Game 2 in Philadelphia
• Tuesday, Oct. 8, Game 3 in New York
• Wednesday, Oct. 9, Game 4 in New York (if necessary)
• Friday, Oct. 11, Game 5 in Philadelphia (if necessary)

How they get here

In very different ways.

The Phillies are coming off one of their best regular seasons in franchise history, ending at 95-67 with a National League East title and the second best record in all of baseball. They dominated out of the gate, pacing all of MLB for most of the season and solidifying themselves as among a handful of favorites to win it all.

The Mets, meanwhile, got off to such a poor start that they were on the verge of selling some of their stars on expiring contracts in the leadup to the trade deadline. But they turned it around fast, posting one of the best records in baseball in the second half and sneaking into the postseason on the final day of the regular season. First they beat the Braves in the first half of a double header on Monday to secure their playoff spot, then they battled the next three days with the Milwaukee Brewers, sneaking past them in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday night thanks to a miracle three run home run by Pete Alonso.

While the Phillies have become the juggernaut, coming off two consecutive deep postseason runs, the Mets find themselves in the Phillies position two years ago, in 2022: a flawed team just barely avoiding elimination, sneaking by and finding its stride at the right moment.

Tickets

Game 1 tickets are still available, starting at $264 on Stubhub.

The Phillies held an online lottery for fans to register for a chance to buy tickets early. Fans can register for the lottery online here.

I-95 rivalry

Mets fans historically turn out in small, thick droves at Citizens Bank Park for regular season games against the Phillies. While the small contingents of blue and nuclear waste orange don't ever come close to outnumbering the home fans, like the Phillies do to the Washington Nationals, they can make their presence felt.

While some Mets fans will surely trickle through the gates Saturday afternoon, don't expect them to be very visible in the sea of red and white.

Pitching matchups

The Phillies will go with Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler in Game 1. It appears Cristopher Sanchez will throw Game 2, while Aaron Nola will get the ball for Game 3, though that has not been officially announced. A hypothetical Game 4 would probably go to Ranger Suarez, though it's not impossible that Wheeler would be brought back on short rest. If he isn't, then Wheeler would start Game 5, if needed.

It is much less clear how the Mets will line up their battered and exhausted rotation to face the Phillies.

While the Mets have off Thursday, they've been at the throttle for weeks now. They're coming off five consecutive must win games in the span of four days this week, counting their Monday doubleheader in Atlanta and the three-game Wild Card series in Milwaukee.

It's possible that David Peterson will start against Wheeler in Game 1, though Peterson did throw an inning on Thursday night in relief.

After that they could come back with Luis Severino, their Wild Card Game 1 pitcher, on Sunday with four days rest. Sean Manaea could then throw Game 3 on regular rest, and Jose Quintana for Game 4 on regular rest.

Predictions

The Mets are hot right now, there's no denying that. But they're also exhausted, and they've already come farther this season than they could've imagined just six weeks ago.

The Phillies have the best rotation in baseball well rested and ready to battle, and they boast what is arguably the best home field advantage in professional sports at Citizens Bank Park. While the Mets certainly have momentum right now, it will not be enough to overcome a seasoned Phillies team that is built explicitly for October.

Wheeler will dominate in Game 1 behind a Phillies offensive outburst over either Peterson or one of the Mets fresher, back end starters. The Mets might hit Sanchez in Game 2, but look for the Phillies to put up big offensive numbers in winning efforts in both home games. They'll close it out behind a dominant Aaron Nola performance in Game 3 in New York.

Odds

The Phillies are plus 155 favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

What's next

The winner of the Phillies and Mets series, a battle of the east, will face the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres series out in the west in the National League Championship Series.

The National League Championship Series will be held from Oct. 13 through Oct. 22.

The World Series is scheduled for Oct. 25 to Nov. 2.