Philadelphia Phillies open playoff ticket lottery after clinching NL East title
Red October is returning to Philadelphia for a fourth straight season. The Phillies clinched a playoff berth Sunday — it's only the second time in the franchise's 142-year history the club's made the postseason in four consecutive seasons — and then captured the National League East title for the second straight season Monday night. The magic number to secure a first-round bye is slimming.
While the Phillies battle for a first-round bye, fans have the opportunity to enter a lottery for a chance at buying postseason tickets.
Phillies fans can now register online for a chance at purchasing playoff tickets at Citizens Bank Park.
"The energy at Citizens Bank Park has been nothing short of electric, thanks to the best fans in baseball," Phillies senior vice president of ticket operations John Weber said in a statement.
The Phillies said only fans who are selected in a random drawing for each round will get the opportunity to buy tickets.
Fans must register for all potential postseason rounds by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 12.
The team says fans randomly selected will be notified via email with a chance to buy home playoff tickets based on availability.
"Please note, registration does not guarantee you the opportunity to purchase Phillies postseason tickets," the team said in a press release.
MLB's Wild-Card Series begins on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and the NL Division Series starts on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The Phillies' magic number to clinch a first-round bye is four games with nine games remaining. Philadelphia is battling for the bye with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Any combination of Phillies wins and Dodgers losses that equals four means the Phils get a bye.
The Phillies are five games up on the Dodgers and secured the tiebreaker over LA on Tuesday night.
The Milwaukee Brewers control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed. The Brewers have a 3-game lead over the Phillies and own the tiebreaker between the two teams.