Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) hits a single during the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
It's been almost five years since the Washington Nationals bragged about their record against the Phillies.
Beating Philadelphia isn't as hard as Philadelphians say it is.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/sDhhsCSnAG
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 25, 2020
But since the start of 2020, the Phillies are 54-23 against the Nationals. That's a .701 W/L %, a startlingly lopsided record... and the Fightins have needed those wins. Consider:
- In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Phillies finished 28-32 overall and 7-3 against the Nationals. Flip their record against the Nats and the Phils would have finished a dismal 24-36.
- In 2021, the Phillies finished 82-80 overall and 13-6 against the Nationals. It was their first winning season since 2011. Flip their record against the Nats and the Phils would have finished 75-87.
- In 2022, the Phillies finished 87-75 overall and 16-3 against the Nationals. They ended up in the World Series. But flip their record against the Nats and the Phils would have missed the playoffs with a 74-88 record.
- In 2023, the Phillies finished 90-72 overall and 7-6 against the Nationals. It was their first 90-win season since 2011. Flip their record against the Nats and the Phils would have finished 89-73.
- In 2024, the Phillies finished 95-67 overall and 9-4 against the Nationals. Flip their record against the Nats and the Phils would have finished 90-72.
- In 2025, the Phillies are 15-13 overall and 2-1 against the Nationals.
Add it all up and the Phillies are 397-369 overall since 2020, 28 games over .500. But without the Nationals, they're just 343-346.
In a sense, the Phils' success in the 2020s can be attributed entirely to games against the Nationals.
Good job @nationals quality professional organization
Teams reach the postseason every year by beating up on bad teams. That's not unique to the Phillies. But it's rare for a team to become a perennial World Series contender instead of a sub-.500 franchise by beating up on just one bad team.
The Phils have a better W/L% against a few American League teams than they do against the Nationals. Among teams with a significant sample size of Phillies games, however, nobody comes close to the Nats' record.
Here's the Phillies' W/L% against each MLB team since 2020:
If it feels like the Giants, Braves, and Mets have had the Phillies number lately, the numbers back it up.
On the flipside, the Phils have played very well against the Padres, Rockies, and Cardinals.
But the Nats are simply in a class of their own. And if the Phillies want to make it back to the postseason, they'd be wise to continue racking up wins against DC this week.
