Phillies Clinch Fourth Straight NL East Title

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their fourth consecutive NL East title with a 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

Roy Halladay pitched a complete game two-hit shutout en route to his major league leading 21st victory of the season. While Halladay is no stranger to winning 20 games this will mark his first appearance in the post-season after spending the previous twelve seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Phillies benefitted from a strong September with a 19-5 record including a 11-game winning streak. Their offense had been up and down throughout season. It didn't help matters that Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino have been injured during various parts of the season and their pitching was equally inconsistent. But the arrival of Roy Oswalt from Houston stabilized the rotation and Cole Hamels regained his form from 2008 as did closer Brad Lidge.

The Phillies will most likely face the winner of the NL Wild Card in the NLDS unless the Atlanta Braves win it. In which case their opponent is at this point anyone's guess.