The 2019 Philadelphia Phillies were special. Or so we all thought as of Apr. 17, 2019. At 11-6, after acquiring Bryce Harper, general manager Matt Klentak was coming out of an offseason in which he outdid Branch Rickey and Pat Gillick, according to John Middleton at least.
Citizens Bank Park had averaged approximately 38,000 fans a game at that point with a Philadelphia rapturous for baseball.
Of course, we all know how that season ended. The Phillies finished 81-81, completing their second of five straight September collapses.
So what can we glean from that fleeting 11-6 start?