Letter to Jon Heyman

 Letter to Jon Heyman:



    In reference to the tweet below from @JonHeyman:
        "Philly is great, and they are playing great, but due to a schedule quirk they’ve              played only 3 games against teams that have a winning record now — their first 3         games of the year!" -"X"
    


    Fifty games into the MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies are off to their best start in franchise history with a record of 36-14. This week, the Phillies have been dismantling the defending World Series Champions in South Philadelphia. Yet, the narrative in the media is still focused on the Phillies' 1-2 record against teams above .500, coming from their first series against the Atlanta Braves.

On Tuesday, Ranger Suarez continued his dominant surge, remaining undefeated. The Phillies won 2-5, with offensive contributions from the ever-reliable Alec Bohm and a solo shot from Bryce Harper. Suarez is now 9-0 on the season with an unbelievable 1.36 ERA, making one of the most impressive starts in MLB history.

Last night, the Phillies sent Taijuan Walker to the mound against the Rangers' Dane Dunning. After falling behind 2-0 early, the Phillies took a 5-2 lead by the bottom of the 4th inning and went on to win 11-4 in another dominant showing. Key offensive contributors were Realmuto with 3 RBIs, Sosa with 3 RBIs, and Bohm with 2 RBIs.

Despite securing a series win against the defending champions, the narrative is now being cemented that the Phillies are not as good as they appear. Pundits continue citing the strength of the Phillies' opponents. While statistics need acknowledgment, the numbers are not quite as they appear. For example, the Rangers entered the series at 24-24 (.500) but are now 24-26 after the Phillies took the first two games.

The negative narrative doesn't make sense. Why are the Phillies punished by the media for winning? Other teams around .500 have faced the Phillies, like the Padres (swept while at .500) and the Mets (went 1-3 against the Phillies while below .500). It's all narrative-based. One could view the Phillies' early success as taking series wins from the defending champions, the defending NL champs, the 2023 playoff Marlins, and the up-and-coming Reds. Yet pundits like Jon Heyman harp on the Phillies playing "only one team with a winning record."

According to Heyman's precedent, a good team must have a .500 record or better. However, 7 of the 13 teams currently at .500 or better have losing records against .500+ teams, making it a meaningless statistic. All that matters is beating the opponent in front of you. Four of the Phillies' next nine series are against .500+ teams.

  1. Yankees (34-17)
  2. Guardians (33-17)
  3. Dodgers (33-19)
  4. Royals (32-19)*
  5. Orioles (29-18)
  6. Braves (28-18)
  7. Brewers (28-21)*
  8. Mariners (27-23)*
  9. Cubs (27-23)*
  10. Twins (26-23)*
  11. Red Sox (26-24)*
  12. Padres (26-26)

In conclusion, Jon Heyman should maintain this narrative if the Phillies continue their pace and hold other teams to the same standard as the Phillies.

Sincerely, 

Cracked Bell Sports



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