Philadelphia Phillies Doing Something Not Seen in History Since the 1940s.

The Philadelphia Phillies are battling for the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs, thanks in part to the superb work of their starting pitching group.

Zack Wheeler (45) of the Philadelphia Phillies, starting pitcher, pitches to the Miami Marlins in the second inning on September 6 at loanDepot Park. Sam Navarro / Images by Imagn.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies will start play at 85-57. They are deadlocked with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first seed in the National League playoffs and are almost certain to win the National League East.

Though every player on the team has made a contribution, none has been more outstanding than the starting pitchers’ run. Throughout this season, the Phillies have had a chance to win almost every time out thanks to Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez.

In actuality, the group is experiencing a historic upswing not seen since the 1940s.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on Sunday:

The Phillies have won 31 straight games when the starting pitcher has gone seven innings or more; this is the second-longest streak in baseball history, only surpassed by the St. Louis Cardinals of 1942 (42).

It’s difficult to get starting pitchers to pitch seven innings these days, so the Phillies should be commended for their ability to accomplish it rather frequently. To further highlight the depth of the Phillies squad, a run like this also needs strong run support and a strong bullpen back end.

The Phillies will play the Marlins again on Sunday afternoon in Miami. Seth Johnson makes his major league debut against Edward Cabrera at 1:40 p.m. ET in the South Beach opener.

Through 23 minor league games this season, Johnson has a 2.33 ERA. For Miami, Cabrera is 3-6 with a 5.33 ERA. Marlins record: 53-89.