Fansided

Top 25 MLB pennant races of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

(Original Caption) Bucky Dent is a happy fellow as he jumps on home plate and is greeted by Roy White and Chris Chambliss after he hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park.
(Original Caption) Bucky Dent is a happy fellow as he jumps on home plate and is greeted by Roy White and Chris Chambliss after he hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park. /
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PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 4: Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats against the Colorado Rockies during game two of the NLDS on October 4, 2007 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rockies defeated the Phillies 10-5. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 4: Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats against the Colorado Rockies during game two of the NLDS on October 4, 2007 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rockies defeated the Phillies 10-5. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images) /

14. The Phillies sneak past the Mets, 2007

We are going to look at two separate pennant races from the 2007 season, because they were not related to each other at all. Let’s start with the battle for the NL East title between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. This was quite the year for both teams, and the division crown was not decided until the final day of the season.

On September 12, the Mets were 83-62 and held a seven-game lead on the Phillies in second place. The division would be the only way into the playoffs for either team because they were not good enough to contend for the Wild Card. The race seemed to be all but finished at this point, but the Mets totally melted down, going 5-12 in their final 17 games and choking away what seemed like an insurmountable lead. This was a very difficult collapse to swallow for the Mets because they finished the year with a seven-game homestand against the lowly Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals.

The Marlins and Nationals combined to lose 180 games in 2007, but for one week, they were the ultimate thorn in the Mets side. Even future Hall of Famers Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez could not stem the tide of losses, and were responsible for three of the team’s losses in the final week.

Give the Phillies a ton of credit as well. They finished the year on a 13-4 run and had the NL MVP in Jimmy Rollins. Down the stretch, Rollins was nearly impossible to get out. The All-Star shortstop hit .298/.333/.542 in September with four doubles, five triples, six home runs, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Rollins was also aided by monster seasons from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. The Phillies had not been to the playoffs since 1993, and this was just the start of their run of dominance from 2007 to 2012.

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