Phillies accomplish rare feat not seen since 1951

Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly. David Butler II-Imagn Images

Phillies accomplish rare feat not seen since 1951

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated May 19, 2026 6:58 PM ET

Just a few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Phillies looked like a last-place team in the National League East.

Now, as of May 19, the Phillies have a 25-23 record and are on the right side of the .500 mark. At the end of April, the Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start, and Don Mattingly has turned things around quickly.

In fact, the Phillies have accomplished a feat that was only done in 1951 by the New York Giants.

The Phillies moved to 25-23 with a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. It marked the fifth straight win, and it gave Mattingly’s club its 13th win of May.

The #Phillies are the first team since the 1951 New York Giants to go from 10 games under .500 to 2 games over .500 in the first 48 games of a season.

The 1951 Giants won the NL pennant.
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) May 19, 2026

Suddenly, there is some hope in Philadelphia, although the wins have come against the Miami Marlins, Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. Besides the Pirates, none of those teams is over .500 entering Tuesday.

Following the firing of Thomson, the Phillies reportedly expressed interest in fired Red Sox manager Alex Cora, although reports stated that he turned down the job.

So, the Phillies turned to Mattingly, and things have worked out in less than one month with him as the interim manager.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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