Phillies Facing Backlash After Braves Manager Offended Multiple Players
The rivalry between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies just got spicier.
MLB's expanded postseason format , which it implemented in 2022, now features a five-day break between the end of the regular season and the first game of the Divisional Series.
Last season's No. 1 seeds, the Braves and Baltimore Orioles, both lost their opening series following the five-day delay for the Wild Card matchups. In the Braves' case, they dropped their best-of-five series 3-1 to Philadelphia. Then in March, Braves manager Brian Snitker voiced his displeasure with the new setup.
Reporting during Thursday's game between the Phillies and New York Mets, Fox Sports MLB insider Ken Rosenthal revealed that those comments quickly caught the attention of the Phillies.
"I was inside the Phillies clubhouse when the Phillies learned of Brian Snitker's comments about the effect of the five-day layoff before the division series," Rosenthal said. "And Snitker said he doesn't like the playoff system, explaining, 'It's hard to hit velocity when you haven't seen anything in five days.'"
"A number of Phillies took offense," Rosenthal revealed. "They believe Snitker was making excuses and demeaning their back-to-back triumphs as a Wild Card team over the Braves in the DS."
After Fox posted a clip of Rosenthal's reporting on X, the Phillies quickly became a source of backlash from baseball fans.
"So, the Phillies are soft," one commenter wrote .
"They should owe Snit an apology. He wasn't even talking about them. The Braves live in Phillies heads rent free," another added .
"Why are the Phillies always crying? It's either the players or the announcers," echoed one fan.
"Another day, another Phillies 'they said this'... so overplayed and old. We get it, they need outside motivation," remarked another fan.
Entering Friday, the injury-riddled Braves remain two full games back of the final NL Wild Card spot, while the Phillies' 91-62 record is tied for MLB's best with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Related: Disgraced Ex-MLB Slugger Facing Intense Backlash For Shohei Ohtani MessageThis story was originally published September 20, 2024, 3:03 PM.
