Sep 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton celebrates after the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies locked up their first NL East title since 2011 Monday evening by defeating the Chicago Cubs 6-2.
Before the postgame clubhouse celebration began, managing partner John Middleton spoke to the team, and was short and sweet with his message.
“I want my fucking trophy back!”
John Middleton from the top rope.
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Middleton first echoed this statement in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium to Ryan Howard after the Phillies fell just short of repeating as World Champions in 2009.
“You okay?” Middleton said.
“Yeah.”
“Ryan, I want my fucking trophy back. It’s fucking ours.”
He's since repeated in on a variety of platforms.
In recent years, Middleton and the other members of his ownership group have put their money where their mouth is. Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Aaron Nola are all signed to megadeals. According to Spotrac, the Phillies have the fourth-largest payroll in baseball currently at nearly $247 million. They have more than $222 million in commitments for 2025, the most of any team in baseball. Significant expenditures have been made towards getting Middleton — and more importantly, the Phillies — the trophy back.
The Phillies have come close to doing so the past two years, losing in six games to the Houston Astors in the 2022 World Series and seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS. Perhaps the third time will be the charm for this era of Phillies this postseason. Winning the NL East Monday was a major step in the right direction.
