It's bizarre, it's most likely a coincidence … but if it happens a third time? We may be on to something crazy.
Do you know the two years the Phillies won the World Series? Of course you do — 1980 and 2008.
October 21, 1980 and October 29, 2008 were two of the most memorable days in Philadelphia sports history. And there's a tie to both of those championship teams that is now opening eyes for a possibility in 2024.
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Leap Year.
1980, 2008 and 2024 are all years that have that one extra day tacked on to the end of February. Hey, maybe the bonus 24 hours in spring training really helps get the team prepare for the season.
John Foley of PHLY Sports shared the little stat nugget early Thursday:
Philadelphia Phillies
Of course you can make the argument of, "Well, why didn't they win every other Leap Year, then?" Let's take a quick look back.
The Phillies have made the playoffs 16 times in franchise history. Of those 16 times, only three were during Leap Years — the odd-man out being 1976.
What did 1976 have that the other years didn't? 100-plus wins. Something that has only happened three times over 141 seasons and all three times ended in short-lived playoff appearances.
1976: 101 wins, swept 3-0 by reds in first round
1977: 101 wins, lost series 3-1 to Dodgers in first round
2011: 102 wins, lost series 3-2 to Cardinals in NLDS
What does this mean? Well, the Phillies have the blueprint to winning.
Accumulate 90-99 wins in the regular season during a Leap Year and it ends in a parade down Broad Street.
1980: 91 wins, won World Series against Royals
2008: 92 wins, won World Series against Rays
2024: ???
All speculation. All in good fun. Still, what a wild little stat.
Happy Leap Day. Go Phils.
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