NEW YORK -- The Phillies pre-gamed on Friday night.

They shook hands and patted each other on the back following a 12-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. They had just clinched a third consecutive trip to the postseason, but the scene on the field resembled any other win in any other month this year. It only looked and felt different in the clubhouse. The Phillies put on blue ¡°October Ready¡± T-shirts. They gathered in the middle of the visitors¡¯ clubhouse to hear Phillies manager Rob Thomson speak.

¡°It¡¯s awfully difficult to get to this moment, get into the postseason,¡± Thomson said. ¡°This is the third time in team history -- over 100 years -- that a team, a Philly team, has gotten into the postseason three years in a row. That¡¯s how difficult it is.¡±

Thomson thanked a few people, told his players that he loved them and said this is the first step.

They hoisted their glasses of champagne. They took a sip, blasted some music and then did whatever they typically do after games.

They did not party on Friday. In fact, there were several untouched glasses of champagne still sitting on a table in the clubhouse, long after many players left.

Friday, they just acknowledged an accomplishment.

¡°Any time you¡¯re able to get into the postseason, no matter what the clinch is like, it¡¯s huge,¡± Bryce Harper said. ¡°This game is hard. It¡¯s hard to go wire to wire, and I think our team has done a great job obviously this whole season. We¡¯ve got bigger goals and things like that, but it¡¯s a great moment.¡±

Short term, the Phillies want to clinch their first National League East title in 13 years. It could happen as early as Saturday night. They will pop champagne and beer bottles and party hard like they usually do, whenever it happens. After that, they want to clinch home-field advantage throughout the postseason because Citizens Bank Park is ¡°four hours of hell,¡± as an opposing coach once told Thomson.

Ultimately, though, the Phils want to hoist a World Series championship trophy, roll down Broad Street and party with millions of Phillies fans.

¡°Not everybody gets a chance to play for the World Series every year,¡± Alec Bohm said. ¡°As much as maybe people in this room feel like this is where we should be, it¡¯s still an accomplishment.¡±

The Mets took a 2-0 lead on Friday following a rough first inning from Phillies left-hander Cristopher S¨¢nchez, who has a 5.02 ERA in 14 road starts, compared to a 2.05 ERA in 16 home starts.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto visited S¨¢nchez on the mound after he walked Harrison Bader with one out in the second.

S¨¢nchez retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced.

¡°He told me to throw strikes, he asked me if I was scared,¡± S¨¢nchez said through the team¡¯s interpreter.

The Phillies scored a run in both the second and third innings to tie the game. They broke it open in the fourth. They had runners on second and third with one out when Johan Rojas scored both runners with a ground-rule double to give Philadelphia a 4-2 lead. Trea Turner¡¯s two-out single to right against reliever Adam Ottavino scored Rojas to make it 5-2.

Ottavino intentionally walked Harper, and Bohm followed with a three-run homer to left-center to make it 8-2.

Philadelphia cruised from there.

The Phillies had hoped to clinch the postseason berth and possibly the NL East earlier this week in Milwaukee. They purchased champagne and beer to be prepared.

When the clinches didn¡¯t happen, they abandoned the beer outside the visitors¡¯ clubhouse at American Family Field.

The Phillies figured somebody in Milwaukee would take it. They knew they could find more in New York.

Friday night, they toasted with champagne. They hope they don¡¯t leave New York without breaking into the beer, too.

One more win this weekend and they will.

¡°It¡¯ll be a little more rowdy for sure,¡± Bohm said.