PHILADELPHIA -- It was Fan Appreciation Night on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park, and a sellout crowd of 42,438 was given a treat by watching the Phillies outslug the Cubs, 9-6.

They picked up their 94th victory of the season, and after the Brewers lost to the Pirates, Philadelphia clinched a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the best-of-five National League Division Series.

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Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh was able to see the Pirates get the last out of the game on the big screen, and he witnessed the home crowd go wild.

¡°That was huge for us,¡± Marsh said.

With three regular-season games remaining, don¡¯t look for the Phils' starting rotation to pitch deep in the games this weekend, and expect manager Rob Thomson to give some of his position players like first baseman Bryce Harper and catcher J.T. Realmuto some time off. Harper, for example, has been dealing with right elbow and wrist issues. During Wednesday¡¯s game, in fact, Harper felt a stinger in his elbow while swinging in the batter¡¯s box.

¡°He gets these stingers every once in a while. It¡¯s kind of a hyperextension of the elbow,¡± Thomson said.

Before the game started, Marsh addressed the crowd by saying the Phillies can¡¯t go far in the postseason without them. He acknowledged he was nervous in the middle of the field with a microphone in his hand. But the speech was needed, according to Marsh, because the fans have been behind them all year.

¡°We are looking for a lot of home games. We know we have a lot of work to do,¡± he told the crowd. ¡°It¡¯s just the first step of our goal, and we can¡¯t do it without you guys. We are looking forward to a lot of home games here this October and we are going to need you guys to bring it. We need you guys to be rowdy, creating the thunder, and we have to let the dogs eat. Woof.¡±

There was a lot of thunder during Wednesday¡¯s game. Philadelphia got off to a great start against Cubs starter Javier Assad by taking a 4-0 lead after three innings. Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos highlighted the scoring, with Stott hitting a two-run double in the first inning and Castellanos hitting a solo homer two innings later.

However, Chicago made it a close game against Phillies left-hander Cristopher S¨¢nchez in the top of the fourth when Nico Hoerner hit a three-run homer. But Philadelphia kept adding on against Assad. Kody Clemens hit a bomb over the center-field wall in the fourth. Assad was out of the game one out into the bottom of the fifth inning, but he was charged with three more runs when Marsh hit a bases-clearing double off reliever Keegan Thompson to put the game out of reach.

Thomson believes he has the team to win the World Series this October. In fact, he called the 2024 team the best group of guys he has managed, and this is a skipper who guided the Phillies to the Fall Classic two years ago.

¡°Anything can happen in the playoffs, but this is a really good team,¡± Thomson said. ¡°This is the best team that I¡¯ve had since I¡¯ve been here. I think there is great balance. Our offense is good when we don¡¯t chase, swing at strikes and use the entire field. Our rotation is good, and we have an extremely deep bullpen. So, I really love this club. I really do. They are tough and resilient. They prepare, they compete every day. I trust them.¡±