The Phillies AA affiliate, the Reading Fightin' Phils figured to be a top contender this season, with big-name prospects such as J.P. Crawford, Ben Lively, and Zach Eflin. Then the Phillies added some new prospects acquired in trades this July such as Nick Williams and Jake Thompson. The parts all added up into a team that won their division.
Tonight, with a victory over the Binghamton Mets, the Fightins clinched:
The #Fightins are Eastern Division Champs! Reading defeats the @bmets, 2-1, to clinch their third division title in franchise history.
— Reading Fightins (@ReadingFightins) September 4, 2015
The win was in comeback fashion, too.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, down 1-0, Harold Martinez came up big. Our pal Steven Kiebach caught Martinez's at bat live:
#Fightins @ReadingFightins Harold Martinez you are awesome!!! 2 out 2 run RBI double!!! Let's win tonight & clinch!! pic.twitter.com/A8gSV4Baqj
— Steven Kiebach (@StevenKiebach11) September 4, 2015
That would be enough for the Fightins to win.
Stephen Shackleford has struggled in recent weeks, but Shackelford continued to add to his saves record at Reading, with this 29th save. Then, all that was left to do was celebrate. Fightins pitcher Ben Lively captured the moment:
That's how you clinch the @EasternLeague playoffs!!! Not Done Yet @ReadingFightins #SelfieSquad pic.twitter.com/noyA1P9yEn
— Ben Lively (@BenLively19) September 1, 2015