The Philadelphia Phillies dropped their final game of the season, losing to the Washington Nationals 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon. The loss gives the Phillies a final record of 81-81 on the season, their worst record since an 80-81 2002 season. The Nationals clinched the top seed in the National League with the win, finishing with a 98-64 record, and will go on to play the Atlanta Braves or St. Louis Cardinals in the ALDS starting on Sunday.
Darin Ruf drove in Carlos Ruiz in the fourth inning to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead, but the Nationals answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. Washington added another run in the sixth and two more in the eighth to secure the victory. Cliff Lee picked up the loss, ending his season with a 6-9 record despite a 3.16 ERA and 207 strikeouts.
No pitcher has ever won fewer than 8 games when posting an ERA lower than 3.20 and striking out more than 200. Lee will be first.
— Matt Gelb (@magelb) October 3, 2012
The Phillies have already made a personnel move since their season ended. They let first base coach Sam Perlozzo go immediately following the game. Perlozzo had been with the Phillies since the beginning of the 2009 season.