The Phillies are once again poised for a World Series run. The plan this time: Whatever it takes

For three years, Rob Thomson punctuated his toasts before the Phillies’ sudsy, smoky, clubhouse-destroying ragers by asking J.T. Realmuto how many more wins were needed for a World Series triumph.

And so it went again Monday night.

“J.T.,” Thomson said amid the cramped visitors’ quarters in Dodger Stadium, “how many we got left, buddy?”

» READ MORE: Murphy: Clinching the NL East means nothing for the Phillies, who have bigger issues at stake

But here’s where tradition diverged. Rather than shouting out a number — “11!” Or even “13!” in the unlikely event the Phillies fumble the first-round bye — the catcher had an appropriate response.

“Whatever the hell it takes, Topper,” Realmuto said.

It took the Phillies only 151 games to defend their National League East crown, the second-fastest time of their 13 division-winning marathons. Well, 151 games and all this:

» READ MORE: NL East? Check. Now it’s about playoff positioning, and the stakes are high in Phillies-Dodgers.

So, hell yeah, they were entitled to lose their shirts and let loose into the wee hours Tuesday morning, while their fans back home — and probably Wheeler, Alvarado, and banged-up Trea Turner — were sound asleep. As long as MLB seasons are 162 games, winning a division will remain the most arduous team goal in the sport. It should be celebrated. A lot.

But baseball also doesn’t reward winners of the endurance test as much as it used to. A division champ gets a few extra postseason home games; the best two teams in each league receive a bye in the treacherous wild-card round. That’s it. And the sprint of the playoff tournament can be challenging without momentum out of the starting block.

The Phillies will try, then, to keep up the pace in this run of seven wins in eight games, 10 of 12, 14 of 18, and 29 of 43 since the season-pivoting trade deadline. Because a division title might be enough in other cities. Around here, after three years of getting close, the Phillies need the cigar.

Maybe that’s unfair. It’s also undeniable.

Six months ago, late in spring training, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski talked about running into Tigers fans on his travels across the country. They thank him for building teams that won four consecutive division titles in Detroit a decade ago. He’s proud of those teams.

“But I think, historically, it will never be viewed the same as the ’68 and ’84 [Tigers] teams because they won world championships,” Dombrowski said. “Even though they didn’t necessarily have the length of really good teams, the ultimate is achieving the world championship. That’s just kind of the way it goes.”

» READ MORE: Kyle Schwarber’s bet on himself paid off. And how he did it boosts his value — even as a DH.

It’s a heavy weight to carry around. It even nearly crushed Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh, who were miserable in April when most slumping players and teams take solace in knowing how much season still remains.

Amid a 5-for-47 tailspin, Bohm spiked helmets, slammed bats, and declined interview requests before finally holding court on April 12 — April 12! — in St. Louis to reassure everyone that he wasn’t having a breakdown.

In Marsh’s case, it took two weeks on the injured list with a right hamstring strain — and a six-game assignment to triple A, which included pep talks from life-of-the-party catcher Garrett Stubbs — to snap him out of the doldrums of an 0-for-29 April and remind him that baseball is actually fun.

Sometimes that gets lost amid the expectations. Because it can’t ever be like 2022 again for these Phillies. Back then, they were the last NL team in the tournament, marking the franchise’s return to the postseason after a decade in the wilderness, and they floated all the way to Game 6 of the World Series. It was a joyride.

Three years later, Kyle Schwarber insists it’s still joyful.

“Our group has expectations for itself, and I think that’s good because it holds standards as well,” the 53-homer slugger said recently. “Being able to have high standards, you’re able to hold each other accountable. I feel like having fun, it’s a good thing. But it can also be a thing that you’re going to have to navigate throughout the course of a year when you know there’s going to be struggles and challenging times and that can challenge your expectations.“

» READ MORE: The Phillies should get Trea Turner back this season. But which player will they have for the playoffs?

So, the Phillies ditched the postgame tradition of pouring a cup of water (and sometimes candy) on the star of the game during his on-field TV interview. They didn’t bust out a home-run celebration. There wasn’t a new T-shirt every other week with an inside joke spread across the chest.

Instead, there was a steady march that grew more focused after July 31, after Dombrowski addressed the roster’s biggest needs with deadline trades for a closer (Jhoan Duran) and center fielder (Harrison Bader). The mission — World Series or bust — has come first, even for Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos, who are splitting time in right field despite ranking first and second in the majors in outfield starts since 2016.

“I hate not being able to play as much as I want to play,“ Castellanos told The Inquirer recently. ”At the end of the day, it’s a team goal, which is to win. Right? Philly would much rather us win a World Series than all of us have good individual years.”

Whatever it takes. Right, J.T.?