Surging Phillies move atop NL East for latest division lead since 2011

Just call these Philadelphia Phillies the Whiz Kids: Millennial Edition.

The Phillies - a young team with a rookie manager that was expected to use 2018 as yet another rebuilding campaign - are suddenly in first place after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 on Saturday.

Philadelphia leapfrogged Atlanta - who lost to Boston earlier in the day - with the victory to grab a half-game lead on the Braves. The team also sits 1 1/2 up on Washington after the defending division champions beat Miami.

It was the youngsters who led the way for the Phillies, as Aaron Nola took a no-hitter into the seventh before giving up the game-tying single on his final pitch. But pinch-hitter Nick Williams got his starter off the hook in the eighth by crushing the game-winning homer off Toronto's Joe Biagini.

This is the latest that the Phillies have been in first place since winning their most recent division title in 2011, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

After winning a franchise-record 102 games in 2011, the Phillies have fallen on hard times. The franchise has not had a winning season since, losing 90-plus games in each of the last three years, while trusting the process and rebuilding the entire organization.

But this year has been different under the watch of rookie skipper Gabe Kapler, who's weathered a very rocky start to his managerial career to guide his young squad into a shocking division lead before Memorial Day.

"I think it means a lot to the team (to be in first place)," Kapler said postgame, according to Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. "It means something. That feels really good."