It’s September, and baseball’s final regular-season chapter has begun.

When you think of the Phillies and September, one of the usual immediate thoughts that come to mind is the collapse of 1964.

However, there have been plenty of positive ones — even though their all-time record in the final month is 1,173-2,007.

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column — investigating past and present trends involving the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees — I’ll take a look at some past and present September swings involving the Phillies, Mets and Yankees.

Huffing To the Finish Line ... The 1983 “Wheeze Kids” managed to produce the club’s best-ever September record with a 24-6 mark. They ended August with a 68-64 record and two games behind in second place, and finished with a 92-70 slate and six games ahead.

When talking about great Phillies’ finishes, this one tends to be overlooked. The Phils also had a 22-9 season in 1916, and a 21-6 campaign in 2010.

Bull Blast ... I still remember the Phillies clinching the NL East in 1976 behind Greg Luzinski’s three-run homer for a 4-1 win over the Expos in one of the last games at Jarry Park. The Phils won the nightcap, 2-1, with Jay Johnstone being the only regular in the lineup. Dick Allen refused to play in the second game because Tony Taylor wasn’t on the postseason roster.

For September, “The Bull” hit .266 with 47 homers and 190 RBIs in 360 career games.

Mike, Steve and Pete ... Even though Mike Schmidt often has been criticized for not helping his team to a World Series win until 1980, he hit well during the summers.

In terms of Septembers, Schmidt hit .371 with 97 homers and 281 RBIs. His best summer month was August with a .403-108-297 line, and he also hit .391 in July with 95 homers and 268 RBIs.

Steve Carlton posted a 59-41 record all-time in September with a 3.02 ERA and had 758 strikeouts in 125 appearances.

In his first September as a Phillie, Pete Rose hit .422 in the month, collecting 51 hits in 29 games to finish that season with a .331 average.

More Rose ... It seems like Pete Rose will continue to be in the headlines. On July 24-25, HBO Max aired a four-part series titled “Charlie Hustle and the Matter of Pete Rose,” which tracked his life from the beginning of his career until the end with highlights and interviews.

I may have to go back and watch it, and I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from — or about — him.

Mea-Met-Culpa ... A few weeks ago, I predicted in this column that the Mets would not win a Wild Card spot. Based on their recent performance, I may be eating my words.

After Saturday’s win, the Mets captured their ninth straight game, and had a stretch of winning 16 of 21 games.

The Mets’ core pitching staff of David Peterson, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino was once considerable to be adequate at best, but they have evolved into one of the league’s better units. Yankee castoff Severino has found a second life after his career appeared to be over. They have combined for an overall 37-21 slate.

If the Mets go 12-8 over their last 20 games, they will finish with a 90-72 — a mark that was thought unthinkable at the start of the season. Interestingly, the Metropolitans have seven games left with the Phillies beginning Friday.

From Nowhere to Somewhere ... In keeping with the Mets, Carlos Mendoza should be a strong candidate to win the league’s Manager of the Year. Mendoza had mixed the analytic side of the game with gut decisions to keep his team in the playoff hunt.

Mendoza has shown to have the right clubhouse temperament for the team, and has gained the respect of his players.

New GM David Steans also received his share of second guesses, coming from the Brewers and being perceived as a small-market negotiator. Stearns’ off-season signings also received their share of criticism, notably the pitching staff.

Now, looking at the results of his moves, Stearns should be considered for the MLB Executive of the Year Award.

By the way, the Mets’ best September was 23-9 in 1969.

Yankee Uprising ... The Yankees all-time best month was 21-6 in both 1916 and 1995.

In the latter year, the Yanks ended August 57-59, 14 games out. They had a torrid September that gained them a Wild Card berth. The Yankees lost the divisional series in five games to Seattle.

In 1978, the Yanks were 6.5 games out, and they went 22-8 over the final month.

They tied the Red Sox on the final day, and then played a memorable one-game playoff. Bucky Dent’s three-run homer in the seventh helped the Yanks to a 5-4 victory.

Readers Write

On Phillies’ streaks

Hey Jeff,

One of the Phillies’ streaks that I remember well was Jimmy Rollins’ 38-game hitting streak, which still stands as the longest in team history. It spanned 36 games of the 2005 season and the first two games of the 2006 season during which he batted .379.

I was hoping he would keep it going further in 2006, but it was very impressive nonetheless. It also puts into perspective the 56-hitting streak of Joe DiMaggio, another record along with Pete Rose’s hits record that I feel will never be broken.

It remains to be seen whether Rollins will end up in Cooperstown someday, this being only his third year of eligibility, but so far he has been gaining steam to get there. I hope he and Chase Utley eventually make it, as they were the backbone of those teams and certainly deserve it.

Ben Thomas

Bethlehem, PA

Time Passages ... Each week, I’ll recall a game, personality or game situation of the past.

On Sept. 15, 1989, Von Hayes became the first Phillie to hit two homers into the right-field upper deck in the second game of a doubleheader. St. Louis won the game, 7-6.

Hayes had three RBIs, and John Kruk added three hits. Future Phillie Milt Thompson had two hits and two RBIs, and Pedro Guerrero hit a two-run homer off starter Terry Mulholland. Roger McDowell took the loss in relief.

Got a September Phillies’ memory? Let me know.

Your thoughts are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com