While the other wild card series wrapped up with two-game sweeps, the contest between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies has been a thrilling showcase of postseason excitement.
In the first game, the Braves were falling behind late, attempting to overcome a commanding closer, Jhoan Duran. With two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning and trailing 3-2, third baseman Austin Riley made a pivotal hit, sending a homer into the stands and lifting Atlanta to a 5-3 advantage. Raisel Iglesias then came in to secure the win, granting the Braves a 1-0 lead in the series.
The tables turned in game two. Just when it appeared the Braves were on the verge of a sweep, things shifted drastically. With the score knotted at one, Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper misplayed a simple fly ball in right field during the seventh inning, which allowed a run to score and set the stage for another on a sacrifice fly. However, Harper redeemed himself in the eighth; after Kyle Schwarber smashed a homer to make it 3-2, Harper responded with one of his own, bringing the score back to 3-3. Alec Bohm then broke the tie in the tenth inning, and Andrew Painter secured the save for Philadelphia.
The thrilling late-game heroics set the stage for a winner-takes-all game three back at Truist Park. It’s every baseball fan’s dream: division rivals, prime time, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. With a packed stadium, the atmosphere was electric, and the Braves stars made sure the home crowd left satisfied.
Philadelphia found themselves at a slight disadvantage due to their pitching strategy towards the end of the season. The Arizona Diamondbacks, not exiting the wild card race, compelled the Phillies to start Zack Wheeler on Sunday, securing their playoff spot. But this put Wheeler on short rest for Thursday’s critical game three.
Thus, Philadelphia opted for veteran Aaron Nola, despite him having endured a rough season, as he was better rested than Wheeler. Unfortunately for Nola, the first inning didn’t go as planned. After he issued back-to-back walks to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson, Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer, quickly putting Atlanta ahead 3-0.
With their pitching situation getting complicated, Atlanta called on Ray Kerr, a reliever with limited experience this year, to start against the formidable Phillies lineup. Surprisingly, Kerr delivered, throwing 3.1 innings and allowing just one hit, one walk, and no runs.
As the game progressed, Grant Holmes and additional relief pitchers kept the Phillies largely in check until Ozzie Albies extended the lead with a two-run homer off Wheeler, who was now pitching in relief.
In the sixth inning, the Phillies had two runners in scoring position with one out but managed to score only once on an Alec Bohm ground out. Matt Olson quickly answered back with a solo homer in the seventh, making it 6-1. The Phillies added a run in the eighth thanks to a Trea Turner sacrifice fly, but Braves manager Walt Weiss, instead of using closer Raisel Iglesias, brought in ace Chris Sale to finish the game.
Atlanta’s victory sets them up for a showdown against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series. Both teams are loaded with talent, but the Dodgers have the edge considering they come off a first-round bye, allowing them to set their rotation and rest key players, including an injured Shohei Ohtani. On the flip side, Atlanta has just played three intense games in a row under pressure.
However, the Braves now face the challenge of devising a pitching plan for the series opener. Sale’s usage in game three means he can’t pitch on short rest for Saturday. Meanwhile, Tyler Mahle pitched recently, and his availability for a potential game three is also uncertain, further complicating matters since Grant Holmes threw two innings on Thursday.
That said, the Braves’ offense still possesses formidable talent, with Olson, Riley, Albies, Acuna, Harris, and Baldwin all capable of big plays. Iglesias has also been reliable as a bullpen anchor, and Sale remains a dynamic pitcher.
On the Dodgers’ side, while their lineup has underperformed this season, their starting rotation remains exceptional, featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow—all top-tier pitchers.
This matchup should be must-watch baseball.
