Atlanta needed nine outs from a bullpen game and got a standing ovation instead.
The Braves beat the Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night at Truist Park to take the NL Wild Card Series 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 41,731. Atlanta advances to face the Dodgers in the NLDS.
Michael Harris II Ended It in the First Inning
Harris hit a three-run homer off Aaron Nola in the opening frame, and the game never really recovered. Nola, who went 7-12 with a 4.67 ERA in the regular season, was pulled after 1 2/3 innings having allowed three runs.
Ozzie Albies added a homer, reported by most outlets as a two-run shot. Matt Olson hit a solo blast. Six runs on three swings in a winner-take-all game is as close to stress-free as October gets.
Ray Kerr Was the Story Nobody Predicted
Atlanta used a bullpen game and the reliever who carried it was Ray Kerr, who threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, a single to Kyle Schwarber, and one walk.
It was the fourth start of his career. Kerr is 32 and had Tommy John surgery in 2024, and he posted a 1.47 ERA in the regular season. He left to a standing ovation, which is the correct response from a crowd that understood what it had just watched.
Then Atlanta Brought Out Chris Sale
Sale made a surprise appearance and earned the save. A starter closing out a deciding playoff game is the oldest October move there is, and it worked.
Philadelphia answered with its own version, sending Zack Wheeler out of the bullpen for the first time since the 2023 postseason. Both managers emptied the tank. Only one had a lead.
What This Means for Atlanta
This is the Braves’ first postseason series win since they won the 2021 World Series. In between, Philadelphia beat them in the 2022 and 2023 NLDS, which makes the opponent here almost too neat.
Next up is a problem. The Dodgers are two-time defending World Series champions, won 100 games, and have taken three of five postseason series against Atlanta. Game 1 is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium, with Game 2 Sunday at 8 p.m. ET before the series moves to Truist Park on Tuesday.
Philadelphia’s Problem Is Structural
This is a fourth consecutive postseason series loss for the Phillies, and the fifth straight year they have made the playoffs without winning a title. Bryce Harper summed it up without decoration: “It’s going to be a long offseason, obviously.”
The roster is about to change. Luis Arraez, Alec Bohm, Jose Alvarado and Edmundo Sosa are headed for free agency. Don Mattingly took over as interim manager in April and has no permanent deal.
A team that clinched on Game 162 and then got outscored in a three-game series does not get to call this a fluke. Atlanta was better for 27 innings.
Chris Sale’s pitching line and the full Game 3 box score have not been published in the reporting available.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.