Atlanta Braves Win Game 1 Of Wild Card Matchup With Philadelphia Phillies 5-3

Third baseman Austin Riley launched a dramatic, two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Atlanta Braves to a thrilling 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park.

With the Braves trailing 3-2 and down to their final four outs, Riley turned on a 99.9 mph fastball from Phillies All-Star closer Jhoan Duran, driving it deep over the right-center field wall. The blast sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy and completed a gritty, back-and-forth comeback for the home team.

“I was just looking for something elevated that I could handle,” Riley said postgame. “In that situation, you just want to put a good swing on it. To see it clear the wall was an unbelievable feeling.”

The late-inning fireworks capped off a stellar afternoon of postseason baseball that began with a masterful performance by Braves ace Chris Sale. Making his first postseason start in five years, Sale looked every bit like a Cy Young contender. The veteran lefty struck out nine batters over 6.1 dominant innings, routinely touching 100 mph on the radar gun and keeping the potent Phillies lineup off-balance.

Philadelphia struck first in the top of the first inning when Alec Bohm drove in a run with a sharp double down the left-field line. The Braves quickly answered in the second on a Mike Yastrzemski RBI single, then took a brief 2-1 lead in the sixth courtesy of a clutch triple by Ozzie Albies.

The Phillies roared back in the top of the seventh. Capitalizing on Sale’s departure, Philadelphia veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto laced a clutch, two-run triple into the gap, silencing the Atlanta crowd and giving the visitors a late 3-2 lead.

The advantage held until the bottom of the eighth when Michael Harris II sparked the Braves with a one-out single, and Albies was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Riley’s unforgettable game-winner.

Braves reliever Dylan Lee earned the victory after throwing a scoreless eighth inning, while closer Raisel Iglesias slammed the door in the ninth to secure the save.

With the win, Atlanta takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. The Braves can clinch a spot in the National League Division Series (NLDS) with a victory in Game 2 tomorrow afternoon at Truist Park.