As Bryce Harper came to the plate, with two out in the eighth inning Thursday night and the Phillies trailing by four runs, the Braves prepared their final insult.
They brought in Chris Sale.
Sale is Harper’s Kryptonite and has struck him out in 14 of 25 at-bats through the years. This time, the Braves ace and future Hall of Famer slung four hellacious sliders. Harper flailed at three, the last of which wound up in the other batter‘s box and skipped to the backstop.
It wasn’t the last image from another early postseason ouster, but it will be the one that lingers the longest. The Phillies have made the playoffs five years in a row for only the second time in their 144-season history, but haven’t won a series since 2023. In fact, they’ve backslid one round every year since their unexpected run to the 2022 World Series.
Dave Dombrowski has one year left on his contract and is expected to get an extension. If there was even a sliver of doubt, it vanished last Sunday when owner John Middleton said interim manager Don Mattingly’s future is “Dave’s decision.”
Fixing the roster is up to Dombrowski, too. And neither Harper, who turns 34 in two weeks, nor the rest of the core that has been kept together through it all — Kyle Schwarber (33), Trea Turner (33), Aaron Nola (33), J.T. Realmuto (35), and Zack Wheeler (36) — is getting any younger. Their baseball biological clocks are ticking.
Derek Hill, Kyle Schwarber, and the Phillies begin “a long offseason” after losing to the Braves in their wild-card series.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“It’s going to be a long offseason,” Harper said, in the most literal sense.
Everybody knows what’s coming. Baseball’s owners are pushing for a salary cap, a nonnegotiable issue for the players’ union for decades. The collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, at which time the owners intend to lock out the players, effectively shuttering the sport.
Five years ago, a 99-day lockout preceded an agreement in mid-March and a slightly delayed 162-game season. This labor fight may last much longer.
In that case, so will the taste in the Phillies’ mouths, which is more bitter than a case of lemons.
Will the Thirtysomethings ever win the World Series that they need to cement their legacies as franchise greats?
Will the Phillies keep Turner at shortstop or move him to another position?
Amid industrywide speculation that Dombrowski will try again to hire Alex Cora, does he need to make moves that are more drastic than a new manager and the coaching changes that would come with it?
Is that even possible with $236.5 million in luxury tax commitments already for 2027?
“Yeah, I don’t know,” said Harper, never shy about sharing his State of the Phillies thoughts. “I mean, I obviously have trust in the organization and people that are in charge, you know? We’ll see where we go.
“I’d imagine this team is going to look a lot different next year, with the guys that are kind of leaving this clubhouse. So we’ll see.”
Video: John Middleton discusses Dave Dombrowski’s future with the Phillies
There will be opportunities for Dombrowski to find some answers in the next two months. In 2021, a flock of free agents signed before the lockout.
But there’s a lot of work to be done on a $322 million roster that only narrowly avoided a historic collapse in the last week of the season only to exit the playoffs one round earlier than the 2024 and 2025 runs, which were one round shorter than 2023.
Let’s dive in:
Kyle Schwarber (middle) and Trea Turner are part of a veteran core that hasn’t gotten back to the World Series.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Is time up for the Thirtysomethings?
Dombrowski and his lieutenants push back on the idea of a “championship window,” noting that the Phillies added three rookies — Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, and, later in the season, reliever Alex McFarlane — in meaningful roles.
Schwarber is clinging to that narrative, too.
“Maybe I’m just the positive outlook guy, right?” he said, mustering a smile. “But we had a lot of first-year guys here who came in and just got their feet wet, not just in the big leagues but also in the postseason. That experience is huge.”
Painter, in particular, appears poised to fulfill his top-of-the-rotation promise. The Phillies demoted him to triple A with a 7.06 ERA in mid-June. He returned 44 days later, posted a 3.65 ERA in 11 starts, then threw three scoreless innings in relief in Game 2 against the Braves, a performance that Realmuto called “career-altering.”
Crawford’s impact is less certain. His tendency to hit the ball on the ground and defensive imperfections put him in a center-field platoon with Derek Hill. But context is important: Crawford was among only 10 players this season with at least 400 plate appearances at age 22 or younger. And he impressed teammates and staff with his poise and confidence
Maybe he develops into an everyday player. Maybe not.
Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford was among only 10 players this season with at least 400 plate appearances at age 22 or younger.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
McFarlane, a converted starter who throws 100 mph, could be a bullpen fixture. Then again, the Phillies once said the same about the player drafted one round after him in 2022: Orion Kerkering. Once a late-inning mainstay, Kerkering got demoted in triple A in September.
The Phillies’ previous infusion of youth produced Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh, solid players who remained supporting actors. They need Painter, Crawford, and eventually Aidan Miller (more on him shortly) to be leading men.
But, mostly, Dombrowski must deepen an organization that lacked a No. 6 starter and had three catchers and only two trustworthy leverage relievers on the playoff roster.
“When you look at our team, it’s easy to kind of point to us older guys and say that that’s why we succeed,” Schwarber said. “I think the biggest thing is that it takes everyone.“
The Phillies’ proverbial window often is tied to Wheeler, who is under contract through 2027 and unsure if he will play beyond then. With Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and Painter under control through at least 2031, the Phillies believe the window can stay open for longer.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner has seven years and nearly $191 million left on his contract. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
How do they fix the offense?
Over the last six years, Dombrowski’s solution to most problems has been to throw money at them.
That might not be possible now.
Even if the owners are unsuccessful in getting a salary cap, the penalties for the high-payroll teams almost certainly will be harsher in the next CBA. The Phillies had the fourth-highest luxury-tax payroll this season. After getting taxed $56.06 million last year, their 2026 bill is projected to be $61 million.
That’s a lot to pay for three postseason games — none at home — and one win.
The Phillies scored three runs or less in 72 games, including the postseason. They were 19th in the majors in runs, 22nd in OPS, and 23rd in on-base percentage. And they were 28th in on-base percentage from the right side of the plate.
Something needs to change.
Dombrowski’s impulse may be to sign a free-agent right fielder such as Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena, right-handed hitters who will be 32 on opening day. It will help that $38 million in dead money for released Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker finally will be off the books.
But without knowing the financial rules of the sport, Dombrowski may have to get more creative. Marsh went from an All-Star starter in July to not cracking the Phillies’ lineup against a lefty opener in winner-takes-all Game 3 in Atlanta. His value went through the floor. But if the Phillies can spin him in a trade for a hitter who better fits their lineup (righty-hitting outfielder Jo Adell comes to mind), they should.
An All-Star starter in July, Brandon Marsh struggled after the break. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Bohm is heading into free agency. The 30-year-old third/first baseman grew up before our eyes after the Phillies drafted him third overall in 2018. He was miscast as a cleanup hitter, but 88 or more RBIs in three of the last four seasons won’t be easy to replace.
“I would love to be back if they would have me back,” Bohm said, though it’s unlikely after the Phillies dangled him in trade talks in consecutive offseasons.
With seven years and nearly $191 million left on his contract, Turner isn’t going anywhere — except maybe to a new position. The Phillies will talk internally about a move, maybe to the outfield, which would open shortstop eventually for Miller. But the 22-year-old top prospect missed almost the entire season because of a back condition that necessitated a spinal procedure in June.
Regardless, Turner understands his role in all this.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do to kind of just go over everything and figure out as much as I can, find answers, see what I did bad,” Turner said. “But I think this year is the biggest question mark for me offensively in a long time.”
It’s reasonable to expect a rebound from Turner after the worst season of his career. But it wouldn’t solve all of the Phillies’ problems, either.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has long struggled to solve his bullpen issues.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
How do they fix the bullpen?
Dombrowski probably is bound for the Hall of Fame, if he ever stops working. But building a bullpen has long been a blind spot.
To be fair, the Phillies didn’t know Brad Keller would tear a ligament in his elbow three months into a two-year, $22 million contract. But they signed Keller based on one big season with the Cubs. And while Dombrowski won a reliever swap with the Royals to get Jonathan Bowlan for Matt Strahm, the Phillies needed more.
Instead, they banked on José Alvarado and Kerkering. Neither pitched in the postseason. Dombrowski acquired lefty Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian at the trade deadline. The former was ineffective; the latter got injured.
Now, Dombrowski must recast most of the bullpen around closer Jhoan Duran. Alvarado is a free agent and needs a fresh start. Kerkering’s stock plummeted, but it’s in everyone’s interest to move on.
Dombrowski could throw money at pending free agent Adrian Morejon, although the hard-throwing lefty may be seeking a chance to close after setting up for Mason Miller with the Padres.
There isn’t much help in the farm system, unless the Phillies turn former first-round pick Gage Wood into a reliever. It wouldn’t be the worst idea. The fiery 22-year-old once was a closer in college at Arkansas.
Alex Cora was fired as Red Sox manager in April.Jim Davis
Who will be the manager?
Absent changes to the core, Dombrowski’s biggest move may be to hire Cora.
Dombrowski gave Cora his first managerial job nine years ago in Boston, and they won 108 games and World Series with a high-payroll team in their first season together. They’ve remained close, with Cora often calling Dombrowski a “mentor” and Dombrowski comparing Cora to Hall of Fame tacticians Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland.
Cora turned down Dombrowski’s offer to manage the team in April (while Rob Thomson still had the job). After getting fired days earlier by the Red Sox, Cora preferred to spend the summer at home with his young family while still getting paid.
Only then did Dombrowski elevate Mattingly from bench coach after firing Thomson. It’s notable that Mattingly’s interim tag wasn’t removed even though the Phillies went 79-55 under his leadership after a 9-19 start.
One thing is clear: If Cora is ready to get back in the dugout, Dombrowski surely will have him.
But Cora can’t bat cleanup or get three outs in the eighth inning.
ATLANTA — It turns out you can’t win a World Series — or even a wild-card series — with a roster that includes more catchers (three) than trustworthy relievers (two).
Oh, and the Phillies’ icy-cold bats turned the surname of a little-known lefty opener into a four-letter word ever more in the Delaware Valley: Kerr. Ray Kerr.
“It’s always frustrating,” Kyle Schwarber said after the Phillies lost their fourth consecutive postseason series dating to the 2023 NLCS. “From every postseason that I’ve been in, it’s always going to hurt when you’re not the last team holding it up, if you’re knocked out in the first round, DS, CS, World Series.”
We’ll spend the next few days picking apart these three games against the Braves because, well, it’s what we do. It usually starts with the manager. Go ahead, then, and second-guess Don Mattingly for bringing in Jhoan Duran too early in Game 1, or starting Nola over Wheeler in Game 3, or whatever other gripe you may have. Then, hang up and listen.
Or you can skip all that and cut to the real issue: Dave Dombrowski built a Jenga tower of a roster for $322 million (calculated for the luxury tax) and will have limited time to begin fixing it before a work stoppage shuts down the sport from the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 1 until who knows when.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has a decision to make about the future of interim manager Don Mattingly.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
First, though, there’s the question of whether Mattingly returns as the manager.
“It’s not the time to talk about anything like that,” Mattingly said. “I’m not concerned about myself in this situation. I want the Phillies to do what they need to do to set themselves up for success. Yeah, it’s like, my stuff doesn’t really matter.”
Mattingly, 65, is a baseball icon, not to mention the father of Phillies GM Preston Mattingly, who works under Dombrowski. But he also knows this: He was elevated from bench coach to the manager’s office after Rob Thomson was fired on April 28 only because Alex Cora turned down the job.
Dombrowski hired Cora with the Red Sox. They won a World Series together in 2018 and became close friends. When the Sox fired Cora on April 25, Dombrowski offered him the Phillies’ job — even though Thomson hadn’t been let go yet.
Under Mattingly, the Phillies went 79-55, and despite a costly 9-14 stumble down the stretch, captured the last National League wild-card spot. But Dombrowski didn’t remove the interim tag from Mattingly, saying he would wait until after the season to make a decision and fueling speculation across the sport that he will try again to lure Cora.
Last Sunday, amid the Phillies’ wild-card-clinching celebration, owner John Middleton said Mattingly did a “pretty damn good” job but didn’t weigh in on whether he wants him to stay on.
“That’s Dave’s decision,” Middleton said.
Mattingly, who only joined Thomson’s staff this season and signed a two-year contract, had instant respect with the players, even though none are old enough to remember his Hall of Fame-worthy career. He’s also an honest and direct communicator.
Alec Bohm works with interim manager Don Mattingly before Game 3 of the Phillies’ wild-card series in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“I just felt like he was just calm, man,” Trea Turner said. “He was easy to talk to. I could talk to him about anything hitting. He just seemed like a cool guy that wanted to be here, and then if he needed to let you know something was wrong, he’d let you know. I appreciate the honesty.”
Said J.T. Realmuto: “I like Donnie. Donnie’s great. He was a great for us.”
Surely, the Phillies have heard the Cora whispers.
“That’s not for me to speculate,” Realmuto said. “I have the utmost respect for Donnie, and I would love to have him back.”
Like any manager, especially Thomson before him, Mattingly’s pitching moves will be scrutinized in the aftermath of another early Phillies exit. Since the Phillies went to the World Series in 2022, they lost in Game 7 of the NLCS in 2023, the divisional round in 2024 and 2025, and now, the wild-card round.
But given the bullpen Dombrowski gave him, he was bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly takes starting pitcher Aaron Nola out of Game 3 during the second inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Consider this: In the three games, the Braves brought 114 batters to the plate. All but 12 faced a Phillies starting pitcher (Jesús Luzardo in Game 1, Cristopher Sánchez and Andrew Painter in Game 2, Nola and Wheeler in Game 3), or Duran. Five of those 12 batters faced Jonathan Bowlan in the eighth inning of out-of-reach Game 3.
Mattingly also had a postseason bench that included two backup catchers. The season ended with infielder Otto Kemp, who hadn’t taken a major league at-bat since May 20, flailing at a hellacious slider from Chris Sale, a future Hall of Fame lefty.
The questions will persist about whether this Phillies core, which has been together since 2022, can ever get over the top, especially because Harper (34 in two weeks), Turner (33), Realmuto (35), Schwarber (33), Wheeler (36), and Nola (33) aren’t getting any younger.
“I don’t know,” Harper said. “I can’t really answer that question. … I’d imagine this team is going to look a lot different next year with the [free agents] that are kind of leaving this clubhouse, so we’ll see.
“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s going to be a long offseason, obviously. I have trust in the organization and the people that are in charge. We’ll see where we go.”
ATLANTA — For years, the Phillies applied a pitching formula to optimize success in short postseason series.
“Wheeler, Nola, and it’s all o-vah.”
It was their twist on “Spahn, Sain, and pray for rain,” and it worked, at least in best-of-three wild-card series in 2022 and 2023. Now, facing a third elimination game in less than a week Thursday night, they will lean on their two longtime horses again.
Aaron Nola will start Game 3 here against the Braves. Zack Wheeler is expected to be available to follow Nola.
Nola will be on full rest, four days after starting on only two days’ rest and lasting only one inning in a desperate gambit to clinch a playoff spot last Saturday night. But the Phillies will take an “all hands on deck” approach to their pitching plan, interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday.
Wheeler, who would be on three days’ rest after starting the regular-season finale, is almost certainly part of that plan. It’s possible the Phillies could take a similar approach to Game 3 of the division series last year in Los Angeles, when Nola faced eight batters in two innings before yielding to fellow starter Ranger Suárez.
Nola said Sunday that he felt “a little bit more [sore], for sure” after his first-ever start on short rest. But he threw a between-starts bullpen session Monday in Atlanta.
“I could throw 40 to 50 pitches in a bullpen, and it’s never going to be the game situation, the adrenaline rush,” Nola said. “But I feel good.”
Aaron Nola (left) and Zack Wheeler, pictured in spring training, will factor into the Phillies’ Game 3 pitching plan, with Nola making the start.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Nola has made 41 career starts against the Braves, posting a 3.71 ERA in 252⅓ innings. In three starts this season, he has a 4.50 ERA, with the Braves batting .250 with a .500 slugging percentage.
In the postseason, Nola has twice faced the Braves in a series that was tied at one game apiece. He allowed one unearned run in six innings against the Braves in Game 3 of the 2022 NL division series and two runs in 5⅔ innings in Game 3 of the same round in 2023. The Phillies won both games — and both series.
Jesús Luzardo could possibly sit in the bullpen for Game 3, although it’s unclear if the Phillies would use him on two days’ rest after he missed three weeks in September with an inflamed left shoulder.
Rookie starter Andrew Painter saved the Phillies’ season in Game 2 against the Braves by making his postseason debut as a reliever and tossing three scoreless innings in a 4-3, 10-inning victory.
NBC Sports Philadelphia was first with the news that Nola would start Game 3.
‘This team needs changes’: Reaction to Phillies season-ending loss to the Braves
Alec Bohm walks off the field after the final out in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
NBC analyst John Kruk: “People are going to say the Braves wanted it more… The Phillies battled, but they just got beat by a better team.”
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ricky Bottalico: “This is disappointing in so many different ways. It’s not just because of Aaron Nola, it’s because the hitting didn’t show up [and a] lot of things didn’t come to fruition. This is a team that it may have been their last chance as is.”
Jayson Stark, The Athletic: “Watching Otto Kemp make the last out of a postseason series sends a fitting message to Phillies management. Depth. They’ve had way too little of it in every aspect of their roster construction. With an aging roster, that can’t happen again.
94.1 WIP’s James Seltzer: “This team needs changes. Big changes. This era of the Phillies has to end and a new one has to start. This group has gone as far as they’re going to go together. They’re just not good enough.”
Chris Sale sealed the Braves’ win against the Phillies.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It ended with Otto Kemp, whose last major-league at-bat came on May 20, striking out against Chris Sale.
The Phillies season is over.
Another year that began with the promise of a star-laden $322 million payroll ended with a 6-2 drubbing by the Braves in winner-takes-all Game 3 of the wild-card series.
The Phillies have made the postseason in five consecutive years but haven’t won a postseason series since the 2023 NL division series against the Braves.
Atlanta will move on to face the Dodgers in the division series.
Despite holding a four-run lead, they brought in ace Chris Sale with two out in the eighth inning to face Bryce Harper. And Sale struck out Harper on four pitches, the last of which was so far outside that it was in the right-handed batter’s box.
The ball skipped away from catcher Drake Baldwin, but Harper didn’t run immediately and was thrown out at first base.
And the Phillies are down to their last three outs.
Phillies pull Zack Wheeler and immediate regret it.
Jonathan Bowlan took the mound in the seventh inning of Game 3. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies pulled Zach Wheeler going into the bottom of the seventh inning and replaced him with reliever Jonathan Bowlan, his first appearance since Sept. 17.
Matt Olsen made the Phillies pay, crushing a solo bomb off Bowlan to extend the Braves’ lead 6-1.
Wheeler’s final line in Game 3? He gave up three hits and walked three in four innings, giving up two earned runs while striking our three.
Bryce Harper hits a double during the sixth inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It took three games, but we finally got the long-awaited Bryce Harper-Robert Suarez postseason rematch.
Harper took Suarez deep in Game 5 of the 2023 NL Championship Series for his famous pennant-clinching “Bedlam at the Bank” homer. And when they met again in the sixth inning here, Harper roped a double into the right-field corner.
Of course, the Phillies were trailing by five runs at the time.
But Harper’s double followed a single by Kyle Schwarber, who scored one batter later on Alec Bohm’s groundout. The Braves happily traded the out for the run and hold a 5-1 lead with nine outs to get.
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after giving up a two-run homer in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
While the Atlanta Braves jumped out to the early lead, NBC analyst and former NL MVP Joey Votto offered words of optimism with Phillies ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.
“As good as Zack Wheeler looks, this game is as in play as it gets,” Votto said during the broadcast. “I do not see the Braves scoring any more runs the rest of the way.”
Four pitches later, Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies crushed a Wheeler fastball over the wall in right-center field, extending the Braves’ lead to 5-0.
“Joey, I’ve had a lot of fun working with you over these last three days, man,” said fellow analyst C.J. Nitkowski. “Do not check your mentions.”
After a nine-pitch walk to Austin Riley, Zack Wheeler left a fastball over the middle of the plate for Ozzie Albies, who deposited it over the right-center field wall. It’s 5-0 Braves in the fourth, and the Phillies’ at-bats have hardly been competitive so far.
ATLANTA — That’s it for Braves opener Ray Kerr, who is lifted with one out in the fourth for Grant Holmes.
Kerr did his job, shutting down the Phillies for three innings and leaving a runner on first for Holmes, who will face Alec Bohm. The Phillies saw Holmes four times this year, and he held them to a 3.05 ERA. He is expected to be the bulk pitcher for Atlanta the rest of the way, as the Phillies are still staring down a 3-0 deficit.
Were Phillies wrong to turn to Aaron Nola on short rest?
Aaron Nola leaves Game 3 in the second inning. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It’s fair to wonder, especially now, about the potential toll that pitching on two days’ rest took on Aaron Nola.
Nola, starting on full rest in Game 3, exhibited none of his typical precision command in lasting only 1 ⅔ innings. Ten of his first 13 pitches were balls. J.T. Realmuto wanted the 14th pitch low and away. It ran back over the plate for a three-run homer to Michael Harris II.
Last Saturday, in their desperation to clinch a wild-card spot before the last game of the season, the Phillies started Nola on two days’ rest. He lasted only one inning in a loss.
The next day, during the Phillies’ clinching celebration, I asked Nola how his arm felt one day after starting on short rest for the first time in his career.
“A little bit more [sore] than after a bullpen,” he said. “A little bit more, for sure. Obviously it was a game situation. I could throw 40 to 50 pitches in a bullpen, and it’s never going to be the game situation, [with] the adrenaline, rush.
“But I feel good.”
Nola threw a bullpen session here Monday without issue. But he was able to face only nine batters and get five outs in the winner-take-all Game 3 before being lifted for lefty Tim Mayza, who got the final out of the second inning.
Zack Wheeler, on three days’ rest, is on for the third inning with the Phillies trailing 3-0.
Aaron Nola didn’t make it through the second inning of Game 2.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Zack Wheeler has begun throwing in the Phillies’ bullpen in left field.
After Aaron Nola allowed a two-out single up the middle to nine-hole hitter Dominic Smith, his night ended there. Lefty Tim Mayza entered the game tasked with finishing off the second inning, while Wheeler continues to warm.
Wheeler will be appearing on short rest, after throwing 97 pitches on Sept. 27 to help the Phillies finally clinch a playoff berth in Game 162.
Braves pitcher Ray Kerr during the second inning in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — The Phillies haven’t figured out Braves opener Ray Kerr.
The lefty, who was only promoted to Atlanta’s major league roster on Aug. 16, did his job of handling the top of the Phillies’ order, outside of a single from Kyle Schwarber. He returned for a 1-2-3 second, as that single remains the Phillies’ only hit of the night so far. It’s unknown how long Kerr is expected to remain in the game, but if he continues to be this efficient — 28 pitches — it could be another turn through the lineup.
The Braves have one hit, too, but it happened to be a three-run homer. The Phillies offense has some work to do.
The Braves’ Michael Harris II hits a three-run home run off Aaron Nola in the first inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It’s already a nightmare start for Aaron Nola and the Phillies.
Nola has not had his command early. After a first-pitch flyout from Drake Baldwin, he issued back-to-back walks to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson. He started Michael Harris II off with consecutive balls, too, before Harris went down to get a sinker below the zone and sent it 387 feet out of the stadium.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is projected to start Game 1 of the NLDS for the Dodgers. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
If the Phillies defeat the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 Thursday night, they’ll advance to the National League divisional series and take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Here is the full NLDS schedule:
Game 1: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. (FS1)
Game 2: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Game 3: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6 p.m. (FS1)
Game 4*: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m. (FS1)
Game 5*: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. (Fox)
‘A cool ride’: Justin Crawford enjoying his postseason debut
Justin Crawford bunts during Game 2 against the Braves.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Justin Crawford’s father, Carl, was six years into his career before he got his first taste of postseason baseball.
Carl Crawford debuted for Tampa Bay in 2002, but didn’t play his first game in October until 2008. Fans of his son’s team know well how that story ended: with the Phillies beating the Rays in five games in the World Series, and a parade down Broad Street.
Justin, 23, didn’t have to wait nearly that long. His first experience in the postseason is coming in his rookie year. He started in Wednesday’s Game 2 and is also in the lineup against Atlanta for Game 3, batting ninth and playing center field.
“It’s been really cool,” Crawford said. “At the end of the day, I’ve kind of had to remind myself it’s still baseball. The game stays the same. So go out there, compete, work your tail off, and leave it all out there on the field and see what happens. I would say the biggest thing was definitely the adrenaline, and just the adrenaline factor and seeing how much that kind of played. But it was a really cool feeling to be out there and competing.”
He’s also been enjoying sharing the experience with some of the other rookies on the team. Alex McFarlane and Andrew Painter both played key roles in relief in Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, with McFarlane getting a big out to end the seventh and Painter pitching the final three innings to earn the win.
“Obviously, all three of us came up playing with each other,” Crawford said. “And especially me and Alex, we were drafted the same year and really have played with each and every level with each other. It’s really cool being able to go out there and compete with those guys, and being able to enjoy the moment with them as well. It’s really fun to be able to go out there and just contribute anyway we can. It’s been a cool ride.”
Phillies first baseman Alec Bohm works with interim manager Don Mattingly ahead of Game 3 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies shortstop Trea Turner fields during warmups. Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEdmundo Sosa will start Game 3 at third base after suffering a groin injury Wednesday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
// Timestamp 10/01/26 7:08pm
Mattingly: ‘All hands on deck’ for Game 3
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — A couple of hours before game time, Phillies manager Don Mattingly and Braves counterpart Walt Weiss both used the same phrase when addressing questions about the availability of certain pitchers in Thursday night’s decisive Game 3.
“I’d say all hands on deck today,” Mattingly said when asked if Zack Wheeler will be available in the bullpen on three days’ rest.
It’s a somewhat ironic choice of words for Mattingly, given the number of Phillies relievers he seems determined to avoid using.
The point stands, though. Aaron Nola will start the Phillies off. From there, everything will be depend on the score and the situation. If the Phillies need Zack Wheeler or even Game 1 starter Jesus Luzardo to throw, I wouldn’t expect Mattingly to hesitate.
Duran’s availability will be a game-time decision; Sosa won’t be 100%
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran will test his arm before deciding if he can pitch in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Jhoan Duran’s availability to pitch in the Phillies’ win-or-go-home Game 3 of the wild-card series will be determined in the same way that it was for Game 2.
Duran will play catch and report back on how he feels.
“I’m expecting him to be good,” interim manager Don Mattingly said here Thursday in a pregame meeting with reporters.
But Mattingly was hopeful of getting a thumbs-up from the star closer and the medical staff before Game 2, too. Instead, Duran wasn’t ready to pitch after throwing 27 pitches over two innings and giving up a go-ahead three-run homer to Austin RIley in a 5-3 loss in Game 1.
Mattingly clarified that Duran wasn’t injured but rather sore after the heavier-than-usual workload in Game 1. It marked only the second time all season that the Phillies called on Duran to get more than three outs in a game.
“It was a couple of different factors, without having to go into all of them,” Mattingly said. “But mainly just he was beat up, arm-wise. Because he pitched the last game [of the regular season], too.”
Meanwhile, infielder Edmundo Sosa went through an early workout to test his injured groin. He passed the test and will be in the lineup, although Mattingly noted Sosa won’t be able to run full speed.
All-Star Brandon Marsh starting an elimination game on the bench
Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh isn’t starting Game 3 even though lefty Ray Kerr is only expected to pitch a few innings.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Remember when Brandon Marsh started in right field for the National League in the All-Star Game?
Three months later, he isn’t in the Phillies’ lineup for an elimination game.
Amid a deep second-half slump, Marsh fell into a platoon in which he typically starts only against right-handed pitchers. But he will begin Game 3 of the wild-card series on the bench here Thursday night, even though Braves lefty Ray Kerr is an opener and expected to pitch only a few innings.
Instead, the Phillies went with righty-hitting Bryan De La Cruz in left field.
“I think De La’s better equipped either way [vs. lefties or righties],” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “And then I’m able to, kind of the way we’re set up, we’re able to pinch hit where we need to pinch hit and give us some sort of leverage.”
It was telling, though, that Mattingly stuck with lefty-hitting Justin Crawford in center field against Kerr. Derek Hill, a right-handed hitter who splits time with Crawford, will be on the bench.
Marsh batted .319/.352/.530 with 15 homers through July 1. After that, he batted .177/.241/.241 with three homers. He came off the bench and got a hit in the ninth inning of Game 1 against the Braves before starting and going 1-for-3 in Game 2.
Edmundo Sosa is back in the Phillies lineup a day after leaving the game early win an injury.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies are trotting out a very similar lineup to Game 2, especially at the top. The first five spots remain unchanged. Bryan De La Cruz replaces Brandon Marsh in the sixth spot with lefty Ray Kerr starting. The only other change from the last game is J.T. Realmuto and Justin Crawford swapping spots at the bottom of the order.
That also means that Edmundo Sosa, who came up limping after trying to beat out a ground ball in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s win and had to leave the game, is back in the lineup for the Phillies. He’ll bat seventh.
Trea Turner (R) SS
Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
Bryce Harper (L) RF
Alec Bohm (R) 1B
Bryson Stott (L) 2B
Bryan De La Cruz (R) LF
Edmundo Sosa (R) 3B
J.T. Realmuto (R) C
Justin Crawford (L) CF
Meanwhile, the Braves have changes up and down the lineup against righty Aaron Nola after facing lefties in Games 1 and 2.
Now the Phils have every advantage to become just the fourth team in the new postseason format to win a wild-card series after dropping Game 1.
The key to winning this series was forcing a third game as Atlanta entered the playoffs unsure who would be its third starter. They’ll use Ray Kerr, a reliever who returned in August from Tommy John surgery, as an opener likely followed by Grant Holmes as a bulk reliever.
Now that they’ve reached a decisive Game 3, the Phillies know what they need from their pitchers.
Nola needs to … do what he did last year against the Dodgers in an elimination game. He pitched two innings, navigating one turn through the L.A. lineup in Game 3 of the National League Division Series before passing it to Ranger Suárez. Nola and Suárez combined for one run over seven innings. The plan was then to use Duran for six outs but that wasn’t necessary as the Phils took a seven-run lead in the eighth. The Phils will ask more from Nola than two innings but the task will be the same: Keep it close and get the ball to Wheeler.
Wheeler needs to … do what he always does. The Phillies looked ready to collapse last week until you saw that Wheeler was starting Game 162 and the Phillies just needed a win. Did anyone doubt Wheeler? He threw 97 pitches on Sunday so he’ll be pitching in Game 3 on three days’ rest. How many innings can the Phils expect from him? Two or three would be ideal. If Nola goes four or five and Wheeler gets you to the seventh, then Duran can take it from there.
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber reacts after hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning against the Braves.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies’ Game 2 win over the Braves was a lot of different things.
It was playoff baseball at its finest, not to mention its most hazardous to a fan’s cardiac health. It was a showcase: of the razor-thin margins that will determine which of these two teams advances, and of the strengths that once again have the Phillies on the verge of an NLDS berth.
Mostly, though, Game 2 was a story. First, of failure. Then, of overcoming it.
Whether the story endures is a question that will be decided on Thursday in a decisive Game 3. The winner will move on to face the Dodgers in a best-of-five series. The loser will move on to face the haunting what-ifs of an early offseason.
But if momentum is real, and if adversity is a buoy, the Phillies have to like their chances, whatever the odds say. There’s also some history. Once upon a time, this Phillies team had a mojo that forced you to believe, regardless of circumstance, that they would overcome.
“It’s in our DNA,” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “We’re not going to quit.”
Hayes: Grant Alec Bohm’s wish to be a Phillie for life
Alec Bohm celebrates after hitting a 10th-inning solo home run to lift the Phillies over the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of their National League wild-card series.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Alec Bohm sat behind a microphone for what could have been the last time as a Phillie on Wednesday morning, and he reflected on his 6½ seasons in the majors as a Phillie, supporting rosters dotted with future Hall of Famers. He will be a free agent this winter, and his inconsistent play combined with his occasional truculence have led to assumptions that he will be moving on.
Then, five hours later, Bohm, hitting in the No. 4 spot, rocked the winning home run in the 10th inning of Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Braves. The Phillies took a 4-3 lead, which held up in the bottom of the inning as rookie Andrew Painter dealt the third of his three scoreless innings, and the season was saved.
With it, Bohm might have saved his future in Philadelphia and erased some of the less jubilant moments of his past.
The Phillies have tried to platoon him, they’ve benched him in the playoffs, they’ve shoved him from the cleanup spot to the bottom of the order, and they’ve put him on the trading block so often he might as well have been a bale of beaver pelts in the Old West. He never much cared, it seemed, until now.
Once a Philly hater, he now desperately wants to be a Phillie for life.
“I would love nothing more than to stay,” he said afterward. “I mean, if you think about it, like, not that often does a guy get to play his whole career in one place.”
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola will start Game 3 against the Braves, and will have some support out of the bullpen.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Facing their third elimination game in five days, the Phillies will hand the ball to their longest-tenured player.
Aaron Nola will start Thursday night in Game 3 of the best-of-three wild-card series, according to a major league source. The Phillies had not yet announced a starter.
Nola will be on full rest four days after starting on only two days’ rest and lasting only one inning in a desperate gambit to clinch a playoff spot last Saturday night. But the Phillies will take an “all hands on deck” approach to their pitching plan, interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday.
Zack Wheeler is expected to be available out of the bullpen on three days’ rest. It’s possible the Phillies could approach the game similar to Game 3 of the division series last year in Los Angeles, when Nola faced eight batters in two innings before yielding to fellow starter Ranger Suárez.
Nola has made 41 career starts against the Braves, posting a 3.71 ERA in 252⅓ innings. In three starts this season, he has a 4.50 ERA, with the Braves batting .250 with a .500 slugging percentage.
In the postseason, Nola has twice faced the Braves in a series that was tied at one game apiece. He allowed one unearned run in six innings against the Braves in Game 3 of the 2022 NL division series and two runs in 5⅔ innings in Game 3 of the same round in 2023. The Phillies won both games — and both series.
The Braves are turning to lefty Ray Kerr to start Game 3.Gene J. Puskar
The Atlanta Braves are turning to lefty Ray Kerr as their Game 3 starter.
Kerr, a reliever who returned in August from Tommy John surgery, as an opener likely followed by Grant Holmes as a bulk reliever.
And we thought Don Mattingly’s options were limited this postseason.
Kerr throws in the mid-90s and faced the Phillies twice in September, holding them scoreless over 6⅓ innings in relief in a pair of games the Phils won. Holmes is a middle-of-the rotation starter with a low-90s fastball who blanked the Phillies for six innings in a 1-0 Phils victory on Sept. 7.
Kerr and Holmes handled the Phillies in September. But then again, who didn’t?
The toughest game of the series was always going to be Game 1 against Chris Sale, and the Phillies nearly won. The level of difficultly eased up in Game 2 against Tyler Mahle. The Phillies won that. The key to winning this series was always if the Phils could force a third game, knowing Atlanta could not match their starters. The Phillies got to Game 3. There’s no excuse not to finish the job.
Braves manager Walt Weiss runs on the field before Game 1.Brynn Anderson
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly was picked apart after Game 1, so how about the Braves not using Robert Suarez in Game 2?
Suarez returned from the injured list in September and pitched twice in the season’s final week before being added to the postseason roster. He was lights out as Atlanta’s setup man before injuring his elbow in June and his velocity last week was about where it was preinjury.
So how does Suarez — who the Braves signed before the season to a three-year contract worth $45 million — not get used in Game 2?
The Braves played matchups in the eighth and got burned by left-hander Dylan Lee giving up back-to-back left-on-left homers to Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Suarez, a right-hander, had better numbers this year against lefties than righties. That could’ve been his spot.
In the 10th, Bohm homered against Didier Fuentes, who pitched for a second straight day after giving up a two-run triple in Game 1 to J.T. Realmuto. That could’ve been Suarez, too.
The winner of the Phillies-Braves series will move on to face Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The winner of Game 3 between the Phillies and Atlanta Braves will punch a ticket to the National League divisional series to face the No. 2 seed Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Phillies went 2-4 against the defending World Series champs this season, though the last time the two teams faced off was way back in July. It would also be a replay of last year’s NLDS, which the Dodgers handily won 3-1.
Here is the NLDS schedule:
Game 1: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. (FS1)
Game 2: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Game 3: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Tuesday, Oct. 6, TBD
Game 4*: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Wednesday, Oct. 7, TBD
Game 5*: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 9, TBD
Phillies-Braves Game 3: Start time, how to watch and stream
NBC wild-card announcers (from left) C.J. Nitkowski, John Kruk, and Matt Vasgersian.NBC Sports
The Phillies face the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their National League wild-card series Thursday night. The winner moves on to the National League divisional series, the loser’s season is over, and everyone will have to stay up late.
With the three other wild-card series already decided, first pitch of Game 3 between the Phillies and Braves Thursday night is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.
NBC will once again broadcast the game, with John Kruk in the booth alongside play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian and fellow analyst C.J. Nitkowski. Joey Votto is back as the on-field analyst, while Ashley ShahAhmadi will report from Truist Park.
Fans can also stream the game on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming service. But if you live in and around Philadelphia, you can stream the game for free using a digital antenna, since it’s being broadcast on NBC.
94.1 WIP will broadcast the game on radio, with Scott Franzke and Kevin Stocker on the call.
NBC Sports Philadelphia will offer pre- and postgame coverage, featuring Michael Barkann, Ricky Bottalico, Ben Davis, and former Phillies general manager turned broadcaster Rubén Amaro Jr.
ATLANTA — Bryce Harper crouched in right field, alone, his glove and hat resting on the grass and who knows what running through his brain.
Come to think of it, what was going on up there?
“I’ll tell you what,” Harper said later Wednesday, “I was thinking about Krew, my son — and what I would say to him in that situation.”
The situation: The go-ahead hit clanged off the top of Harper’s outstretched glove after he misjudged a fly ball in the seventh inning of an elimination game. And now here was Harper — Sports Illustrated cover boy at age 16, face of baseball at 19, perhaps bound to be the Phillies’ G.O.A.T. before he retires, left to process possibly being a goat.
“You make a play like that, and I’m hearing it out there, obviously,” Harper said. “But how quickly can I turn the page and just get past that moment, knowing that I’m still coming up to the plate to hit?”
Indeed, if we’ve learned anything across these last five postseasons, it’s that anything can happen as long as Harper has one more at-bat. And so, three pitches after Kyle Schwarber homered to draw the Phillies to within a run in the eighth inning, Harper blasted a slider into the right-field seats to tie the game.
They won, 4-3 over the rival Braves in Game 2 of the best-of-three wild-card series, and lived to see another day because Alec Bohm banged a 10th-inning homer and rookie Andrew Painter came out of the bullpen for three scoreless innings in his postseason debut.
But Harper was at the center of it all, as he always is, as he has been since he was a 10-year-old hired gun on the travel-ball circuit.
Bryce Harper tied Game 2 of the Phillies’ wildcard series with a solo homer in the eighth inning Wednesday in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
So, back to that scene in right field, two batters after Harper’s mistake, as the Phillies made the dreaded move of turning to their combusti-bullpen.
Harper thought about Cristopher Sánchez, whom he correctly said “was throwing the crap out of it” for 6⅔ innings. He thought about the 89-mph ball hit by the Braves’ Drake Baldwin — “I thought it was going to be a pop fly, just right at me,” he said — and the potential consequences of a 3-1 deficit against a tough Braves bullpen.
And then, after rookie Alex McFarlane recorded the last out of the inning, Harper made the long jog off the field. Interim manager Don Mattingly, who knows something about big-city baseball stardom, didn’t feel the need to check in with him.
“I never worry about Bryce,” Mattingly said. “He’s been through so much in his life, in his career. I never worry about him handling anything.”
That didn’t stop Sánchez, who slammed his glove in the dugout after coming out of the game but calmed down by the time Harper trudged off the field. The big lefty approached for an impromptu pep talk.
“I don’t really know [why]; it just came out,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “I waited for him on the bench, and I told him he was bound to have a great moment. And he had it.”
The Braves brought in lefty reliever Dylan Lee to face Schwarber and Harper. He didn’t allow a homer to a lefty all season. He faced Schwarber and Harper in the eighth inning of Game 1 and got both of them out.
Schwarber worked the count full before hitting a knee-high slider. Harper jumped on a low-and-in slider that wasn’t low enough.
“I wasn’t not trying to hit a homer,” Harper said. “I can tell you that.”
Bryce Harper misjudged a fly ball that went for a go-ahead double in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the Phillies’ wild-card series Wednesday in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies leaped out of the dugout. Sánchez, who was in the trainer’s room, said he “just slammed everything I had close to me.”
Harper’s reaction: Relief? Redemption?
“I think it’s a learning situation, not just for myself but for everybody else as well,” said Harper, 2-for-9 with two RBIs in the two games against the Braves. “Everybody is going to make mistakes at some point, but it’s how you come through in the next situation. It’s not that serious, to tell you the truth. I think people take it very seriously. And don’t get me wrong: I take it serious.
“But I think there’s a mindset, especially for kids nowadays, parents and coaches put so much on kids to have to come through and be great. But for me, it’s how can you learn from each situation that you’re in to come out great in the next one.”
The playoffs tend to bring out Harper’s reflective side. And there is surely a moral to the story of Harper’s Game 2 that goes beyond merely whether the Phillies kept alive their season.
But there are also stakes for Harper in the postseason. He’s nearing the end of his eighth season as the $330 million star of Phillies stars. He has five years left on his contract. He turns 34 in a little more than two weeks.
A work stoppage is looming in two months and may not end for a while. The biological baseball clocks of Harper, Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and the rest of the core of a $320 million roster is tick, tick, ticking.
And with each postseason that ends short of a parade down Broad Street, their legacies remain incomplete.
In addition to his game-tying home run in the eighth inning, Bryce Harper also hit an RBI single in the first.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“That’s the one thing on my mantle that’s not there,” Harper said the other day. “Right?”
Right. So, maybe that was going through his mind, too, as he pondered what would’ve been an unimaginable way for the season to end.
Instead, Harper recovered in the only way he knows. And now, the Phillies will have Nola on regular rest and Wheeler on three days’ rest for the decisive Game 3.
“Just a pick-me-up game for me, obviously,” Harper said. “My teammates picking me up in that situation, and that’s what it’s all about.”
The Phillies (1-1) tied up their wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves (1-1) with a 4-3 win in Game 2 Wednesday. Game 3 will take place Thursday.
Alec Bohm, Phillies find their power late to beat the Braves and force a Game 3
Alec Bohm celebrates after hitting the game-winning home run in the 10th inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Staring down the potential end of his Phillies tenure, Alec Bohm set up against Didier Fuentes in the 10th inning.
With the Phillies facing elimination from their wild-card series in Game 2, and Bohm nearing free agency, it was fair to wonder as he dug in if it could be his final at-bat in a Phillies uniform. But with one swing, Bohm ensured the season would extend another day. The infielder powered a fastball over the wall in right field to put the Phillies in front for a 4-3 victory over Atlanta in 10 innings on Wednesday.
Backed by gutsy pitching performances from start to finish, the Phillies staved off elimination and forced a Game 3 to decide the series on Thursday. Rookie Andrew Painter pitched the final three innings to get the win in his playoff debut. The Braves advanced the go-ahead run to first on a pair of singles in the 10th, but Painter did not falter. He went right after Dominic Smith, getting two swings on his changeup.
Harper moved back to right field at the trade deadline in a switch he and the Phillies thought might give them the best chance to win in October. But a misread on a fly ball from Drake Baldwin in a crucial moment in the seventh led to it going over his head and Atlanta taking the lead.
He found a way to redeem himself with his bat. Three pitches after Schwarber sent one from Dylan Lee 447 feet, Harper gave a slider a ride to right center to tie the game at 3.
Andrew Painter celebrates with teammates after the Phillies’ Game 2 win.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
We know the Phillies and Braves will face off in Game 3 Thursday. We just don’t yet know when.
Under most scenarios, Game 3 will start at 2 p.m. Thursday on NBC, just like Games 1 and 2.
If the only remaining series are Phillies-Braves and White Sox-Astros, then Game 3 would start at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Game 3 will also start at 8 p.m. if Phillies-Braves is the only remaining series heading into Thursday.
If the Phillies overcome the odds and manage to defeat the Braves, they’ll advance to the National League divisional series and face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 1 would be Saturday at either 4 p.m. on Fox or 9 p.m. on FS1, depending how the wild-card round plays out.
Kyle Schwarber pumps his fist after hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – Andrew Painter locked it down.
With a tap of his cap, Painter challenged the final pitch, got a called strike against Dominic Smith, and the Phillies celebrated a come-from-behind 4-3 victory to even their best-of-three wildcard series.
The season will come down to Game 3 on Thursday.
Painter entered in relief in the eighth inning and tossed three scoreless innings. The 23-year-old rookie gave up three hits and struck out the side in the 10th – with singles by Mauricio Dubon and Michael Harris II mixed in.
Alec Bohm’s go-ahead solo homer in the 10th inning was the difference after Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back solo homers in the eighth inning to tie the game.
The Phillies are expected to have both Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler available to pitch in Game 3. The Braves haven’t named a starter but could counter with right-hander Grant Holmes.
ATLANTA – Alec Bohm whipped his right arm in the air as he rounded the bases.
Bohm gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the 10th inning with a two-out solo homer into the right-field bleachers. They rallied from a 3-1 deficit with back-to-back solo homers, also to right field, by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the eighth inning.
Andrew Painter, who held the Braves scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, will return to the mound to pitch the 10th against dangerous Matt Olson, Mauricio Dubon, and Austin Riley.
The Phillies and Braves enter extra tinnings tied 3-3, but they won’t be joined by any “ghost runners.”
MLB’s designated runner rule puts a player on second base to begin each half-inning if a game is tied after nine innings. The rule was an attempt to preserve pitching staffs and avoid extra-long regular season games.
But during the playoffs, that rule is out the window.
Phillies tie the Braves on back-to-back homers by Schwarber and Harper
ATLANTA – If ever there was a time for a one-two punch, this was it.
Kyle Schwarber.
Bryce Harper.
Boom. Boom.
Trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, with the Braves bringing tough lefty reliever Dylan Lee into the game, Schwarber and Harper hit the first back-to-back homers for the Phillies in the postseason since Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell on Oct. 3, 2007 in Game 1 of the NL division series against Colorado.
Harper’s homer was redemptive after he misjudged a fly ball that went over his head for a go-ahead RBI double by Drake Baldwin in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Braves take the lead after Bryce Harper misplays fly ball
Bryce Harper couldn’t catch a ball off the bat of Braves catcher Drake Baldwin in the seventh inning. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – Bryce Harper froze.
With runners on first and second in the seventh inning of a tie game, Drake Baldwin hit a line drive to right field. Harper misjudged it, and by the time he began to retreat to the right-field wall, the ball went over his head.
Sean Murphy scored from second base with the go-ahead run before the Braves tacked on with a sacrifice fly to take a 3-1 lead and knock Cristopher Sanchez from the game.
The seventh inning began with Sanchez throwing a close pitch to Murphy. Unlike last year, when Sanchez had a borderline pitch to Alex Call go against him in the seventh inning of an elimination game against the Dodgers, plate umpire Adam Beck called a strike. But Murphy challenged with the automatic ball-strike system and got the call overturned.
Murphy overturned another called strike later in the at-bat and drew a leadoff walk. He slid safely into second base on a sacrifice bunt by Ha-Seong Kim to give the Braves a two-on, one-out rally.
Sanchez struck out Ronald Acuna Jr. before Harper’s gaffe on Baldwin’s drive. After Ozzie Albies walked intentionally, Matt Olson lifted the sacrifice fly.
With that, the Phillies lifted Sanchez, who threw 116 pitches, the most he has thrown in a game in his career.
ATLANTA — When the Phillies rearranged their infield after the trade deadline, Don Mattingly noted that Alec Bohm’s move to first base was the least of his concerns.
“I’ve seen him enough at first,” Mattingly said. “I felt he was really good at first.”
Bohm might have saved the season in the sixth inning when he started a double play to get Cristopher Sanchez out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation.
Michael Harris II hit a chopper to Bohm, who fielded it and threw to home plate to force out Ozzie Albies. Then, he snagged the return throw from catcher J.T. Realmuto, which appeared to be up the line.
Sánchez gets out of a jam, but his pitch count is climbing
ATLANTA — Cristopher Sánchez sidestepped a Braves rally in the fifth inning.
That was the good news for the Phillies.
But while Sánchez worked around a one-out double by Sean Murphy to strand the go-ahead run on second base — with an assist to catcher J.T. Realmuto — he also walked off the mound having thrown a total of 80 pitches.
After Murphy’s double, Realmuto challenged an 0-1 pitch to No. 9-hitting Ha-Seong Kim. It was overturned, leading to an 0-2 count. Kim fouled off the next pitch, which Realmuto caught against the netting behind home plate for the second out.
The Phillies walked Ronald Acuna Jr. intentionally before getting Drake Baldwin to ground out.
Cristopher Sanchez throws in the first inning of Game 1 against the Braves.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Don Mattingly said before today’s Game 2 that he expects to push Cristopher Sánchez deep into his start today, if he can.
“As long as he’s throwing the ball good, getting outs,” Mattingly said. “I can’t push him if he’s giving up runs.”
So far, so good on that front. Sánchez gave up a first-inning run on a walk, two stolen bases, and a single, but he has not allowed another hit since to Atlanta. Through three innings, he has used 51 pitches, but he seems to be getting stronger and more dialed in with his location. In the third inning, Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. didn’t lift the bat off his shoulder once, striking out on three pitches and was visibly frustrated in the dugout afterward.
Sánchez’s changeup is working so far, too. Out of Atlanta’s six swings on the pitch, five have been whiffs.
ATLANTA — A leadoff walk to Ronald Acuña Jr. came back to bite Cristopher Sánchez and the Phillies as the Braves tied things back up in the bottom of the inning.
Acuña stole second and then third, as Edmundo Sosa did not cover the bag allowing the Braves star to advance without a throw. And when Matt Olson’s ground ball found a gap on the right side of the infield, Acuña came home easily.
Atlanta put Sánchez to work a bit in the first. Olson’s single was the only hit he allowed, but the Braves fouled off a lot of pitches, driving his pitch count up to 23. He will have to become more efficient if he is to go deep into this game like the Phillies hope.
The Phillies could have done even more early damage against Braves righty Tyler Mahle. With runners on the corners, Harper was off on contact when Bryson Stott hit a tapper back to the mound. Harper was caught in a run down and was tagged out diving back to third.
Even so, the Phillies still had two runners on for Brandon Marsh, but the outfielder chased two splitters in the dirt to strike out and end the rally there.
Tyler Mahle has a 2.28 ERA against the Phillies this season. Gene J. Puskar
ATLANTA — The Phillies have a lot of familiarity with Atlanta’s Game 2 starter Tyler Mahle.
This season, they have faced the right-hander four times: twice with the Giants, and twice with the Braves after Mahle was traded there. Relying mainly on his fastball and splitter, Mahle has held them to a 2.28 ERA this season.
“We haven’t solved that riddle really well yet, but we’ll see today,” Mattingly said.
Since the Aug. 2 trade to Atlanta, he’s become even sharper. Mahle had a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts with San Francisco but a 1.99 ERA in nine starts with Atlanta. But Mattingly thinks the Phillies hitters’ familiarity could be an asset while game-planning.
“There’s going to be a plan for each guy individually,” Mattingly said. “Like if I’m a good high ball hitter, I’m gonna push this guy up in the zone. Get him down for a little while, see if he throw strikes down there. But if you’re a guy that hits the ball down, that split may end up being right where I like it. So it depends with each guy, but there should be a solid approach.”
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran threw 27 pitches in Game 1.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – If the Phillies have a lead in the late innings today, will they have their star closer available?
Jhoan Duran threw 27 pitches in Game 1, his highest total since Aug. 16. He entered in the seventh inning and retired the side but began to tire in the eighth and allowed a go-ahead three-run homer to Austin Riley on a 100-mph fastball over the heart of the plate.
But Duran is the Phillies’ best reliever – by a wide margin. Interim manager Don Mattingly won’t stray from using him in Game 2, assuming he’s available. Asked after Game 1 if he would be able to pitch, Duran said, “Maybe yes, maybe not,” depending on how he felt after playing catch Wednesday.
Mattingly said he expected to receive a “thumbs up” from Duran but was waiting until for the relievers to go through their pregame workouts.
“Well, it’s like every other day; we’ll see how he throws the ball,” Mattingly said. “He’s been honest with us all year long. If he feels good or not, or he’s good to go, then we go with that.”
Zack Wheeler not available Wednesday, Aaron Nola could pitch in ‘total emergency’
Zack Wheeler takes the field before Game 2 between the Phillies and Braves Wednesday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — If the Phillies are able to extend their season, Zack Wheeler and probably Aaron Nola would be in the pitching plans Thursday for a decisive Game 3 of the wild-card miniseries.
Wheeler isn’t available out of the bullpen here Wednesday after having thrown 97 pitches in the regular-season finale Sunday, according to interim manager Don Mattingly. But the ace is expected to be a factor Thursday, possibly even to start, on three days’ rest.
“I would think so,” Mattingly said. “I would think so. And even (Thursday) anyway, if Noles starts it.”
Speaking of Nola, he started Saturday night on two days’ rest in a desperate move that backfired when he allowed three runs in the first inning. He’s available Wednesday only in “a total emergency,” Mattingly said, as the Phillies hope to save him for a Game 3 start.
“He threw his (between-starts) pen the other day, so he’s built up for it,” Mattingly said. “Yeah, we expect him to take the ball tomorrow.”
Bryson Stott won’t bat cleanup after all.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
After releasing a lineup featuring Bryson Stott batting cleanup, the Phillies revised their Game 2 batting order to have Alec Bohm batting fourth. Stott will instead bat fifth.
“Clerical error when we sent it out,” interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday morning.
Why do the Phillies have three catchers on their playoff roster?
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto knocked in two runs during Game 1. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
I’m still thinking about how the Phillies have three catchers on their postseason roster – J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchán, and Garrett Stubbs
What do you do with three catchers in a three-game series? That’s like the Eagles dressing four quarterbacks.
The construction of the bullpen got a lot of attention after Tuesday’s loss, but don’t overlook how a team with a $320 million payroll started Derek Hill, Bryan De La Cruz, and Edmundo Sosa at No. 5, 6, and 8 while Atlanta had Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley hitting 5-7.
One reason the Phillies could still beat the Braves
If the Phillies win Game 2, they can turn to Zack Wheeler for an all-hand-on-deck Game 3.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Despite wasting an exceptional outing from Jesús Luzardo, the Phillies should have a pitching advantage in Games 2 and 3.
Tyler Mahle, who is starting Game 2, was excellent after being acquired at the trade deadline from San Francisco, and allowed just one run this season in three starts against the Phils.
But he did get roughed up by the Reds last week in his final start of the regular season and had a 5.13 ERA with the Giants before coming to Atlanta. He’s human and Cristopher Sánchez is the better pitcher who the Phils hope can do enough to force a Game 3.
If so, the Phils will have all hands on deck (even Zack Wheeler) against Grant Holmes. The Braves placed Bryce Elder and Martin Perez on the injured list in September, depleting even more of their options after Chris Sale and Mahle. If the Phils win one of the first two games, they’ll take their chances in an elimination game against Holmes.
Cristopher Sánchez to start Game 2, and they’ll need him to go deep
Cristopher Sánchez went 0-2 against the Braves this season.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
The Phillies will pin their hopes of staying alive in the playoffs to Cristopher Sánchez, and he did win 18 games with a 2.91 ERA. They went 23-10 in his starts, albeit only 8-6 on the road and 0-2 against the Braves.
But unless Sánchez throws a complete game, Phillies manager Don Mattingly will face the conundrum of how to get the last three, six, or more outs from less than a handful of trustworthy options.
Zack Wheeler would be on two days’ rest after throwing 97 pitches Sunday in the must-win regular-season finale. Aaron Nola would be on three days’ rest after starting on two days’ rest Saturday night. And the Phillies probably need to hold him back to start a potential Game 3 here Thursday.
Duran threw 27 pitches, his highest total since Aug. 16. Could he pitch again Wednesday in Game 2?
“Maybe yes, maybe not,” he said. “I don’t know. I need to do my catch play first.”
Rookie righty Alex McFarlane will be available after only 16 pitches in the sixth inning. But he gave up the go-ahead run on a hard single by Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies’ triple off over center fielder Derek Hill’s outstretched glove at the wall in right-center field.
Mattingly suggested that Jonathan Bowlan was an option in the ninth inning if Duran had gotten through the eighth. Rookie starter Andrew Painter will sit in the bullpen again, and could easily get a phone call even though he hasn’t pitched in relief.
Tyler Mahle will take the mound looking to eliminate the Phillies.Erik S. Lesser
It’s going to be tough to beat Atlanta Braves starter Tyler Mahle on Wednesday.
He faced the Phillies twice in six days earlier this month, allowing one earned run in 13 innings as the Braves started to run away with the division. He struggled in San Francisco but was much better there after returning from the injured list in late June and blooming into a smart buy-low candidate at the trade deadline.
Mahle dominated the Phillies by mostly throwing a fastball and splitter as he simplified his arsenal since joining the Braves. He doesn’t throw hard but has a ground-ball rate similar to Jesús Luzardo and induced 19 groundouts over those two starts against the Phils. He’ll be looking for that weak contact again.
History isn’t on the side of a Phillies’ wild-card comeback
Jhoan Duran reacts after giving up a three-run homer in Game 1.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
If the Phillies hope to come back against the Atlanta Braves, they’ll also need to overcome history.
For starters, the Phillies will need to win two straight games against the Braves to move on to the National League Division Series. Over the past month, the Phillies have won games on back-to-back days just once – Sept. 16 and 17 against the Washington Nationals.
Since 2022, when MLB made the best-of-three wild-card series permanent, 16 teams have gone down 0-1. Just one team — the New York Yankees in 2025 — managed to come back to win the series.
There’s also Phillies history to overcome. Philly is 0-9 all-time when losing Game 1 in any postgame series.
Interim manager Don Mattingly before the Phillies loss to the Braves in Game 1.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — As Don Mattingly settled into his seat on the golf cart to return to his clubhouse after he’d mismanaged his flawed roster into an eighth-inning collapse, Braves ace Chris Sale strode toward the interview room to discuss his role in the Braves’ 5-3 win in Game 1 of the National League wild-card series.
With his magnificent left hand, Sale doffed his cap and tipped it in Mattingly’s direction. Mattingly’s head was down, understandably. Sale, persistent, took his cap off and tipped it again. Mattingly nodded appreciatively.
After Mattingly’s performance Tuesday, that might be the last time the pair sees each other for a long, long time. Mattingly is the Phillies’ interim manager, and he wants to come back next season. A report last month said Mattingly would have to win the NL pennant to make that happen.
That yardstick got longer Tuesday.
Mattingly used his best reliever, closer Jhoan Duran, in a situation overwhelmingly foreign to Duran. The decision smacked of the odd and desperate moves that cost Rob Thomson the manager’s job 28 games into this season. Mattingly was installed by Phillies president Dave Dombrowski last winter as Thomson’s bench coach to mitigate misjudgments like this. Mattingly was promoted to interim manager in April with the assumption that such misjudgments would not continue.
ATLANTA — Jhoan Duran left the bullpen after the final note of “God Bless America.” It was only the seventh-inning stretch, two innings sooner than the star closer typically goes to work.
Yet nobody was surprised.
Because if the Phillies have a postseason pitching plan, it is to use the fewest pitchers possible to get 27 outs in a game. All hands on deck? Try six arms, maybe seven, even though there are a dozen on the roster.
So, Jesús Luzardo pushed his recently inflamed left shoulder for 77 pitches against the Braves here Tuesday in his first start in 22 days. Fifteen outs down in Game 1 of the best-of-three wild-card series.
And once the Phillies took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, with the top of the Braves’ order coming up, interim manager Don Mattingly called on Duran to get as many of the last nine outs as he could.
There wasn’t much choice.
It ended the way it always seems to end for the Phillies in Game 1s. For the third consecutive postseason, the bullpen coughed up a late lead. This time, Duran threw a clean, 12-pitch seventh and got two outs in the eighth. Then, an infield single, a hit batter, and …
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran pitched more than one inning only once during the season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“There’s no secret that we’ve had our share of blown leads, not just Game 1 but throughout the postseason,” said J.T. Realmuto, whose two-run triple into the right-field corner put the Phillies ahead 3-2 in the top of the seventh. “Sixth, seventh, eighth inning, it’s something we have to get better at. And we have the guys in here to do it.”
Well, that’s the thing. The Phillies had deeper, better bullpens the last two years. Rob Thomson didn’t use Duran in the seventh inning last year because he had Strahm and David Robertson. In 2024, Hoffman and Strahm were All-Stars.
This year, the bridge to Duran buckled when $22 million setup man Brad Keller tore an elbow ligament in July. Dave Dombrowski, a future Hall of Fame executive with a blind spot for building past bullpens (ask fans in Detroit) didn’t suitably reinforce it at the trade deadline.
And it collapsed almost entirely in the last few weeks due to ineffectiveness (José Alvarado and Orion Kerkering) and injury (Jonathan Bowlan).
Before the game, Mattingly and pitching coach Caleb Cotham agreed to script the pitching accordingly. If they could get to the seventh inning with a lead, they would go to Duran early.
Duran said he was aware of the plan. For weeks, the Phillies have discussed using him for more than three outs in the postseason.
“I feel like stuff like that happens in the postseason all the time,” Trea Turner said. “I was more wondering how long he was going to go.”
Turner has seen this before, notably with the Nationals in 2019. They won a wild card despite a bullpen that had a 5.66 ERA in the regular season. In the playoffs, they leaned primarily on two relievers and used starters Patrick Corbin, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Anibal Sanchez out of the bullpen on side days.
And they won the World Series.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner played for the 2019 Nationals, who won the World Series despite a poor bullpen.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“We had very few [relievers],” Turner recalled. “Our two main guys were [Sean] Doolittle and [Daniel] Hudson, and we kind of pieced together after that. Corbin picked us up a lot. … You’ve just got to find a way.
“I mean, it’s frustrating. But it’s not over.”
It’s not. But since the creation of the best-of-three miniseries in 2022, the Game 1 winner has won 15 of 16 series. Only the Yankees lived to tell about a series-opening loss, and they were playing at home.
The Phillies will pin their hopes to Cristopher Sánchez, and he did win 18 games with a 2.91 ERA. They went 23-10 in his starts, albeit only 8-6 on the road and 0-2 against the Braves.
But unless Sánchez throws a complete game, Mattingly will face the conundrum of how to get the last three, six, or more outs from less than a handful of trustworthy options.
Zack Wheeler would be on two days’ rest after throwing 97 pitches Sunday in the must-win regular-season finale. Aaron Nola would be on three days’ rest after starting on two days’ rest Saturday night. And the Phillies probably need to hold him back to start a potential Game 3 here Thursday.
Duran threw 27 pitches, his highest total since Aug. 16. Could he pitch again Wednesday in Game 2?
“Maybe yes, maybe not,” he said. “I don’t know. I need to do my catch play first.”
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly has few relievers he can trust.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Rookie righty Alex McFarlane will be available after only 16 pitches in the sixth inning. But he gave up the go-ahead run on a hard single by Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies’ triple off over center fielder Derek Hill’s outstretched glove at the wall in right-center field.
Mattingly suggested that Bowlan was an option in the ninth inning if Duran had gotten through the eighth. Rookie starter Andrew Painter will sit in the bullpen again, and could easily get a phone call even though he hasn’t pitched in relief.
Consider what Mattingly said before Game 1: “I think you look at it and, is he one of our better guys? That’s just what I’m looking at. And he’s one of our better guys. … It’s hard to go to somebody else that, I don’t want to use names, but somebody else over him that’s not the same caliber.”
With a one-run lead in the seventh inning of another Game 1, Mattingly didn’t have anyone as good as Duran.
History isn’t on the side of a Phillies’ wild-card comeback
Bryson Stott jogs off the field after the final out as Braves players celebrate their Game 1 win. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
If the Phillies hope to comeback against the Atlanta Braves, they’ll also need to overcome history.
Since 2022, when MLB made the best-of-three wild-card series permanent, 16 teams have gone down 0-1. Just one team – the New York Yankees in 2025 – managed to come back to win the series.
There’s also Phillies history to overcome. Philly is 0-9 all-time when losing Game 1 in any postgame series.
Austin Riley celebrates his game-winning three-run homer against the Phillies.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – Not this time.
With the Phillies one out from taking a one-run lead into the ninth inning here Tuesday – and possibly stealing another Game 1 of another playoff series against the rival Braves – Jhoan Duran gave up a go-ahead three-run homer to Austin Riley in a 5-3 loss.
The Phillies now trail in the best-of-three series. Since 2022, when the wildcard miniseries was created, the winner of Game 1 has won all but one of 16 series.
Duran was called into the game in the seventh inning, a drastic move by interim manager Don Mattingly in an attempt to mitigate a combustible bullpen. Duran retired the side on 12 pitches and came back out for the eighth inning.
After Duran swiftly got two outs, including a line drive back to the mound, Michael Harris II reached on a throwing error by shortstop Trea Turner. After Ozzie Albies got hit by a pitch on the foot, Riley smashed a 100 mph fastball to right field.
Phillies turn to closer Jhoan Duran early to hold late lead
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran pitches in the seventh inning. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – J.T. Realmuto snapped an 0-for-34 slump in the final game of the regular season. Now, he has given the Phillies a lead in Game 1 of the wild-card series.
Oh, and Jhoan Duran is being asked to hold it … in the seventh inning.
After the Phillies knocked Braves ace Chris Sale from the game with one out in the seventh inning, Realmuto lined a 99-mph fastball from Braves reliever Didier Fuentes into the right-field corner to drive home Bryan De La Cruz and Bryson Stott and open a 3-2 lead.
Duran, the star closer, has gotten more than three outs in a game only once this season.
Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane gave up a run in the sixth inning against the Braves.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Phillies’ bullpen gave up a go-ahead run.
The first call to the bullpen in the postseason went to hard-throwing rookie Alex McFarlane, among the few trusted options for interim manager Don Mattingly. And after allowing a one-out single to Michael Harris II, McFarlane gave up an RBI triple off leaping Derek Hill’s glove at the wall in right-center field.
Hill, who gained notoriety for robbing a homer earlier in the season against the Mets in New York, nearly did it again — and in the same spot in Turner Field where Harris stole a homer from Nick Castellanos and doubled off Bryce Harper to end Game 2 of the 2023 NL division series.
But Hill couldn’t come down with Albies’ blast. He lost his glove, regrouped on the warning track, and held Albies to a triple.
McFarlane emerged as the top setup reliever in the Phillies’ shaky bullpen despite being in double-A at the All-Star break. He got called up in late July and posted a 2.84 ERA in 19 games.
In the top of the sixth inning, Bryce Harper nearly put the Phillies ahead with a two-run home run off Braves starter Chris Sale. However, it drifted a few feet right of the foul pole in right field.
Harper ultimately grounded out to shortstop and the game remained tied — for the moment. In the bottom half of the inning, it was again a difference of inches that helped the Braves break the tie and take their first lead of the series, as a triple from Ozzie Albies hit off the hand of center fielder Derek Hill.
The double off reliever Alex McFarlane, who had recently taken over for starter Jesus Luzardo, put the Phillies down, 2-1. If they go on to drop Game 1, those two moments could loom large.
Jesús Luzardo gave up one run in five innings against the Braves in Game 1 on Tuesday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Jesús Luzardo was more than an opener.
Making his first start in 22 days because of an inflamed left shoulder, Luzardo faced 22 batters, recorded 15 outs on 77 pitches, and got the Phillies through five innings in a 1-1 game against Braves ace Chris Sale.
Rookie reliever Alex McFarlane entered to begin the sixth.
Luzardo breezed through a 10-pitch first inning, allowed a run in the second, then set down nine of 12 batters.
The Phillies’ bullpen didn’t stir until the fifth inning, when Jonathan Bowlan and lefty Tim Mayza began loosening. But Luzardo struck out Ha-Seong Kim and Drake Baldwin, and after hitting Ronald Acuna Jr. on the foot, he got Matt Olson to ground out.
Luzardo hadn’t started since a 109-pitch complete game against the Braves on Sept. 7.
Jesus Luzardo has struck out four through four innings.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Interim manager Don Mattingly said that the Phillies’ plan for Jesús Luzardo’s start on Tuesday was to “read and react.”
The lefty had not started a game since his Sept. 7 shutout against the Braves, so no one was sure what to expect from him in Game 1. Well, Luzardo’s pitch count is at 61 through four innings and the Phillies don’t have an arm up quite yet in the bullpen. Several relievers have begun their stretching routines during the top of the fifth, but at the moment it appears that Luzardo will be returning for the bottom of the inning.
The Braves have one run on three hits against him as the game remains deadlocked at 1-1. Luzardo has struck out four, two on his fastball and two on his sweeper.
Ha-Seong Kim tags Trea Turner as he tries to steal second base in the third inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Chris Sale only picked off one baserunner all season.
It took until the third inning of Game 1 for him to notch his second. Sale fooled Trea Turner, who was off and running from first as Sale stepped off the rubber, and was easily tagged out at second to end the top of the third inning. Turner made some contact with Atlanta shortstop Ha-Seong Kim while sliding, and Kim stayed down for a few moments.
After a 23-pitch first inning, Sale has been much more efficient. He needed eight pitches for the second and 12 pitches for the third.
ATLANTA — After a 10-pitch first inning from Jesús Luzardo, he dealt with some traffic in the second.
With runners on the corners, Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley attempted to check his swing, but the ball hit off the knob of his bat. It rolled back to Luzardo, who grabbed it, and caught Mauricio Dubón in a run down between third and home for the second out of the inning.
The Braves tied up the game on the very next pitch, when Mike Yastrzemski singled up the middle. But after falling behind, 3-0, to Ha-Seong Kim, Luzardo battled back to strike him out on a fastball, stranding a pair.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale pitches in the first inning against the Phillies in game 1 of the National League Wild Card.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The top of the Phillies’ lineup scored a run off Kyle Schwarber’s one-out walk and Alec Bohm’s two-out double, and, significantly, worked braves ace Chris Sale for 21 of the 23 pitches he threw in the first inning.
Alec Bohm hits a RBI double in the first inning against the Braves. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — The Phillies drew first blood in Game 1.
In a 2-2 count, Alec Bohm chased a high four-seam fastball from Chris Sale and sent it to the center field wall. Michael Harris II couldn’t come up with the catch, allowing Kyle Schwarber to score from first and Bohm to sail into second with a double.
The Braves held the Phillies to one run in the first, but Sale has looked erratic early. He still struck out Trea Turner and Bryce Harper — dialing his fastball up to 100 mph to get Harper swinging — but he has not been working in the zone much. The Phillies will need to cut down on their chasing to keep the pressure on the Atlanta ace.
According to Statcast, Chris Sale gave up only one hit all season on a fastball above the strike zone. And that was a single to Bobby Witt Jr. – on Opening Day. https://t.co/frSSo6yZuA
Cristopher Sánchez on starting Game 2 and his confidence in Jesús Luzardo
Cristopher Sánchez will start Game 2 Wednesday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Cristopher Sánchez was sitting among the relievers in the Phillies’ bullpen during Game 162.
He didn’t get called on — if he had, it would only have been in a true emergency situation — but it had been left-hander’s idea to head out there that day after catch play.
“I let [interim manager Don Mattingly] know early on that I was ready to go out there for an inning if they needed me,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “It’s just an important game, so I was just ready to go in case they needed me. But I did let him know early on that I felt great and ready to go.”
Now, Sánchez is lined up to start Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Braves. But before they can get there, the Phillies are turning to fellow lefty Jesús Luzardo for Game 1. Luzardo did wind up making a relief appearance during Sunday’s regular season finale, needing four pitches for the eighth inning, his first time facing live hitters since Sept. 7.
“He prepared himself in the best way possible while he was out and he never let go,” Sánchez said of Luzardo. “He was just ready, focused, and prepared for him to come back in the healthiest way possible for him. It’s not a coincidence that he had a great outing at home on Sunday. It was a good inning, he pitched a good inning, and that’s what I’m expecting from him today to have a good outing, a good start. And he’s going to be able to give us the win tonight. That’s what I expect out of him.”
Sánchez and Luzardo are the only two lefties in the Phillies’ rotation. Despite their different arsenals and their physical differences — Sánchez stands six inches taller than Luzardo — they have more in common than it might appear. Both mainly rely on one key out pitch that is one of the best of its kind in baseball: Sánchez’s changeup and Luzardo’s sweeper.
“We help each other out a lot,” Sánchez said. “I learn a lot from him, and I’m pretty sure that he learns a lot from me too. We talk a lot. We have a lot of conversations too. He’s a great pitcher, and the year he had, I think he deserves it. He works for it, and I’m just happy for him, and I think he deserves all the good things that happened to him this year.”
Can the Phillies find success against Braves ace Chris Sale?
Braves ace Chris Sale has been dominant against the Phillies. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies found a little bit of success against Chris Sale their last time out, scoring three runs in seven innings of a 6-5 loss on Sept. 11. In their previous five games against the Braves lefty, the Phillies had managed just four runs in 31 innings.
All three of those runs on Sept. 11 came on a bases clearing double by Derek Hill in the second inning. Not surprisingly, Hill is in the lineup for Game 1 on Monday.
“It doesn’t ever get easier with him,” Phillies manager Don Mattingly said a few hours before first pitch. “The more you see him, maybe you’ve also had some back and forth with pitches and counts and how he pitches you, so you have a little better feel for that. But that doesn’t really make it any easier.
“I think with guys like Chris, you have to be able to give and take. You try to take something from him. Maybe it’s a pitch, maybe it’s a side, maybe it’s whatever, height maybe you’re looking at.
“But you just don’t take the whole plate and say I’m going to handle everything. It’s kind of hard nowadays with anybody like that with the stuff that guys have.
“The more you see him, I don’t know if it helps you or helps him one way or the other. But it’s nice that you at least have seen the angle. You’ve seen the movement. You have some sort of ground zero.”
How will Andrew Painter fare if he’s needed out of the bullpen?
Rookie Andrew Painter came out from the bullpen twice this season.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – As much as the Phillies are unsure what to expect from Jesus Luzardo in Game 1, they can’t predict how rookie starter Andrew Painter will fare if he’s needed out of the bullpen either.
But it won’t stop them from using him.
“I think you look at it and, is he one of our better guys?” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “That’s just what I’m look at. And he’s one of our better guys. He’s been obviously starting all year long. He’s got different pitches. Yeah, he’s one of our better guys. It’s hard to go to somebody else that, I don’t want to use names, but somebody else over him that’s not the same caliber.”
A starter throughout his time in the minor leagues, Painter did come in from the bullpen twice this season. He entered in the third inning April 12 after overcoming a migraine that prevented him from starting; the Phillies brought him in behind an opener June 12 in Milwaukee.
Otherwise, the 23-year-old has only started.
“It’s hard to be too comfortable in that you haven’t seen him out of the pen,” Mattingly said. “The phone rings, you’ve got to get up and get going. We haven’t been able to do that. We didn’t get to that.”
Mattingly said the “best-case scenario” would be to use Painter at the beginning of an inning, without runners on base, after giving him ample time to warm up. But the Phillies also won’t hesitate to use Painter in a stickier situation if he’s the best option.
Jesus Luzardo will start Game 1 against the Braves Tuesday afternoon.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – Upon announcing that Jesus Luzardo would start Game 1 for the Phillies, Don Mattingly quickly clarified.
“I should say open,” he said.
The Braves aren’t buying it.
Never mind that Luzardo has thrown four pitches in a game over the last three weeks because of an inflamed left shoulder. The Braves won’t believe he’s limited until they see it.
“Very skeptical,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday, laughing. “Donnie is great, man. I think if he’s pitching well, he’ll keep going. That’s kind of how I look at it, and that’s typically how it works. I didn’t put a whole lot of stock into that. I’m sure the game will dictate how deep he goes.”
Indeed, although Mattingly wouldn’t disclose a pitch limit for Luzardo, he elaborated about the Phillies would approach Luzardo.
“Medical calls it ‘read and react,’” Mattingly said. “So, I think that’s what it is today.”
In other words, the Phillies will take whatever they can get from Luzardo before turning to the bullpen.
Pitcher Brooks Raley didn’t make the Phillies’ wild-card roster.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
The Phillies announced their wild-card roster Tuesday morning, and reliever Brooks Raley did not make the cut. That means all three players the Phillies acquired at the trade deadline won’t play during the wild-card series.
Second baseman Luis Arraez is out with a sprained left ankle, while reliever Caleb Kilian was placed on the 60-day injured reserve with an oblique strain.
Pitchers (12): Left-handers – José Alvarado, Tanner Banks, Jesús Luzardo, Tim Mayza and Cristopher Sánchez. Right-handers – Jonathan Bowlan, Jhoan Duran, Alex McFarlane, Aaron Nola, Andrew Painter, Chase Shugart and Zack Wheeler.
Catchers (3): Rafael Marchán, J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs.
Infielders (5): Alec Bohm, Otto Kemp, Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott and Trea Turner.
Outfielders (5): Justin Crawford, Bryan De La Cruz, Bryce Harper, Derek Hill and Brandon Marsh.
Kyle Schwarber could be on the move again in the Phillies’ lineup.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Will Kyle Schwarber be back batting leadoff again this series?
Two moves reeked of panic to me over the weekend when the walls were closing in: starting Aaron Nola on two-days’ rest and moving Trea Turner to leadoff.
No Phils batter has hit first more in the last five years since Schwarber, who had been batting leadoff again this season since August. You want to change it up? Do it two weeks ago and not in the final weekend when everyone is talking about 1964. The offense has been at its best over the last five years when Schwarber is batting leadoff. There’s no reason to go away from that now.
I’m also curious about the Phillies’ plan to navigate the late innings if they have a lead.
How do they get the ball to Johan Duran? Jonathan Bowlan is back but hasn’t pitched since Sept. 17. Does Don Mattingly trust him like he did before the groin injury? Jose Alvarado was rocked on Saturday by the Rays. Can you ask him to get important outs? Alex McFarlane’s velocity dipped in the final week and the results were concerning on Sunday. Brooks Raley was acquired to be that guy, but he’s almost unusable.
This series could ultimately be decided by the bullpen and the lack of options.
After clinching on Sunday, the Phillies open their fifth straight postseason on Tuesday in Atlanta.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
The Phillies have won 88 or more games just 23 times in their 144-year history. And I can’t imagine any of those 23 seasons were more maddening than the last six months. Well, maybe that 1964 season was. But we don’t need to rehash that right now.
The Phils have given you enough reasons this month to doubt that they can win twice in Atlanta and keep this thing going. They still don’t have a cleanup hitter, the bullpen is thinner than the new-look Joel Embiid, they lost their second-to-last game of the season by 11 runs, and they’re carrying three catchers on their postseason roster. So it’s hard to be bullish on the Phils, who are countering Chris Sale with an opener in Game 1 on Tuesday (2 p.m., NBC).
But before you check out, remember that this Braves team actually seems beatable. Their bullpen is even stronger with the return of Robert Suarez but they lost two starters this month to injuries. The Phillies know what Ronald Acuna Jr. did in September but Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley each had an OPS in September less than .640. And the Braves have not won a playoff series since they won it all in 2021. Two of their last three October exits were at the hands of the Phils.
So here’s three ways to talk yourself back into the Phillies before the start of the wild-card series.
They’ve been here before. Twice. The Phils weren’t able to line up their pitchers in the 2022 and 2023 NLDS after using Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola to get through the wild-card round. They arrived in Atlanta both years with questions about their pitching. The Phils used Ranger Suárez, who gave the Phils three-plus innings in back-to-back years and proved his mettle while becoming one of this era’s beloved players. The Phils are in a similar pinch on Tuesday as Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez are unavailable after pitching in the final series of the season.
Jesús Luzardo will start Game 1 but interim manager Don Mattingly called him an “opener” as the Phils don’t know how long Luzardo can pitch three days after returning from the injured list. If the Phillies can steal another Game 1 in Atlanta, someone has to do their best Ranger. A combination of Luzardo and Andrew Painter seems like the plan for the bulk of the outs.
Not the worst thing for the Phillies to hit the road
Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies will hit the road for Game 1.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Game 1 is important in any postseason series. In a best-of-three, it’s imperative.
Since the wild-card miniseries was instituted in 2022, 11 of the 16 series ended in sweeps. Only one team has overcome a Game 1 loss to win the series, and the 2025 Yankees were playing at home against the Red Sox.
Most teams prefer to open the playoffs at home. But after a week from hell, in which they lost four games in a row amid a chorus of boos and only narrowly avoided an epic collapse, maybe it’s best for the Phillies to get away.
“I mean, we’re not afraid,” Kyle Schwarber said following Sunday’s win. “That’s the biggest thing is that we’re not fazed by where we’re playing.”
In fact, the Phillies had a better record on the road (45-36) than at home (43-38). They’ve also lost five of their last six postseason games at home dating to Game 6 of the 2023 NL Championship Series.
John Kruk back in a suit to call Phillies-Braves series
John Kruk will be back in a suit to call Phillies-Braves on NBCNBC Sports
The Phillies’ wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves won’t air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, but that won’t stop John Kruk from calling the game.
Kruk will part of a crowded broadcast on NBC that will feature play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian, fellow analyst C.J. Nitkowski, and Joey Votto serving as a pitching analyst. Ashley ShahAhmadi will report from Truist Park.
Tuesday’s game will also feature Kruk squeezing back into a suit, a requirement for announcers calling MLB games on NBC.
“I think I probably object to the verb choice [forcing],” Jason Benetti, NBC’s top MLB announcer, during a conference call Monday.
John Kruk in a suit looks like someone who’s been advised by a judge to not represent themself in court. pic.twitter.com/hkNmcBqPSh
Kurk’s unusual attire (at least for him) have led to some funny broadcast moments, including the revelation he brought five ties with him when he called a Phillies game on NBC in July alongside former Phillies manager Joe Girardi.
Four were clip-ons, which he struggled to put on during the broadcast.
“It’s pure entertainment sitting here next to John Kruk,” Girardi said.
While Benetti isn’t calling the Phillies-Braves series, he has shared the booth with Kruk a handful of times this season, and came away impressed with the former Phillies great’s baseball mind.
“John Kruk is a lethally great baseball analyst,” Benetti said. “He sees things in advance. He has fun… You never know if he’s just lightly pulling one over on your, you never fully know, and that is a joy to be around.”
The game can also be heard on 94.1 WIP, with longtime Phillies broadcaster Scott Franzke calling all the action alongside Larry Andersen.
Angel Castillo, and Bill Kulik will call Phillies-Braves in Spanish on La Unika 1680 AM.
Jesús Luzardo returned from the injured list to pitch out of the bullpen in the Phillies’ playoff-clinching win over the Rays on Sunday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
In 2023, the Phillies came to Atlanta for a playoff series with their best two pitchers unavailable to start Game 1 against a record-setting offense.
So, they got creative.
It was difficult not to feel a twinge of déjà vu Monday, when Don Mattingly announced Jesús Luzardo will start — “I should say open,” he clarified — Game 1 of a best-of-three wild-card series against the Braves.
Luzardo should get down-ballot Cy Young votes for a 2.86 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 179⅔ innings. But he has thrown four pitches in a game over the last three weeks because of an inflamed left shoulder. And while catcher J.T. Realmuto said the Phillies “don’t think 10 days off is necessarily long enough to throw him out of whack,” the truth is … well, let’s let Mattingly tell it.
“I don’t think we really know what to expect,” he said.
The Phillies planned to have Zack Wheeler start Game 1 against Braves ace Chris Sale. But they needed him Sunday in a must-win regular-season finale. Cristopher Sánchez is lined up for Game 2 on regular rest. Aaron Nola? He’d have been an option, if not for a panicky gambit to start him on two days’ rest Saturday night.
Maybe Luzardo will tap into postseason adrenaline and last six innings. Maybe he’ll go once through the Braves’ order. He threw four fastballs to get three outs in the eighth inning of a four-run game in the rain Sunday against the Rays, who had nothing to play for.
Scott Franzke’s postseason pep talk to Phillies fans
Radio announcer Scott Franzke is in his 21st season calling Phillies games.NBC Sports Philadelphia
The vibes heading into the playoffs aren’t great, but longtime Phillies radio announcer Scott Franzke managed to offer something of a postseason pep talk directed at cynical fans prior to Saturday night’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
“You can pick whatever word you want for your feeling watching the Phillies baseball team these past few weeks. Maybe it’s frustrated. Maybe it’s angry. Maybe it’s exhausted,” Franzke said. “You feel that way because you’re a fan, and because you’re at your core a fan of this team. You still want them to win.”
Franzke has been through it all in his 21 season calling Phillies games, everything from a World Series win in 2008 to 99-loss season in 2015. Like fans across the Delaware Valley, he’s experienced the highs and lows of rooting for the Phillies.
“Now, I know all of you are not going to feel that way. I get it. You’re going to be like, ‘Hey, Scott, you’re such a homer, settle down,’” Franzke said. “But I’m doing to choose a different word for what’s ahead… excited, because we have witnessed one of the great runs in Phillies franchise history these last five years.”
“It might not work out the way we want it to,” Franzke added. “Nevertheless, as we like to say, I’ll try to keep the faith a little bit longer.”
Phillies should benefit as ABS system makes playoff debut
J.T. Realmuto has been very successful in his challenges to balls and strikes.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
This will be the first postseason to feature the automated ball‑strike (ABS) challenge system. That should benefit the Phillies, considering catcher J.T. Realmuto’s extreme success challenging balls and strikes.
As for other playoff rule changes, there will be no “ghost runners” during the postseason.
MLB’s designated runner rule puts a player on second base to begin each half-inning if a game is tied after nine innings. The rule was an attempt to preserve pitching staffs and avoid extra-long regular season games.
But during the playoffs, that rule is out the window. So if a postseason games enter extra innings, you won’t see anyone on second base.
ATLANTA — In 2023, the Phillies came here for a playoff series with their best two pitchers unavailable to start Game 1 against a record-setting offense.
So, they got creative.
It was difficult not to feel a twinge of déjà vu Monday, when Don Mattingly announced that Jesús Luzardowill start — “I should say open,” he clarified — Game 1 of a best-of-three wild-card series against the Braves.
Luzardo should get down-ballot Cy Young votes for a 2.86 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 179⅔ innings. But he has thrown four pitches in a game over the last three weeks because of an inflamed left shoulder. And while catcher J.T. Realmuto said the Phillies “don’t think 10 days off is necessarily long enough to throw him out of whack,” the truth is … well, let’s let Mattingly tell it.
Maybe Luzardo will tap into postseason adrenaline and last six innings. Maybe he’ll go once through the Braves’ order. He threw four fastballs to get three outs in the eighth inning of a four-run game in the rain Sunday against the Rays, who had nothing to play for.
It didn’t reveal much.
Jesus Luzardo (right) threw a 109-pitch complete game against the Braves on Sept. 7. He hasn’t started a game since because of an inflamed left shoulder.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
“Once the third hitter came up, I wanted to call an 0-0 sweeper just to get one in there and see how it looked,” Realmuto said. “But I was like, ‘There’s no way this guy gets out in one pitch, too, so we’ll get ahead with a sinker and go ahead with the sweeper.’ And we ended up not needing the sweeper, which was unfortunate that he didn’t get to throw that pitch.”
There’s always Tuesday against leadoff-hitting Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.
Video: Three things to watch in Phillies’ wild-card series vs. Braves
Three years ago, the Phillies’ pitching conundrum was less about the options behind Wheeler and Nola than the matchup. The Braves tied the single-season major-league record with 307 homers, but were susceptible to high velocity, according to the Phillies’ scouting report.
The plan called for finesse lefty Ranger Suárez to go through the order 1½ times before attacking the Braves with a parade of hard-throwing relievers. It worked in a series-opening 3-0 victory.
Just as the Phillies came up with that Game 1 script, they will have one this time, too, although they surely will take as many outs as Luzardo can get. Andrew Painter is available out of the bullpen. If they could use only Luzardo, Painter, and rookie reliever Alex McFarlane to get to closer Jhoan Duran, they would be ecstatic.
But while the Phillies’ pitching plan begins with Luzardo and crossed fingers, there’s immense pressure on Sale to deliver for the Braves, especially with fellow Cy Young candidate Sánchez looming for the Phillies in Game 2.
Game 1 is important in any postseason series. In a best-of-three, it’s imperative. Since the wild-card miniseries was instituted in 2022, 11 of the 16 series ended in sweeps. Only one team has overcome a Game 1 loss to win the series, and the 2025 Yankees were playing at home against the Red Sox.
A few other thoughts heading into the series:
Righty-hitting outfielders Derek Hill (right) and Bryan De La Cruz will have a big role for the Phillies in the wild-card series against the Braves.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Getting it right vs. left
Mattingly is expected to stack the lineup with right-handed hitters, notably outfielders Derek Hill and Bryan De La Cruz. Maybe it won’t matter because Sale allowed only six runs on 15 hits in 26 innings in four starts against the Phillies.
But Hill and De La Cruz will be factors beyond Game 1.
Atlanta’s bullpen may feature as many as four lefties (Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Ray Kerr, and Brent Suter), which could create opportunities for Hill and De La Cruz to stay in the game after Sale exits and come off the bench in Games 2 and 3.
Hill, acquired in an early June trade with the White Sox, batted .261 with seven homers and a .783 OPS and played stellar defense in a center-field platoon with rookie Justin Crawford. De La Cruz, a veteran who came up from triple A in August, hit .280 with two homers and a .762 OPS.
“D-Hill has been an incredible asset for us in the outfield and at the plate against lefties,” Bryce Harper said. “De La Cruz, same thing. These guys, making the moves that we have, can change a postseason for you. Big hit here, big hit there. It’s funny to look back on a lot of postseasons in baseball history. Not many of the superstar players play to their ability. It’s always that hush-hush guy down the lineup that just makes an impact and you win the game.”
Said Mattingly: “We struggled with lefties earlier in the year, and they at least give us some options to put a better crew out there.”
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner is seeking to rebound in the playoffs after the worst season of his career.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Turning the page
Nobody will be happier to see his stats wiped from the scoreboard than Trea Turner.
Turner endured the worst season of his career. One year after winning his second batting title and finishing fifth in the NL MVP race, the $300 million shortstop batted .242, reached base at a .297 clip, and had a .675 OPS, well below his career levels (.292, .343, .810).
“I feel like when you’re going through the season, you’re looking up at the scoreboard, you see your numbers all the time, and now they kind of reset,” Turner said. “From that mentality standpoint, it’s kind of refreshing a little bit. But it doesn’t matter what the numbers look like. Even now, it’s just whether you win or lose.”
Especially now. Turner returned to the leadoff spot over the weekend and had two hits in each of the last two games. He finished on a 10-for-33 (.303) roll with four walks and only seven strikeouts.
Keeping it going is the best way to make everyone forget about the last six months.
“In New York [two weeks ago], I feel like I swung the bat better a little bit,” Turner said. “I feel like I’m in a good position to see the ball better, make good decisions, and just feel good at the plate.”
Kyle Schwarber (middle) said the Phillies are confident being on the road.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Hit the road
Most teams prefer to open the playoffs at home. But after a week from hell, in which they lost four games in a row amid a chorus of boos and only narrowly avoided an epic collapse, maybe it’s best for the Phillies to get away.
“I mean, we’re not afraid,” Kyle Schwarber said. “That’s the biggest thing is that we’re not fazed by where we’re playing.”
In fact, the Phillies had a better record on the road (45-36) than at home (43-38). They’ve also lost five of their last six postseason games at home dating to Game 6 of the 2023 NL Championship Series.
Bryce Harper might’ve been the first to say it sometime around the middle of June. Or maybe it was Trea Turner. Either way, it became a motto amid the vomit-inducing ups and downs of the last few months.
Just get us in.
So, here were the Phillies on Sunday, at the end of a week from hell, with a nor’easter blowing through town, needing to win one stinkin’ game after losing four in a row to punch a ticket for tournament baseball and avoid entering the barroom debate over the worst collapse in franchise history.
“Everything resets, you know?” Harper said, as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” kicked off a sudsy, smoky clubhouse celebration after a 7-3 victory over the Rays that felt more like a collective exhale. “You get into October, everything resets.”
Indeed, nothing that happened over the last six months matters anymore. Not the 9-19 start that got the first manager fired. Not the late-summer surge that began in an Iowa cornfield. And certainly not the 9-14 finish that threatened to unravel it all.
The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber celebrates in the clubhouse after clinching a playoff spot on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
So, Game 1 of the best-of-three wild-card series begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Atlanta. And that’s just fine with the Phillies, who got showered with boos all week before finally cracking open the booze.
Make no mistake: They noticed. Just like they noticed how the mood in the ballpark turned when Bryson Stott lined a two-out RBI double in the first inning to give the Phillies their first lead since … checks notes… Tuesday — and the fans a reason to finally clap.
“That was one of our better crowds, I thought,” interim manager Don Mattingly said, beer goggles pressed to his forehead. “You don’t hear a lot of ‘Let’s Go Phillies’ at our games. It’s just waiting for things, right? And it would be great if it would be an uplifting type of scenario.
“In the Milwaukee series, somebody makes an out in the fourth with a guy on base, and it’s like a boo. And I know it’s the fans’ right to do it. But you can either lift up or you can hold down, and if you lift the team up, you’ve got a chance.”
Excuse Mattingly. He’s still new here, having just capped his first season with the Phillies. He got hired to be the bench coach and wound up replacing the fired Rob Thomson on April 28.
Mattingly is less familiar, then, with the narrative that has trailed the core of a team that has stayed largely intact since the unexpected World Series run in 2022. The Phillies backslid in each successive October, from the Game 7 loss at home in the 2023 NL Championship Series to last year’s divisional round loss to the Dodgers.
Video: Phillies celebrate clinching a fifth-consecutive postseason berth
So, here’s Harper upon being asked about the Phillies making a fifth consecutive postseason appearance for only the second time in their 144-year history: “Yeah, I mean, you wouldn’t think that with everybody’s opinion of us.”
If you sense a chip on his shoulder, well, maybe that’s not such a bad thing … now that the Phillies are in, of course, after a lot of folks thought they were Dead Men Walking.
“We’re the type of team that, we don’t care the people’s opinions of us or what they think or what anybody thinks about our team,” Harper continued. “Obviously we didn’t play the best baseball we could in September. Should we have clinched two weeks ago? Probably, right? But we didn’t. We clinched today, and that’s how the story is written right now.”
Zack Wheeler pitches in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
They wrote a happy ending in Game 162 because …
Zack Wheeler gave up one run in six innings after the game was moved up by a half-hour to begin in drier conditions, and Jesús Luzardo returned from the injured list and got three outs on four pitches in the eighth.
J.T. Realmuto broke an 0-for-34 spell with an RBI double in the second inning after being dropped to ninth in the order for the first time in his career.
Kyle Schwarber scorched a two-run double in the second inning, belly-flopped into second base and, in a rare display of on-field emotion, screamed to the dugout, “Let’s go!”
Oh, and Harper fouled off a slider, fastball, sinker, and splitter in succession before lining a 111.6-mph missile into the right-field bleachers in the fifth inning.
Indeed, the Phillies pulled through because they were led by the stars of their $320 million roster.
“This was what it was supposed to be today,” Mattingly said. “For whatever reason, this was how it was supposed to happen for the 2026 Phillies. Again, I think just getting in is the key, right?”
“Look,” said John Middleton, who was 9 years old during the Phillies’ epic collapse in 1964, “I did know the possibility that we wouldn’t get in. But I wasn’t particularly worried about it.”
Why not?
“I still maintain we are the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball,” said Middleton, wearing the standard issue red T-shirt and shorts and holding googles just in case. “Better than the Dodgers. Better than anybody else. And that’s particularly true with Luzardo back and healthy. I think our hitting could be really good.
“We kind of snuck in in ‘22. We didn’t necessarily sneak in here. We weren’t playing well at the end. But we know how to play well, and we played really well today.”
The Phillies walk off the field after clinching a playoff spot on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
If the Phillies play well in Atlanta, they might actually make it back home to see their fans again. The Braves won the NL East over them by six games and went 9-4 against them in the regular season.
It’s all irrelevant now. The Phillies got in. If they write their legacies over the next month, nobody will care that it took them 162 games to get there.
“Nothing that happened during the regular season matters anymore,” Harper said. “As a team, as a group, we’ve just got to go in, play the best baseball we can, get hot for the next couple weeks.
“We’ve never finished the job. So, we’ve got to do that.”
