Neither the NFL nor Brian Dawkins gave President Donald Trump’s administration approval to post game footage of the former Eagles player on social media. But the Department of Homeland Security posted a montage of Dawkins to promote its immigration policies anyway.
The NFL asked DHS on Monday to take down the post, in which the agency responds to news about immigrants near the U.S.-Mexico border with a video of an edited NFL broadcast featuring Dawkins’ iconic walkout entrance. The video uses copyrighted NFL material and Dawkins’ likeness, and the band Korn’s “Blind” can be heard in the background.
When asked if DHS would comply with the request, a department spokesperson responded with a meme photo of Bugs Bunny saying, “no,” posted to social media by DHS general counsel James Percival.
But is the government allowed to use copyrighted material without permission? In the case of the Dawkins video, it likely can, said Guy Rub, a Temple University law professor and intellectual property expert, who said the NFL footage and Dawkins’ likeness could fall under “fair use.”
Under the fair use doctrine, copyrighted material can be used without permission when the material is used in a “transformative” way to add new meaning or messaging, Rub said.
“There is a pretty good argument to say that this is transformative use. It takes the underlying footage and uses it for a new purpose — it’s not trying to compete with the NFL when they posted it. They are giving it new meaning, a new context under this framework,” Rub said, who noted he did not endorse the Trump administration’s messaging.
A major factor in fair use is whether the copyrighted material is being reused to make money. DHS was tying the footage to political speech, which is protected under the First Amendment, Rub said. It just happens that the government was the one making the political statement in this case.
The Dawkins dustup is the latest controversy in the Trump administration’s use of copyrighted material in its meme-centric, Gen Z-inspired postings on social media, often deploying beloved cartoon characters and pop music to amplify Trump campaign slogans or immigration messaging.
Trump has drawn the ire of musicians for years for using music in videos and campaign events without permission since the 2016 election. But in his second term, Trump’s federal agencies have opened the floodgates with their takes on pop culture references.
So much so that companies like the one behind Pokémon, the hit children’s anime and video games, objected to the White House’s use of its cartoon creatures. Musicians from Tom Petty (through his estate) to Sabrina Carpenter have requested the removal of their songs from posts.
It can be hard to enforce these rules on the federal government, Rub said, but some do succeed, as was the case with the firm that owns the rights to Vince Guaraldi’s “O Tannenbaum” from A Charlie Brown Christmas, which settled with the Trump administration for $20,000 for a copyright violation.
However, collecting money, called “damages,” is the only recourse. Courts cannot force an injunction on the federal government, due in part to “sovereign immunity” — the government cannot be sued in its own court without consenting to it, Rub said.
The NFL is likely not looking for damages in the DHS case, as it would be a very small sum for the 30 seconds of NFL footage repurposed for the meme, Rub said. But Dawkins might have a stronger case for “false endorsement,” as the post could be taken to mean Dawkins supports the Trump administration’s messaging. Still, Rub said, false endorsement protections are usually applied only to those whose likeness or trademark has been used commercially. The DHS post would likely fall under noncommercial political speech.
“It’s part of the U.S.’s commitment to free speech,” Rub said. ”Free speech sometimes helps causes that you like, and sometimes it’s ones that you don’t. That’s part of free speech.”
After the Eagles’ first loss of the season came on Monday night in a 27-7 rout by a Caleb Williams-less Chicago Bears, they were also hit by a boost in opinions from the national media heading into Week 4.
Issues on both sides of the ball on Monday contributed to the Birds’ loss and, in turn, their slip across multiple rankings.
Here’s where the Eagles stand in the rankings across multiple outlets.
ESPN: Eighth
The Eagles only slipped two spots in ESPN’s rankings, going from sixth to eighth after the loss.
Tim McManus’ silver lining was wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who has ascended into the second spot behind DeVonta Smith.
“Wicks has the second-most receptions (nine) and receiving yards (179) on the team behind DeVonta Smith,” McManus said. “In the meantime, Wicks and QB Jalen Hurts have developed a comfort level with one another, particularly in high-leverage moments.”
A highlight of the Eagles’ loss was wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, according to ESPN. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Bleacher Report: Ninth
Bleacher Report also had the Eagles staying in the top 10, but moving out of the top five after sitting at fifth last week, and moving to ninth ahead of Week 4, citing issues with the Eagles’ pass coverage and secondary.
“After slim-margin victories against the Washington Commanders and the winless Tennessee Titans, skeptics may not think much of Philadelphia’s 2-1 record,” Maurice Moton said. “Based on the Eagles’ mistake-ridden Monday night performance, it’s fair to question whether they can stack up against playoff-caliber opponents.”
Video: Should Nick Sirianni have gone for it on a critical 4th down call?
The Athletic: 13th
Cracking the top 10 last week at number nine, the Eagles moved down to 13 in Josh Kendall and Chad Graff’s weekly power rankings.
The main reason was a hit to their confidence in Jalen Hurts, who finished 16-of-25 with an interception and no touchdowns.
“Hurts couldn’t get anything going Monday night against a Bears defense that gave up 361 yards to Bryce Young just two weeks ago,” Kendall and Graff said. “Still, Monday was just his second loss in his last seven starts.”
Pundits are chiding Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts for losing to a Bears defense that gave up 361 yards a week prior. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
NFL.com: 15th
Going from 10 to 15, Nick Shook said the Eagles “failed their first real test” of the season in a manner so disappointing, featuring struggles from Hurts and missed opportunities, while Case Keenum had himself a game as backup quarterback.
“The Eagles’ offensive evolution under Sean Mannion hasn’t yet taken flight (Hurts didn’t help with that much Monday night), and right now, I’m not exactly sure how to feel about this team,” Shook said. “Philly should be good, but through three weeks, it has logged two narrow wins over teams it’s expected to beat, and lost a lopsided game on the road. Not great, Nick (Sirianni)!”
Falling out of the top 10, from nine last week to 14th heading into their game against the Rams, Frank Schwab at Yahoo! Sports said Monday night’s loss may have “exposed” the Eagles after their “shaky” first two weeks.
“The Eagles will probably be a good team. They’re also pretty close to being 0-3 to start this season,” Schwab said. “There is a lot that needs to be fixed for the Eagles to get anywhere near an elite level.”
Three weeks after Temple’s season-opening win, the Owls find themselves on a three-game losing streak.
The last two stung the most. The Owls fell at Toledo in overtime after leading by 14 and then lost to Army on the final drive. Now, Temple (1-3, 0-1 American Conference) goes back on the road to face South Florida (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPNU).
The Owls have been plagued with late-game breakdowns. But the chance to prove themselves and put those losses behind them excites coach K.C. Keeler.
“The bad news is, we have to go play South Florida coming off a brutal loss like this,” Keeler said. “The good news is, we get a chance to go play South Florida after a brutal loss like this, because the only thing that gets you right is getting out there and beating a good football team.”
The Owls’ running back group is headlined by Sam Brown V, whose three touchdowns against the Rockets was tied for second-most in a game in the conference. Temple is ranked 24th nationally in rushing. Keveun Mason ran for a career-high 158 yards in Week 1.
South Florida’s D.J. Crowther has displayed impressive figures as well, having topped 100 rushing yards in each of the last two games. Crowther averaged 12.6 yards per carry (eight carries for 101 yards and three touchdowns) in the first contest vs. Delaware State before carrying the ball 23 times for 143 yards and a TD in the second vs. Bowling Green.
Sam Brown V runs the ball during the first quarter against Army Black on Sept. 25.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Keeler knows how strong the Bulls’ ground game is, and his staff usually reviews rushing footage from the week before to prepare. But that wasn’t a focus in practice Monday, simply because Army was a different beast.
“Typically today would be a corrections day for [the defense] — they sort of moved on,” Keeler said. “After an Army or Navy game, you don’t get a lot out of that video … there’s not a lot of crossover for what would help today.”
Sheppard still in shotgun
Jaxon Smolik started as Temple’s signal-caller against Penn State and Toledo after splitting the job with Ajani Sheppard against Rhode Island. When Smolik went down with an injury after his first throw against the Rockets, Sheppard stepped in and recorded three touchdowns. He continued to impress with 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns against Army.
Keeler is impressed by what he’s seen in Sheppard’s deep passing and explosiveness. Sheppard may get to showcase his talents in Tampa, Fla., as Smolik’s health is still in question.
“I really haven’t talked to Tyler [Walker] because we’re kind of waiting for someone to say Jaxon is 100%. I don’t think we’re there yet,” Keeler said. “I think he’ll progress this week, but I think we’ll know a lot more during the course of the week than we know right now.”
Fine-tuning details
Keeler has drilled one word into the minds of his players: details.
Temple hasn’t lacked energy through the past three weeks, but its failure to execute in the final minute has cost them games. The Owls weren’t far from being 3-1, Keeler said.
Special teams coordinator Brian Ginn and head coach K.C. Keeler yells against Army on Sept. 25.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
This weekend, however, Temple can’t afford to leave any boxes unchecked.
“I can’t ask them to work any harder in practice, except the mental part of it,” Keeler said. “We better really look ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘Are we doing everything we can? Is it looking at your tip sheet? Is it watching an extra video?’ … Let’s really worry about those details.”
As the men’s World Cup summer fades away, the time has come to kick off the countdown to next year’s women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The U.S. women’s team’s series with Spain — a clash between the reigning Olympic champions and reigning World Cup champions — will serve as the starting gun. So it’s fitting that U.S. manager Emma Hayes has summoned a squad packed with stars for the two-game set, Oct. 10 in Washington and Oct. 13 at Subaru Park.
The defense also has its headliner in Naomi Girma, who makes the squad despite injuries hampering the start to her season at English club Chelsea. But Hayes admitted Tuesday that the centerback’s latest knock, suffered in practice just a few hours before the announcement, could rule her out.
“I’m not entirely sure if Naomi will be on the roster, but I’m sure we will will report something if that is the case,” Hayes said in a news conference.
Naomi Girma (right) hasn’t played for her club, England’s Chelsea, since Sept. 2.Gari Garaialde
While those players will sell the most tickets, the one who might generate the most fan buzz is forward Ashley Sanchez. She has been steamrolling the NWSL this year with the North Carolina Courage and has 20 goals and four assists in 26 games.
But she hasn’t been with the national team since January 2025 and hasn’t played for her country since October 2024.
The 27-year-old has tied the league’s single-season scoring record with four games to go. She could break it Friday night by scoring on the goalkeeper who might be the U.S.’s new starter, the Seattle Reign’s Claudia Dickey.
“I think Ashley’s had an extraordinary season, not just in terms of the number of goals she’s scored, but I think consistency in her performance,” Hayes said. “At her stage of her career, I’m sure she doesn’t want to waste the opportunities that are in front of her. The experience she has — this is a player that was always tipped for great things as a youth national team player, and so I’m happy to see her fulfilling her potential.”
Hayes doesn’t have everyone available she’d like to have. Three major players are dealing with long-term injuries: veteran centerback Emily Sonnett, young creative midfielder Olivia Moultrie, and do-it-all attacking star Catarina Macario.
While Hayes hopes they’ll be back next year, the door has opened for some young prospects. Winger Pietra Tordin has turned heads with seven goals and nine assists for the Portland Thorns, while striker Trinity Byars has 10 goals and two assists for the San Diego Wave.
As for available players who didn’t make the cut for this squad, the biggest absence is Gotham FC playmaker Jaedyn Shaw. It’s easy to forget she’s only 21, as she has 37 senior national team caps. Shaw has been in superb form in the NWSL lately: four goals and one assist in her last five games, with nine goals and five assists on the season.
Angel City striker Ally Sentnor is another notable absence. She has seven goals and four assists for the club this year, and seven goals in 23 career U.S. games.
“I want to prioritize the development of players, and I don’t want less experienced players always sitting on the bench and playing few minutes,” Hayes said, adding that the duo are “still central to our plans.”
Hayes said she spoke with both of them and “they understand the importance of their development” and “this has been part of their prescribed journey.”
Both games are close to sold out, with only scattered seats open on Ticketmaster. As of Tuesday afternoon, the starting price for the Tuesday game in Chester is $76 and leaps to $168 for the Saturday matchup at Washington’s Audi Field.
The big crowds will come to cheer on the U.S., but they’ll also be keen to see Spain’s stars. La Roja’s squad includes two-time world player of the year Alexia Putellas, a further all-world playmaker in Mariona Caldentey, and one of the planet’s top young players in Salma Paralluelo,
U.S. midfielder Lily Yohannes (left) faced Spain’s Mariona Caldentey last spring when Yohannes’ OL Lyonnes met Arsenal in the women’s Chamipions League semifinals.Laurent Cipriani
It notably does not include former Gotham FC striker Esther González, who likely would have gotten a frosty reception over here. She left Gotham in late July via a mutual contract termination for what she said were personal reasons but within a month joined Saudi Arabian club Al Qadisah.
That drew backlash on this side of the Atlantic, and not just from Gotham fans who felt scorned. Several eyebrows were raised around the league, and even some observers in Europe were surprised.
Three-time reigning world player of the year Aitana Bonmatí also isn’t on this squad, as she’s recovering from a broken leg suffered last season.
But the rest of the squad is more than than deep enough to give the U.S. one of the biggest tests it can get from any team in the world.
“I’ve said it many times: We want the hard path,” Hayes said. “We want these games, this preparation. We welcome it; we invite it. It brings the best out of us.”
Emma Hayes giving instructions at a U.S. practice when the team was in Chester for a game last October.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
USWNT roster vs. Spain
Goalkeepers (3): Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Jordan Silkowitz (Bay FC), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, England)
Defenders (8): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal, England), Naomi Girma (Chelsea, England), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Lilly Reale (Boston Legacy), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)
Midfielders (7): Sam Coffey (Manchester City, England), Lindsey Heaps (Denver Summit), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Evelyn Shores (Angel City FC), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Stars), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes, France)
Forwards (8): Trinity Byars (San Diego Wave), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns)
USWNT schedule
Saturday, Oct. 10: vs. Spain at Audi Field, Washington, 2:30 p.m. (TBS, Telemundo 62, Universo, HBO Max, Peacock)
Tuesday, Oct. 13: vs. Spain at Subaru Park, Chester, 7 p.m. (TNT, Universo, HBO Max, Peacock)
⭐ La preparación de la #FIFAWWC, empieza con 𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦.
Whether the Phillies experience a Red October remains to be seen, but they are in for a Red September in Atlanta with summerlike temperatures and what looks to be a hitter-friendly atmosphere.
On a Tuesday in which the sun was fighting mightily to prove its existence over Philadelphia — in what has been an unusually gloomy September — the skies over Atlanta were perfectly clear and forecast to stay that way through the next three afternoons.
Highs there Tuesday afternoon should crest in the mid-80s, said Todd Vaughan, meteorologist with the regional National Weather Service in Peachtree, Ga.
That would be about 20 degrees warmer than it was Sunday, when the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays in South Philly to make the postseason.
Temperatures may make a run at 90 degrees Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, when the humidity would also be increasing, said Vaughan. As for winds, “They’ll be less than 10 mph,” he said.
On Sunday, in dismal, rainy Citizens Bank Park, winds were gusting to 29 mph.
As for what could go wrong with the Atlanta forecast, Vaughan said, “The forecast confidence is pretty high.”
An aside: If the best-of-three series goes to a third game, the Phillies’ Aaron Nola is on record as saying he loves to pitch in the heat. However, he also has given up a lot of long balls this season, and meteorologist Paul Dorian, who maintains a “Home Run Index” based on weather variables, said conditions would be favorable for homers this week.
No rain would be expected in Atlanta until Friday night, at which time the Phillies would be on the West Coast for their next series or heading back home for the winter.
If they return to Philly by Friday, they may rediscover that Ernest Hemingway was on to something with The Sun Also Rises, with clear skies and highs in the Atlanta-like 80s.
In fact after Tuesday, the sun should reign over Philly through the week, said Alex Staarmann, meteorologist at the weather service in Mount Holly. Highs are expected to be in the 70s Tuesday and Wednesday, and low 80s on Thursday.
You may have noticed a Vitamin D shortage this month. Overall, skies have been more than 70% cloud-covered since Sept. 1, according to weather service sky data, in what normally is one of the sunnier months.
“It’s been an unusually cloudy month for September, Staarmann said.
The clouds are due back this weekend. Rain is possible Friday night into Saturday, he said, and maybe more on Sunday.
If the Phillies have their way, they’ll be in Los Angeles playing in the Division Series.
The Eagles left the Windy City with a 27-7 loss to the Chicago Bears, who were led by third-string quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum’s 247 yards and three touchdowns — and several Eagles penalties and turnovers — helped send the Birds to their first loss of the season.
Now, the 2-1 Birds turn their attention toward their Week 4 opponents, the Los Angeles Rams, as they return home to Lincoln Financial Field.
From the Birds’ chances this weekend to updates on Super Bowl likelihood, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks:
Eagles-Rams odds
The Eagles’ first loss of the season came after barely escaping Weeks 1 and 2 with wins over the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans.
The Rams (1-2) are coming off a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos after blowing a 16-0 halftime lead
The last time these teams met was in September 2025, when the Eagles defeated the Rams, 33-26, at Lincoln Financial Field. The game came down to the last second and Jordan Davis returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown.
As they prepare to compete Sunday after a short week, the Eagles are entering as underdogs.
At DraftKings, the Eagles have the fifth-best odds to win the NFC. They currently trail the San Francisco 49ers, Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks.
At both sportsbooks, the Eagles still have the seventh-best odds to win the Super Bowl. The Rams and the Buffalo Bills top the list as early Super Bowl favorites.
Travis Konecny grew up in the Flyers organization, watching leaders like Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Scott Laughton give back to the local community.
Now all those guys are gone, and Konecny, 29, is the elder statesman on a team littered with young players. He has signed to a long-term extension through the 2032-33 season and has three kids.
“I’ve always had interest in doing something,” Konecny said. “I’ve just never thought it was the right time.”
Over the last year, that’s changed. In partnership with Flyers Charities, Konecny has been working toward the launch of his new charitable initiative, TK-O Cancer, which will support organizations treating and aiding families and patients with pediatric cancer.
“I’ll give a lot of credit to the Flyers team for that one,” Konecny said of the name. “They gave me a few ideas, and that was one of them, and it was kind of perfect. Something that I probably would never come up with.”
Since having his own kids, Konecny has known he wanted to get involved with helping children. Over the years, the Flyers have collaborated with various hospitals and organizations as part of their Hockey Fights Cancer initiatives, including the annual home renovation project with Michael’s Way.
His new initiative includes a grant supporting pediatric cancer programming at a local 501(c)(3) organization in the greater Philadelphia area, and events to come during Hockey Fights Cancer month in November.
Several of the Flyers players worked with local kids who are cancer survivors to design custom equipment for Hockey Fights Cancer night last season.The Philadelphia Flyers
Konecny said he’s had “some great experiences” working on the Flyers’ existing initiatives since he’s been in the organization, but a visit last year helped solidify for him that he wanted to center his own efforts on pediatric cancer patients.
“We were drawing some design on skates that we were wearing, and it was a pretty awesome experience,” Konecny said. “Her name is Frankie, and she’s quite a light every time you see her. She was holding court in the room. She’s a pretty awesome girl.”
As part of the initiative, Konecny will launch a line of merchandise that he helped design to raise money for the grant and other future initiatives.
That includes a few T-shirts available now at the team store and online, plus a hat Konecny, who is rarely seen without one, has been designing for months.
“When I come across a hat that I like outside of hockey, in day-to-day life, I threw a couple of those hats at them, so then they could try to make something similar to that,” Konecny said. “I wanted to make it something that was cool that people would want to wear, and that guys in the locker room would wear.”
The island of St. Thomas and the city of Cornelia, Ga., seem different in almost every conceivable way. One is surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea; the other, tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One has yearlong heat and humidity; the other has four seasons. But the two communities, roughly 1,600 miles apart, share an unlikely similarity. Both played a role in Alex McFarlane’s journey to the Phillies.
McFarlane was born and raised on the eastern side of St. Thomas. It was hardly a baseball hotbed; only 16 of the sport’s 23,804 big leaguers have come from the Virgin Islands. Nevertheless, word of his athleticism — and arm — spread quickly.
There were early signs. As a boy, the future Phillies reliever would spend his days with a milk carton full of tennis balls, fooling around with different grips, and throwing them against the side of his garage.
His mother, Tami Noel, had to get the siding replaced because of the dents imprinted by her hard-throwing son. “He beat the crap out of it,” said McFarlane’s former math teacher, Liz Elger.
In the seventh grade, during a dodge ball game, McFarlane accidentally beaned a classmate in the head. Of course, he was not the only culprit. Plenty of other middle schoolers were slinging red projectiles across the gym.
Phillies rookie reliever Alex McFarlane had a 2.84 ERA in 19 games during the regular season.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
But none were slinging with the force McFarlane was. And the kid who got hit looked “dazed,” according to Elger’s husband, Joey, who taught the future big leaguer P.E. and history.
“It wasn’t like a concussion,” he said, “but we had to go to softer balls.”
When he was 15, one of McFarlane’s coaches in St. Thomas connected him with Team Elite, a travel team out of Georgia. Up until that point, he’d only played recreational baseball; high school baseball didn’t exist at his academy.
Team Elite provided plenty of exposure (he committed to the University of Miami his junior year) but also had its limitations. McFarlane couldn’t experience the ups and downs of a full season. Their program was more about development and garnering scouts’ attention than winning a championship.
High school baseball was where most players learned this side of the game. But it was never an option for McFarlane, until tragedy struck his hometown. In September of 2017, two Category 5 storms, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, hit the Caribbean.
St. Thomas was destroyed. It took over 100 days to fully restore power. The island was crowded with trucks, helicopters and military equipment. The already-limited athletic facilities were being used as staging grounds for FEMA.
Liz Elger moved back to her hometown of Cornelia, Ga., with her young daughters, while her husband helped with relief efforts. McFarlane stayed with his family, making sure they were settled.
Video: Phillies celebrate clinching a fifth-consecutive postseason berth
In 2018, the pitcher decided to take a risk. He was about to embark on his senior year, but would have little access to baseball or physical training on the island, due to disaster recovery efforts.
So, his mom reached out to the Elgers and asked if her son could stay with them. McFarlane moved to northeast Georgia that fall, living with Atlanta Braves fans, while playing for Habersham Central High School.
And this week, McFarlane, a 25-year-old rookie who has emerged as a trusted reliever for the Phillies, will face their favorite team in the National League wild-card series, 80 miles south of the mountain town he once called home.
“A huge credit to them for taking me in, and helping me out,” McFarlane said. “It’s something that I’m forever grateful for.”
Alex McFarlane and the Elger family in the summer of 2025.Liz Elger
A ballplayer who could do it all
The Elgers have worked as international educators for the past 16 years. They’ve taught everywhere from Saipan to Lithuania to Tanzania, where they’re based now.
But before they traversed the globe, Liz and Joey were two Habersham students who loved the Braves. This was especially true for Joey, a bat boy for the team in the 1980s.
He was a baseball broadcaster for Stanford throughout college, and an intern at the Baseball Hall of Fame after graduating, but eventually returned to Habersham with Liz in 2005 to accept their first teaching jobs.
When the couple moved to St. Thomas in 2012 to work at the VI Montessori School & Peter Gruber International Academy, they found a community that was just as tight-knit as Cornelia.
The school’s principal called it a “three-legged stool.” Because the academy was small, with only 400 students from pre-K to 12th grade, it had a strong sense of cohesion. Parents and teachers would often see each other socially.
This is how the couple got to know Noel, a small-business owner on the island.
McFarlane was not the first St. Thomas athlete the Elgers took in. In 2017, Liz was contacted by the mother of two aspiring soccer players, Quinn and Grant Farrell, who asked if they could stay with her in Georgia.
Grant spent his senior year playing for Habersham, and soon secured an athletic scholarship at Division II Emmanuel University, in nearby Franklin Springs, Ga. The high school’s baseball coach, Chris Akridge, took notice.
Alex McFarlane with his high school baseball coach at Habersham Central, Chris Akridge, in Atlanta earlier this month.Chris Akridge
“Chris was kind of teasing us,” Joey said. “‘Do you know any baseball players?’”
As it turns out, they did. By the fall of 2018, McFarlane was at Habersham’s workouts. To Akridge, the timing was almost too good to be true.
The Raiders had only secured one playoff berth in their last 50 years. They’d recorded only one winning season in their last six. All of a sudden, Habersham had a player who could do it all: hit leadoff, roam center field, and start every seven days.
McFarlane led his team in all offensive categories, batting .480 with a .570 on-base percentage, and a 1.270 OPS. He led (or tied) his team in all pitching categories as well, posting a 1.80 ERA with 68 strikeouts and a 1.074 WHIP across 10 starts.
Even as a teenager, he emanated the toughness he’d later show as a Phillie. Akridge remembers one outing, against Appalachee High School, when McFarlane gave up a cheap home run to an eight-hole hitter in the third.
At first, he looked rattled. Then he settled in, and threw a complete game in a comeback victory. The next day, McFarlane approached his coach at school.
“He said, ‘You know, coach, that was awesome,’” Akridge recalled. “‘I’ve never experienced anything like that.’”
Joey and Liz and their daughters, Grady and Niall, attended every game, often FaceTiming Noel so she could see her son pitch. They quickly realized that they were not alone.
Joey Elger grew up a big Braves fan, and even served as a bat boy for the team in the 1980s.Joey Elger
When McFarlane took the mound, scouts flocked to Habersham; usually 20 to 25 of them, leaning against the fence and crowding the stands. They began to visit the Elgers’ home, talking to the prospect at their living room table.
Because Noel was back in St. Thomas, Joey and Liz supervised these visits. This led to some interesting encounters. One afternoon, former Braves infielder Keith Lockhart showed up to their door.
He was scouting for the Chicago Cubs. Liz asked the former big leaguer if he wanted any water, and went to the kitchen to grab a cup. The one she chose happened to be a giveaway from the 2001 NLDS, when Lockhart was on the Braves’ roster.
“It was a plastic cup, and he was on there,” she said, laughing. “It was a picture of their celebration after they won.”
Scouts would often ask McFarlane who his favorite player was growing up. The young pitcher didn’t hesitate, and as a Braves fan, Joey never forgot his answer.
“Chris Sale,” he recalled. “And I remember him mentioning his approach as much as anything. He said that he just had such an even keel out there. Watching him, he never felt like he was out of control.”
Grady Elger (left), Alex McFarlane, and Niall Elger at a Jersey Shore BlueClaws game in 2025.Liz Elger
From Braves fans to Phillies fans
After McFarlane graduated from Habersham in 2019, and attended Miami, the Elgers moved to Lithuania for another teaching assignment.
They still managed to keep track of their favorite pitcher though, sending texts after his outings, and catching the occasional minor league game whenever they were back in the United States.
In the summer of 2025, they drove 10 hours from Georgia to Aberdeen, Md., to watch McFarlane pitch for single-A Jersey Shore. His game was rained out, so they found a Caribbean restaurant nearby and reminisced over dinner.
The family stayed for his game the following night, before flying to Tanzania, where they now live. They have become somewhat accustomed to seeing McFarlane in a baseball uniform, but what he’s done for the Phillies has been surreal to them.
And the Elgers have seen real growth in his demeanor. Joey pointed to the home run McFarlane gave up to the Braves’ Ronald Acuña on Sept. 6 as an example.
“When he started pitching in the Phillies organization, we noticed that the stuff that had just happened [in the game] was gone,” Elger said. “And he really was able to reset himself. I think probably three or four years before, if that Acuña home run had happened, we would have tensed up, ourselves.”
Rookie Alex McFarlane has quickly emerged as a crucial part of the Phillies’ bullpen.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Now, not so much. McFarlane had one of his best outings of the season just over a week later, when he struck out the Mets’ Juan Soto on three fastballs. Elger woke up in East Africa to a slew of text messages from family and friends.
He had to watch the video twice to believe it. So did Akridge, who sent the clip to his entire coaching staff.
“It’s crazy that seven years later, here he is, blowing the ball by Juan Soto,” Akridge said. “It’s amazing.”
The Elger and the Akridge families will be following closely on Tuesday night, from opposite corners of the world, as McFarlane goes up against their favorite team (and his favorite pitcher).
But they won’t waver in their support. Even if it comes at the expense of the Braves.
“We will be rooting for the Phillies with all of our hearts,” Liz said.
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.
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.
Jesús Luzardo will start for the Phillies in Game 1.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
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.
Video: Three things to watch in Phillies’ wild-card series vs. Braves
Chris Sale is dominant but the Phils should have a pitching advantagein Game 2 and 3. Tyler Mahle 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 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 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 Sale and Mahle. If the Phils win one of the first two games, they’ll take their chances in an elimination game against Holmes.
The Phillies could use Bryce Harper turning into “The Showman” again in the postseason.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Bryce Harper still has five years left on his contract after 2026 but the championship window of the Harper Era seems to be closing, especially with 2027’s labor uncertainty looming. “We’ve never finished the job. We’ve got to do that,” Harper said Sunday after the Phils clinched a postseason berth. Surely, he knows there’s only so many more chances left to get the job done. Harper was quiet last October against the Dodgers but this could be the week he returns to being The Showman, who seems to meet the moment better than most. After Sale, the Phillies will get their chances against right-handed starters in Game 2 and 3.
Harper talked Monday about how he loves to play in Atlanta as he has a .916 OPS at SunTrust Park and has homered 18 times there since it opened in 2017. The Phillies didn’t do much offensively in September, but Harper did have a good series in Atlanta while the Phils lost two of three. Oct. 1 isn’t until Thursday. So the Phils have some work to do to reach Red October. This is Harper’s chance to power them there.
I’m curious to see …
If Kyle Schwarber is batting leadoff again. Two moves reeked of panic to me over the weekend when the walls were closing in: starting 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.
Getting to star closer Jhoan Duran will be a key question for the Phillies for their postseason run.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
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 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.
Luzardo will start on Tuesday, but Painter may be tasked with getting more outs as it doesn’t seem like the Phils are counting on Luzardo for too much length. Painter threw his four-seam fastball this season for 32.8% of his pitches and only one team has a worse slugging-percentage than the Braves this season against four-seamers. The Braves slugged .391 this season against four seamers and hit .235. Painter’s best start this season (two hits in seven shutout innings against Arizona earlier this month) came thanks to a dominant fastball. If his fastball is on Tuesday, the Braves’ lineup seems like his perfect match.
