Austin Riley turned a taut National League Wild Card opener on its head Tuesday afternoon, launching a three-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park.
MLB on X (formerly Twitter): “We’re not even 3 hours into the Postseason and Austin Riley already delivered this EPIC moment 😮 https://t.co/GUgsQHBECd pic.twitter.com/bjCrLwupn5 / X”
We’re not even 3 hours into the Postseason and Austin Riley already delivered this EPIC moment 😮 https://t.co/GUgsQHBECd pic.twitter.com/bjCrLwupn5
The win handed Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at the same venue.
Philadelphia struck first. Kyle Schwarber reached in the opening inning and scored on Alec Bohm’s double to center, putting the Phillies ahead 1-0. Atlanta answered in the second when Ozzie Albies scored on Mike Yastrzemski’s single to center, tying the game.
The Braves took their first lead in the sixth. Michael Harris II scored on Albies’ triple to center, making it 2-1. Chris Sale, who had kept Philadelphia in check for much of the afternoon, was lifted with one out in the seventh after the Phillies loaded the bases.
J.T. Realmuto then ripped a two-run triple to right off reliever Didier Fuentes, scoring Bryan De La Cruz and Bryson Stott and putting Philadelphia ahead 3-2. The Phillies were one out from taking that lead into the ninth when Jhoan Duran entered.
Harris reached on an infield single and Albies was hit by a pitch. Riley then drove Duran’s first pitch over the wall in right-center, a 385-foot shot that put Atlanta ahead for good. Raisel Iglesias closed it out in the ninth.
Sale struck out nine in his outing. Luzardo worked five innings and allowed one run for Philadelphia. Dylan Lee earned the win in relief. The Braves finished with seven hits to the Phillies’ six. Neither team committed an error.
Atlanta, the NL East champion at 94-68, now holds home-field advantage in the series. Philadelphia, which finished 88-74 and earned the wild-card berth, will send Cristopher Sánchez to the mound in Game 2 as it tries to even the series.
