Braves Blast Phillies 6-2 to Win Game 3 and Advance to Face Dodgers
The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night to win the deciding Game 3 of the National League wild-card series at Truist Park. The win sends Atlanta to the Division Series, the best-of-five second round, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Guardian
Atlanta wasted no time. Michael Harris II crushed a three-run homer in the first inning to give the Braves a lead they never lost.
The ball traveled 387 feet to right-center field and scored Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson. ESPN Phillies starter Aaron Nola never settled in. He allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings before leaving.
Left-hander Ray Kerr started for Atlanta as the opener, a pitcher used for the first few innings before the bullpen takes over. He delivered 3 1/3 scoreless innings to protect the early lead. MLB.com
Ozzie Albies made it 5-0 with a two-run homer to right field in the fourth. Olson added a solo shot in the seventh to stretch the lead to 6-2.
The crowd matched the moment. Game 3 drew a sellout of 41,731 at Truist Park, well above the announced 30,127 on Tuesday for Game 1 and 37,150 on Wednesday for Game 2.
What makes this stand out is the history Atlanta just erased. This was the Braves' first postseason series win since they won the 2021 World Series. It was also their first playoff series win ever against Philadelphia, which had beaten them in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.
The wild-card series — a best-of-three opening round where two wins advance a team — was tied 1-1 entering Thursday. Atlanta took Game 1 by 5-3 on Austin Riley's three-run homer in the eighth off closer Jhoan Duran.
Next comes a steep climb. The Dodgers entered the night as two-time defending World Series champions. The Division Series is scheduled to open in Los Angeles on Oct. 3.
