Phillies Fall In Game 1 Of Wild Card Series To Braves Behind Late-Inning Austin Riley Home Run
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 29: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during Game One of the National League Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
A disappointing end to a winnable Game 1 for the Phillies
The Phillies and Braves playoff rivalry has been some of the best baseball over the past half-decade, and heading into the 2026 postseason, they were set to do battle once again. While the previous matchups have come in the NLDS, this one came in the Wild Card Series
The game was headlined by a matchup between two of some of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball: Jesus Luzardo and Chris Sale. Sale has been a monster against Philadelphia in 2026, posting a 2.08 ERA in four starts against the Phillies this season, with the Braves winning all four games.
Luzardo missed the final two weeks of the regular season with a shoulder injury, so the number of innings he was pitching was up in the air coming into the start.
It seemed like a pitcher’s duel between the two until both teams’ bullpens came in, allowing late-inning runs that made things interesting. While the Phillies struck first with a go-ahead two run triple from J.T. Relamuto in the seventh, the Braves struck later as Austin Riley drilled a go-ahead three-run bomb off Phillies closer Jhoan Duran for the lead and the win.
It’s the third straight postseason that the Phillies have blown a Game 1 lead in the seventh inning or later, and the last time the Braves hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later against the Phillies, it was Riley off of Jeff Hoffman Game 2 of the 2023 NLDS.
The Phillies and Braves were slotted into the very first game of the 2026 postseason, and the fans of the Braves packed into Truist Park, filling half the stadium. Chris Sale trotted out, making his fifth start in 2026 against Philadelphia.
While Sale grabbed an early strikeout from Trea Turner to leadoff the game, Kyle Schwarber worked a seven-pitch walk, putting an early man on for Philadelphia. Bryce Harper was next, but he suffered the same fate as Turner; cleanup hitter Alec Bohm picked him up.
Bohm smoked a 2-2 heater to deep center field, over the head of Michael Harris Jr. for a double. Schwarber at first base got on his horse and rounded third, scoring the first run of the game.
With an early lead, Jesus Luzardo went out for his first inning of work against a Braves lineup that he dominated in his last start before going on the injured list. Luzardo sent Atlanta down 1-2-3 in the first, but the second wasn’t the same luck.
Mauricio Dubón led the inning off with a double down the left-field line, and Harris moved him over to third on a sac bunt. Ozzie Albies worked a walk, putting runners on the corners, and Austin Riley grounded a ball off the knob of his bat back to Luzardo, who elected to run at Dubón at third, getting him out instead of trying for the double play.
While it seemed like the right move to prevent the run from scoring, it quickly backfired on him as Mike Yastrzemski smacked a first-pitch sinker up the middle to tie the game at one. Tying the game was all Atlanta did as Luzardo struck Ha-Seong Kim to end the frame.
Both teams went into a pitcher’s duel following the second, as Sale and Luzardo both locked back in after the early runs. Atlanta threatened in the fourth after a single off the bat from Harris and a hit by pitch to Riley put two runners on for Yastrzemski. While Yastrzemski won the previous battle, Luzardo won this one, getting him to fly out to center to end the inning.
The Phillies finally got their first hit since the first inning on a double to right by Edmundo Sosa, but Sale worked around it, striking out the side in the inning. Braves went down scoreless in the fifth and the Phillies the same in the sixth, but following the fifth inning for the Phillies, Luzardo’s day was officially done after 77 pitches. He finished his start with five innings pitched, allowing one run on three hits and striking out six.
In his place was rookie Alex McFarlane, making his postseason debut in a huge inning. While he picked up a strikeout to start the inning, Harris smoked another single to left for an early baserunner. Albies was up next, and he smoked a 1-1 heater deep to center field, hitting the wrist of center fielder Derek Hill, rolling into play.
Harris flew around the bases sprinting from first, and Albies made it all the way to third for a go-ahead triple. While Albies made it to third, the Braves were unable to bring him in as Riley grounded out and Yastrzemski struck out.
Trailing for the first time all day, the Phillies had nine outs left to muster up a run. Sale went back out for the seventh, attempting to finish off the bottom of the Phillies order for the third time. He picked up an early out on a Hill strikeout, but a hit-by-pitch to Bryan De La Cruz and a single from Bryson Stott put runners on the corners, knocking Sale out of the game.
In came 21-year-old Didier Fuentes against pinch-hitting 22-year-old Justin Crawford, with Crawford needing just a sac fly to tie the game. While he got the fly ball to the outfield, it wasn’t deep enough. J.T. Realmuto was the last hope to tie the game, and for the first time in what’s felt like a month, Realmuto came through with a big base-knock.
Realmuto smoked a 1-0 fastball over the head of Matt Olsen, down the right-field line. It was bobbled in the corner by Ronald Acuna Jr. allowing De La Cruz and Stott to score and allowing Realmuto to get to third with a go-ahead two-RBI triple.
The script has officially flipped; now the Phillies needed just nine outs to win Game 1. Don Mattingly elected to put closer Jhoan Duran in for the seventh inning with the top of the order coming up. Duran cruised through the seventh, getting Dom Smith, Drake Baldwin, and Acuna down on just 12 pitches, but the eighth wasn’t as successful.
He got Olsen on a lineout and Dubon on a flyout for a quick two outs, but an infield single from Harris and a hit by pitch to Albies put two runners on for Riley. Riley, who’s been a Phillie killer during his career, unfortunately came through once again, smacking a go-ahead three-run home run to right-center for a 5-3 lead.
Now trailing by two runs, the Phillies had three outs left to rally. The leadoff man, Brandon Marsh, singled on the first pitch he saw, but De La Cruz grounded into a back-breaking double play. Stott was the last hope, but closer Raisel Iglesias got Stott to fly out to left to end the game, with the Braves winning 5-3.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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