Fall is officially upon us, and with that comes the beautiful sight of postseason baseball. The MLB Playoffs commenced on Tuesday with a quartet of Wild Card games spanning the entirety of the day.
Before I get into the breakdown of every game from all four MLB Wild Card series, please allow me a brief moment to politely air my grievances to whoever decided to schedule the Wild Card in the way they did:
What are we doing here? In theory, the scheduling of two, possibly three, straight days of nothing but baseball starting at 2:00 EST and not ending until well past midnight sounds appealing; however, in practice it leads to a brutal viewing experience for the average baseball fan. Listen, I am a devout Yankee fan. I, as a devout Yankee fan who lives on the East Coast, benefit greatly from this ludicrous Wild Card schedule. I get to watch Ben Rice send a ball into orbit in primetime, on national TV, from my couch, on a 75” OLED screen. Unfortunately, Phillies fans must illegally stream Brandon Marsh swing at three straight Tyler Mahle splitters in the dirt from the screen of their cracked iPhone 7 while on their lunch break from working as a cashier at WAWA (sidenote: I’ve only been to Philadelphia one time in my life [to watch the Knicks boot Embiid and the Sixers from the 2024 NBA Playoffs on their home court], but I assume that my above-referenced scenario is not dissimilar to how most Philly fans watched at least Game 1 of the Wild Card).
Having two bitter divisional rivals play Game 1, Game 2, and potentially Game 3 of their best-of-three series at 2:00 PM local time on weekdays is malpractice on behalf of Major League Baseball. Not only does this scheduling place an undue burden on fans of both ball clubs, but it also has an effect on the actual game that is being played. The difference in atmosphere between an evening game and a day game is vast, and it is simply unacceptable that teams would be forced to play day games exclusively while other teams, competing in games of equal stakes, play night games exclusively.
Additionally, the Astros and White Sox playing all of their games at 4:00 PM local time is also pretty insane, albeit not as egregious as the Philly and Atlanta situation.
Finally, before I move on and restrain myself (unsuccessfully) from discussing the times that these games are being played, let me just say: I understand fully why the games are played at these specific times. From a logistics standpoint, it makes sense. However, just because the schedule logistically makes sense doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good. It’s like when you say you dislike a twist in a particular movie and some idiot says, “No, it’s not bad, you just don’t understand it.” No, I understand it. Just because you understand it or it makes sense does not mean it is inherently good. Rant over.
Day One (Tuesday, September 29th)
Phillies at Braves (2:00 PM EST)
Postseason baseball officially commenced at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, where the Braves hosted the Philadelphia Phillies for Game 1 of their Best of 3 series. Each team opted for a left-handed pitcher to start Game 1 of the series. For Atlanta, 37-year-old Chris Sale, coming off his 3rd straight season as an All-Star for the Braves, took the hill, while Philly opted to start Jesus Luzardo, an All-Star in his own right despite being widely considered the Phillies’ “number two” behind Christopher Sanchez.
Despite the reputation of each starting pitcher, both offenses quickly scored. A Kyle Schwarber walk was followed up by an RBI double from Alec Bohm two batters later, resulting in a 1-0 Phillies advantage after the first. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Ozzie Albies scored on a Mike Yazstremski single in the bottom of the second to even up the scoring.
Both pitchers seemingly found their groove after the first two innings, however. Luzardo was pulled after the 5th with an impressive stat line of 6 Ks, 3 Hs, and 1 ER. Sale was equally impressive. He started the 7th inning with a one-run lead after Ozzie Albies ripped a triple the inning prior, scoring Michael Harris. Sale then struck out Derek Hill (Sale’s 9th K of the afternoon) but immediately hit the next batter he faced and followed that up by surrendering a single to Bryan De La Cruz before being taken out of the game. Didier Fuentes replaced Sale out of the bullpen and, after forcing a flyout from Justin Crawford, let up a costly 2-run triple to Jt Realmuto after Acuna poorly played the ball off the wall.
After taking the lead, Philly elected to bring in their star closer, Jhoan Duran, in the 7th inning to protect their newfound lead. Duran did that successfully. After Dylan Lee quickly dispelled the heart of the Phillies’ order in the top of the 8th inning, the Phillies decided to let their star pitcher pitch one more inning. Duran quickly forced two outs from Olson and Dubon on just three pitches. With two outs, Michael Harris worked an infield single, which was followed up by a hit-by-pitch, which put the winning run on base and brought Matt Olson to the plate. Olson jumped on the first pitch he saw and took a 99 MPH Duran heater 485 feet to right-center field to give Atlanta a 5-3 lead. A lead that Atlanta would not relinquish.
Final Score: ATL 5 PHI 3
Game Grade: A
White Sox at Astros (5:00 PM EST)
How do you follow up on the undeniably phenomenal matchup between the Phillies and Braves? Short answer: you don’t. Both teams opted to make game 1 of this series a “bullpen game,” and boy did it feel like one.
The White Sox pounced on the Astros’ first victim, AJ Blubaugh, and took advantage of poor defense from the Astros, taking an early 1-0 lead on behalf of a Munetaka Murakami sac fly that scored Sam Antonacci. Blaubaugh then walked the next batter he faced and was promptly pulled from the game after only 0.2 IP and 5 batters faced. His replacement, Bryan King, struck out the next batter to stop the bleeding.
From there on, things only got worse for Houston. King let up a pair of singles to start the top of the 2nd inning before hitting Colson Montgomery to load the bases. He then allowed another pair of singles before being pulled from the game himself. Houston then tried Miguel Ullola out, a pitcher who only registered 16.2 IP the entire 2026 regular season. Ullola was able to get out of the jam, retiring the next three batters without giving up a run, but the Astros were now down 3-0 in only the second inning.
The rest of the game was more of the same. Ullola was probably the Astros’ most effective of the eight pitchers they used, as he ate up 3 innings of work before giving up a 432 ft bomb of a solo HR to Colson Montgomery.
The Astros finally got on the board in the 5th inning thanks to a two-run HR from pinch-hitter Nelson Velazquez. It unfortunately wasn’t enough for Houston, though, as Chicago was still up 5-2 at that point, and we were able to tack on an insurance run in the 7th as a result of a wild pitch. The White Sox eventually won 6-3.
The real standouts for the Sox were their pitchers, specifically their “starter,” Hagen Smith (3.0 IP, 2 Hs, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 ER), and closer, Grant Taylor (2.1 IP, 2 Hs, 1 BB, 5 Ks, 0 ER). I feel this game said more about Houston than Chicago, however. Houston’s pitching and defense were atrocious, and—obviously— their offense didn’t look much better. As a whole, they looked uninspired and outmatched against a relatively pedestrian White Sox squad.
Final Score: CHW 6 HOU 3
Game Grade: C
Red Sox at Yankees (8:00 PM EST)
We did it, folks. We have arrived at the main event. Yankees, Red Sox, postseason baseball, primetime on national television. Need I say more? When has a “Yankees vs. Red Sox postseason clash” ever disappointed? Well, if it never did before, it sure has now. Again, to reiterate, I am a very passionate Yankees fan, so I will try to be as unbiased as possible.
Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice dropped their proverbial nuts on the entire city of Boston. Schlittler, who absolutely dominated Boston last year in the AL Wild Card, struck out 10 batters and only surrendered a pair of hits and a single walk in his 6.1 innings of work. Also, in a rare managerial win for Aaron Boone, Schlittler pitched well past his usual pitch limit, reaching 117 pitches thrown, the highest of his young career.
The other half of the “nut dropping” would be Ben Rice. The AL MVP candidate has already earned his pinstripes, as he went 4 for 5 with two home runs against New York’s bitterest rival. Rice excelled against every pitcher thrown his way. He ripped a double to center in the first off Boston’s starter Payton Tolle, hit a 423 ft HR off Erik Miller when the Sox took out Tolle (more on that later), knocked an RBI single to right off Alec Gamboa in the 7th, and finally, last but not least, Rice hit a 408 ft grand slam to center field off Bryan Bello to extend the Yankees’ lead to 9-0 in the bottom of the 8th inning.
Rice and Schlittler weren’t the only positives for New York, however. Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells (yes, you read that correctly) were excellent for the Yanks. Volpe went 1-for-3 and played an excellent second base while Wells went 2-for-3 and knocked Lombard in twice. Speaking of Lombard, the young shortstop played outstanding in his first career postseason appearance. The 21-year-old went 3-for-4 against Boston’s pitching and played a solid shortstop.
Now, what can be said about Boston? They looked lifeless offensively. Schlittler absolutely shut down Boston’s hitters, and by the time he was out of the game and they had a full inning to face Paul Blackburn, they were down four runs, and it was already the 7th inning. The real turning point in the game for Boston came in the 5th inning. With two outs and Payton Tolle pitching very well, Boston elected to remove him from the game in favor of Erik Miller rather than allow their starter to face Ben Rice a third time. On the third pitch he saw, Rice hit an HR, and the momentum officially swung in New York’s favor. It felt, at that moment, as if the game (and maybe the series) was over.
Final Score: NYY 9 BOS 0
Game Grade: D+
Cubs at Padres (10:00 PM EST)
I’m not going to sugarcoat this. Tuesday’s nightcap was a stinker.
At the top of the first inning, the Padres’ starter, Michael King, struck out the odds-on favorite to win NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong, on three pitches. He needed only an additional eight pitches to strike out Alex Bregman and retire Michael Busch and end the top half of the first inning. In the bottom of the first inning, San Diego’s lead-off hitter, Fernando Tatis Jr., swung at the first pitch he saw from the Cubs’ starter, Matthew Boyd, and hit the ball 405 ft to center field for a home run. Two batters later, Manny Machado hit the second ball he saw from Boyd 391 ft to left-center field, just a few yards to the left of where Tatis landed.
That paragraph pretty much sums up the entirety of Game 1 of the Padres vs. Cubs NL Wild Card series. Michael King was dominant, Tatis and Machado lived up to both their reputations and contracts, and the Cubs were absolutely lost.
King was essentially perfect on the hill for San Diego. No, for real, essentially perfect. King had a no-hitter for more than half of the game. King walked three batters, and Seya Suzaki got on base as a result of an errant throw from Xander Bogaerts, but King didn’t allow a single hit until the top of the 7th inning when Nico Hoerner etched out an infield single. King then struck out the last two batters of the inning, ending his night. Those strikeouts were his seventh and eighth of the evening.
Tatis and Machado had nearly identical stat lines. Both players went 2-for-3 with a walk and a home run. Tatis (3 R) and Machado (2) scored five of San Diego’s 8 runs. Xander Bogaerts also had a big day, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th inning. From the jump, San Diego’s offense was absolutely dominant.
As for the Cubs, there isn’t much to say. They were flat-out bad. They only managed to register three hits the entire game, and two of those came in the top of the ninth against Joe Musgrove when the Cubs were staring down the barrel of an eight-run deficit. The pitching wasn’t much better either. Matt Boyd, who experienced moderate success as a postseason starter the prior two years, was outclassed by the Padres’ offense, and his replacements weren’t any more successful. The Padres scored 4 runs off Boyd in his 4 IP and another 4 runs off the bullpen in 4 combined IP. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Final Score: SDP 8 CHC 0
Game Grade: D+
Day Two (Wednesday, September 30th)
Phillies at Braves (2:00 PM EST)
The Braves and Phillies once again started off the action with a matchup in the blistering afternoon heat of Atlanta. Down 1-0 in the series, Philly entrusted the starting pitching role to their left-handed ace, Christopher Sanchez, while the Braves started 32-year-old journeyman Tyler Mahle.
This affair started eerily similar to Tuesday’s, as both teams scored a run early before an extended scoring drought. In the top of the 1st, Trea Turner hit a lead-off double and later scored courtesy of a Bryce Harper single to give the away team a 1-0 lead early. Atlanta answered quickly after a seven-pitch lead-off walk from Acuna turned into the game-tying run after Tuesday’s hero, Matt Olson, hit an RBI single to the right.
Both starters settled in over the course of the next 5-6 innings, with Tyler Mahle performing exceptionally well. Mahle, through 7.0 IP, struck out 6 batters and didn’t allow a run after the first inning. Sanchez, on the other hand, wasn’t as steady. The lefty ace allowed 6 hits and 5 walks in his 6.2 IP. Additionally, as his pitch count reached triple digits in the bottom of the 7th, he began to falter. With one out and a runner on first and second, Sanchez let up a costly RBI double to Braves DH Drake Baldwin. Sanchez and the Phillies then opted to intentionally walk Ozzie Albies to load the bases for Matt Olson. Once again, Olson delivered a fly ball to center that was caught by Justin Crawford but was deep enough to score Ha-Seong Kim and double the Braves’ lead.
Now, in the top of the eighth inning, down 3-1 and facing a potential early exit from the 2026 postseason, Kyle Schwarber stepped up to the plate. Tyler Mahle had exited the game after seven solid innings, and Atlanta decided to hand the ball to Dylan Lee. Schwarber quickly went down 0-2 in the count before working the count full on the subsequent three pitches. On the 7th pitch of the at-bat, Lee hung a slider, and Schwarber made him pay. The ball was 447 feet to right field, and the game was now 3-2 Atlanta. The very next batter, Bryce Harper, needed to see only 3 pitches to tie the game. 418 ft to right-center field. The score was now tied 3-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Brand new game.
Andrew Painter came into the game and was tasked with preserving the score of the game. After initially walking the first batter he faced, Austin Riley, and scaring every man and woman in the greater Philadelphia area, he forced Michael Harris to ground into a double play. Sean Murphy popped out a pitch later. In the 9th, both teams had a baserunner but couldn’t capitalize, and the game entered extras tied 3-3.
In the top of the 10th, Atlanta brought in Didier Fuentes to face the heart of Philly’s order. Fuentes made quick work of both Schwarber and Harper; however, when facing Alec Bohm, Fuentes’ third pitch of the at-bat got a little too much plate, and Bohm made him pay. A 357 ft solo homer to the right gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Stott and De La Cruz singled out, but Fuentes was able to retire Hill, ending the top half of the 10th.
As the camera panned around Truist Park, many Braves fans had resorted to the rally cap, hoping their superstitious act would cause Atlanta to score a run against Painter, who was now coming out for his third inning in relief, and tie, or potentially win, the ball game. Their superstitions seemed to work as Atlanta had two runners on when pinch hitter Dom Smith came to the plate. With two outs, the speedy Dubon on second and the equally quick Harris on first, a single would tie the game, and anything more would win it for the home team. The first two pitches were swung on and missed. The third was called a ball, but an ABS challenge from Realmuto overturned the call. Game over. The Phillies stayed alive.
This is everything you want in playoff baseball. The suspense, the home runs, the extra innings. Game two of this series was the baseball embodiment of the “Martin Scorsese ‘Absolute Cinema’ meme.” What time did the game end, you wonder? You didn’t ask? Well, I’ll tell you anyway: 5:16 PM. Yes, I actually noted this when it happened because I’m, in fact, a crazy person. It was when the scoreboard flashed “final.” Most people were likely still on their way home from work or school when this game was concluding. I know I promised to stop talking about these games’ start times, but c’mon, the far and away most exciting series thus far has been played at 2:00 PM EST!
Final Score: PHI 4 ATL 3
Game Grade: A+
White Sox at Astros (5:00 PM EST)
So I, like I’m sure many of you, actually missed the first inning of this game because I was watching the end of the Phillies vs. Braves game. I am done talking about these start times, but please let the record show that I was displeased with missing the first inning and first runs of this game.
The Astros decided to actually start an actual starting pitcher this game after expending a total of eight pitchers the day before in the abject failure that was Houston’s “bullpen game” Game 1. Unfortunately for Houston, their Game 2 starter didn’t last any longer than their Game 1 starter did. The White Sox pounced on Hunter Brown early, and after surrendering 5 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs (only 3 of which were earned), Houston yanked their starter, only two outs into the game.
Houston’s offense was certainly more alive today and wasted no time getting on the board. Jeremy Pena did his best Fernando Tatis Jr. impression and hit a lead-off home run off Chicago’s starter, Sean Burke, to cut Houston’s deficit to three. The following inning, with the score still 4-1, Cam Smith hit a solo home run off Burke to cut Chicago’s lead to two. Two innings later, Jose Altuve hit a solo home run of his own, again off Burke, to cut the lead in half. We finally have a ballgame in Houston. Have the Astros woken up? Could they win this game and force a Game 3? No.
Any hope that Houston compiled up to the fifth inning evaporated in the top half of the sixth when Chase Meidroth hit a three-run home run off Bryan Abreu to effectively end the series. Houston didn’t record a single hit after that home run in the 6th. While their offense and MVP hopeful Yordan Alveraz did not look incredible by any means, the team’s downfall was undoubtedly their pitching. Everyone knew Houston’s pitching was a weak point for the team, but they made the White Sox look like the ’27 Yankees. In essence, Houston, even with home-field advantage, was completely outclassed by this White Sox team.
Final Score: CHW 7 HOU 3
Game Grade: B
Red Sox at Yankees (8:00 PM EST)
I’m not sure if this is due to the start time of the previous two games today, but the Yankees vs. Red Sox matchup had more of that intangible playoff feel compared to the Astros vs. White Sox and Phillies vs. Braves games earlier in the day. The atmosphere in the Bronx was evident to every viewer and fan at home. Anytime something positive happened for the Yankees, the energy was palpable. Every time the Red Sox fought back, the whole stadium went quiet, and the silence was deafening. This is postseason baseball.
The first third of the game was relatively uneventful. Both starters, Sonny Gray and Max Fried, struck out 3 batters, and the game was scoreless entering the 4th. The first “big moment” of the evening came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Luis Garcia Jr. led off the inning with a solo home run to get the home team on the board. An inning later, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice both singled, forcing the Red Sox to take out Sonny Gray with two outs in the inning. Gray’s replacement, Erik Miller, immediately allowed an RBI single to Cody Bellinger. Heading into the 6th inning, the Yankees led 2-0, and all the momentum was on their side.
At the top of the 6th, Max Fried’s pitch count was approaching 100, and it was evident that this inning would be his last. With two outs, Wilson Contreras took a fastball outside the other way and took full advantage of the short porch in right field. As Contreras rounded the bases, he took his time. I mean, he really took his time. Max Fried and the entire Yankees squad were visibly upset by Contreras’ home run trot. Two pitches later, Wilyer Abreu flew out to center.
This is where things get really interesting. With the momentum fully in their hands, Boston decided to gamble. They decided to bring Garrett Crochet into the game to pitch the bottom of the 6th inning. Garrett Crotchet had not thrown a pitch in the MLB since April 25th. In 2025, Crochet was practically unhittable in 2025, and clearly the Red Sox coaching staff felt he was physically ready to pitch after missing 5 months with his injury, but inserting a traditional starter mid-postseason game was a questionable decision. How did this gamble pay off for Boston? Poorly, very poorly. Crochet struck out the first batter he faced, Spencer Jones; however, strike three was a wild pitch, and Jones safely made it to first. Jones proceeded to steal 2nd and even made it to third after an errant throw by Contreras. George Lombard then drove Jones in via a single to center. Jazz Chisholm then singled, followed by a bunt for a hit by Trent Grisham to load the bases. With the score 3-1, the bases loaded, and no outs recorded in the inning, the Sox pulled Crochet. Garrett Whitlock replaced Crochet and didn’t fare much better. Austin Wells hit a sac fly to the left that scored Lombard. Ryan McMahon grounded out third, but Chisholm scored and extended the lead to four. The Red Sox intentionally walked Ben Rice to bring up Cody Bellinger with two outs and the game still fully in reach. The second pitch that Bellinger saw was a changeup right in the middle of the zone. Everyone in the stadium knew it was gone the second he made contact. That was it. Game over.
It was only the 6th inning of the game, and the series, for that matter, was effectively over. A seven-run deficit is not impossible to overcome, but this one really felt impossible to overcome. Life had been zapped from the Red Sox’s spirit the second Cody Bellinger made contact with that ball in the 6th.
The Yankees weren’t perfect this series, but they were as dominant as any Yankees squad has looked the past few postseasons. It feels as if all of the Yankees’ hitters have gotten hot at the same time. Now they will add a (hopefully) healthy enough Aaron Judge to an offense that just thoroughly dismantled the Red Sox when they face another divisional rival in the Rays this weekend.
Final Score: NYY 9 BOS 2
Game Grade: B+
Cubs at Padres (10:00 PM EST)
Unlike Game 1, the second game of the series wasn’t essentially over in the first inning. Also, the Cubs were able to score infinitely more runs (1) this time compared to their effort on Tuesday.
The Padres were able to strike first, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second after a lead-off double from Ty France, base hits from Jackson Merrill and Xander Boegarts, and a sac fly from Ethan Salas.
Unlike Tuesday night, the Cubs answered back this time scoring in the top of the 4th inning. Seiya Suzuki knocked out a single, and Ian Happ followed by working a walk. Nico Hoerner capitalized, ripping a single to center, which scored Suzuki, the Cubs’ first run of the series (surely there will be more of that). That hit knocked Pivetta out of the game, and the Padres turned to their world-class bullpen to finish out the remaining 5 ⅔ innings. Bradgley Rodriguez entered the game for San Diego and quickly, but not prettily, got out of the bases-loaded jam. The Cubs had hope.
That hope was short-lived; however, in the very next inning, the Padres struck back. Xander Bogaerts continued his excellent postseason by hitting an out double to center that forced the Cubs to take Gausman out of the game. The first man out of the bullpen for Chicago was Daniel Palencia, who, after striking out Ethan Salas, gave up a 394 ft home run to pinch hitter Gavin Sheets. A bomb that thoroughly energized the home crowd and zapped the life from the visitors. Two batters later, Tatis almost virtually ended the game with a two-run shot but came up just a few feet short of the fence in center. The Padres, leading 4-1 after four innings, felt certainly like not only the better team but also the team that would come away victorious.
That score, 4-1, would remain for the following innings as the game became a battle of bullpens. The Cubs’ best shot at an equalizer came in the top of the eighth inning. Adrian Morejon was on his second full inning of work and had surrendered a single to Tyrone Taylor. Seiya Suzuki, one of the only Cubs players to record a hit this postseason and the only Cub to score a run this postseason, came to bat against Morejon. Suzuki got on top of a 99 MPH sinker and grounded into a double play. The inning was over, and the home crowd in San Diego erupted.
San Diego’s home field advantage was on full display this game. I truly believe the home crowd had a profound, negative impact on the Cubs’ offense this series. The team felt soulless, and I refuse to believe that they would have struggled as much as they did if this series had been played at Wrigley Field.
A three-run lead entering the ninth inning has never felt safer than it did for the Padres Wednesday evening. As soon as they cut the lights at Petco Park and the opening guitar riff began blasting over the PA system, it felt as if the Cubs were officially without hope. A team destined to be eliminated. Mason Miller, the best closer in the MLB, had entered the game. After a hard-fought, seven-pitch at-bat, Miller struck out Ian Happ on a 103 MPH fastball to record the first out of the 9th. Nico Hoerner, the Cubs’ most productive batter this postseason, came to the plate and looked absolutely helpless against Miller before somehow pulling a ball to left field against the shifted defense for a one-out double. That brought up Michael Conforto, who fought valiantly before chasing a disgusting slider in the dirt, striking out. Carson Kelly went first pitch and grounded out meekly to Xander Bogaerts, who easily retired Kelly to end the Cubs’ season.
A soft groundball to shortstop is actually a pretty apt metaphor for the Cubs’ performance this series. Their offense looked outmatched when facing San Diego’s elite bullpen. Also, it didn’t help that Chicago’s biggest stars, PCA and Bregman, were total non-factors offensively in both games.
The Padres were clearly the better team and may have been even underrated entering this postseason. Their offense looks solid, although they did disappear in the second half of Game 2, and their bullpen is likely the best in the league and a frightening sight for opposing teams. The gap between California’s best baseball teams might be smaller than initially believed.
Final Score: SDP 4 CHC 1
Game Grade: A-
Day Three (Thursday, October 1st)
Phillies at Braves (8:00 PM EST)
October baseball—is there anything better in the world? Don’t answer that, please. Moving on, my prayers have been answered! The Phillies and Braves are finally playing a primetime baseball game this postseason. The far and away most—well, arguably only—enticing, electrifying, and highly competitive Wild Card series this year has finally escaped the deep, depressing pit that is the 2:00 PM EST start time. Thankfully, there is no other major sporting event happening simultaneously to this game.
Luckily, the Thursday Night Football matchup of the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers was destined to be a frustrating sight for most NFL patrons without a rooting interest in either side. All eyes (alright, at least more than Games 1 & 2) were on Game 3 of the NL Wild Card.
For the first time all series, it felt as if the Braves truly had a home field advantage. From the top of the first inning, the crowd was booming in a way that they hadn’t been in Games 1 and 2. Maybe it was the start time. Maybe it was the heightened stakes of Game 3 being a “winner-take-all” game. Regardless, this series finally had an atmosphere that matched the exhilarating game being played.
With Zach Wheeler on short rest, the Phillies were forced to start their clear-cut “number four” starter: Aaron Nola. The 33-year-old veteran, making his 12th career postseason start for Philly, struggled early, allowing back-to-back walks to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson in the 1st inning. Things didn’t get better for Nola (even after a nice chat with catcher JT Realmuto) as the very next batter, Michael Harris, squeaked out a 387 ft home run to right field to give the Braves an early 3-0 lead. Two innings later, Ozzie Albies crushed a no-doubt two-run homer to right off Zach Wheeler to extend the Braves’ lead.
The Braves’ opener, Ray Kerr, pitched an effective 3 ⅓ innings in his first career postseason start before being replaced by Grant Holmes. The Phillies offense was pretty dull the first half of the game, only managing a mere two hits through the first 5 innings. The top of the 6th was more fruitful for Philly as they knocked Holmes out of the game and scored their first run of the game, courtesy of an Alec Bohm groundout, but Robert Suarez was able to stop the bleeding before the Phillies could really cut into Atlanta’s lead.
From that point forward, Philadelphia struggled to get any sort of rally going as they started to run out of gas against the Braves bullpen. The pitchers in relief for Philly were able to keep the lead at only four through the 6⅔ innings until Matt Olson effectively signed the 2026 Phillies’ death warrant with a two-run shot in the bottom of the 7th.
The Phils tacked on another run after a Derek Hill lead-off triple in the 8th; however, the situation remained bleak for the visitors as Chris Sale trotted out of the bullpen with two outs in the top of the eighth inning to face Bryce Harper. Sale only needed four pitches to strike out Harper and bring the Phillies down to their last three outs of their season.
Sale took care of business in the 9th, and the Braves had won the game and the series. The Braves offense was the real leading factor in why they ultimately won the series. While Philly experienced sudden bursts of offensive productivity from their key contributors, all of Atlanta’s batters seemed very confident at bat—especially when facing the Phillies’ subpar relief pitchers.
Atlanta looked very good, especially offensively, in this series; however, nothing short of great will result in an NLDS victory over the defending World Series for the Braves.
Final Score: ATL 6 PHI 2
Game Grade: B
Thank you for reading, everyone! Make sure to stay tuned for more content this postseason and beyond!