This was an absolutely unreal baseball contest. I don’t have the right words.
A sold-out crowd and the home Friday red uniforms energized a Braves squad on the brink of elimination, and the boys delivered some Truist Park magic to begin October baseball.
Ray Kerr was magnificent. This lineup – finally and blessedly – let it fly early to cruise to victory. Maybe this is controversial, but I like our chances if we continue to hit one-, two- and three-run bombs.
And Chris Sale slammed the door. You’re reading that correctly.
The exorcism is complete. There will be no Red October this year for Philadelphia.
Making his postseason debut, Ray Kerr outdueled Aaron Nola, who is no stranger to the bright lights of October. Kerr set the tone early with a scoreless top of the first, allowing a single to Kyle Schwarber but leaving him stranded.
The deep familiarity between Aaron Nola and the Braves showed up in a major way nearly immediately. When Drake Baldwin flew out sharply to center on the first pitch he saw, it was looking like it was going to be yet another frustrating day of hard-hit balls that find gloves.
But then Ronald Acuña Jr. walked on five pitches. Matt Olson did the exact same.
Nola’s struggles to find the zone continued as he faced cleanup man Michael Harris II.
Except Michael Harris II wasn’t going to be content taking his base. So he laced a ball miles below the zone 100.5 miles per hour to right center field for an absolutely massive three-run home run to draw first blood for Atlanta. Truist Park erupted.
Michael Harris II! This pitch was 1.11 ft above the ground
That is the: -3rd-lowest pitch hit for a postseason HR under tracking (2008)
-5th-lowest hit for a HR by a Braves player in reg or post in span
Kerr set the Phillies down in order in the second. Nola rebounded a bit to get Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies to line out. But surrendering a single to our nine-hole designated hitter Dom Smith was the final blow. Don Mattingly lifted him in favor of something we hadn’t seen in Games 1 and 2: an actual Phillies bullpen arm. Reliever Tim Mayza came, got Baldwin to ground out, and was done for the night.
Kerr worked yet another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third. Zack Wheeler entered for the home half of the third and was greeted rudely by Ronald’s single to left, his first hit of the postseason. But a force out, pop out, and line out kept the Braves from adding on.
With the three-run lead, Kerr came back out in the fourth as Grant Holmes waited in the wings. Kerr issued a leadoff walk to Schwarber before getting Bryce Harper to line into a force out. Walt Weiss made the stroll to the mound to make the change. Truist Park gave Kerr a well-deserved ovation as he beamed and headed back to the dugout. Holmes polished off the top of the fourth with a groundout and strikeout.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Austin Riley worked a fantastic at-bat, seeing nine pitches, fouling off the five that were in the zone, and working a walk. He set the table for another Braves bomb to right center – this one off the bat of Ozzie. This one went 419 feet and made it 5-0 Braves.
Another Dom Smith single (!) single prompted another mound visit, but Wheeler got Baldwin to ground into a double play.
Holmes’ first full inning began with two on with no outs, but a JT Realmuto flyout and Justin Crawford double play ended the threat. The following inning, Holmes exited after recording one out and allowing a single to Schwarber. Robert Suarez entered and immediately allowed a double to Bryce Harper. Alec Bohm’s RBI groundout got the Phillies on the board to make it 5-1, but that would be all they get.
Didier Fuentes bounced back from the last two harrowing days with a 1-2-3 seventh.
The Braves got that run back on their third homer of the night. A solo shot by Matt Olson to center field made it 6-1.
Matt Olson has hit 3 of his 5 career Postseason homers against the Phillies 🫡 pic.twitter.com/DZ1kswnKVf
Dylan Dodd entered for the eighth, but the real story was the cameras panning to the bullpen to show a different left-hander throwing.
Dodd allowed a leadoff triple to pinch-hitter Derek Hill, who came home to score on Trea Turner’s sac fly. After he got Schwarber to fly out to right, Weiss made the call for Christopher Allen Sale. He struck out Harper to finish the eighth… then came back out for the ninth. Bohm led off with a single to try to spark a late rally. But the hope dimmed as Bryson Stott popped out and Bryan De La Cruz struck out. The last hope for the Phillies came in the form of Otto Kemp making his postseason debut as a pinch-hitter. But it didn’t matter. He swung at a slider bearing in on him for strike three.
Before the boys get on the Delta plane to Los Angeles (and before we worry about the roster and logistics for the NLDS)… goggles, champagne, and beer await in the clubhouse. Clinch sweet clinch.
You deserve a drink (or two) of your own after this series. Enjoy this one, Braves Country.
Houston, we have a party. Chicago breaks out the bubbly after their first postseason series win in 21 years. | (Troy Taormina/Reuters Connect)
Three sweeps, one series going the distance and the White Sox still playing baseball in October. That’s a pretty good start to the postseason.
The South Siders sent Houston packing for their first postseason series win in 21 years, while the Yankees steamrolled Boston and the Padres shut down the North Side’s supposedly mighty offense. Atlanta and Philadelphia supplied the drama, splitting two tight games to force the only winner-take-all matchup of the Wild Card round.
Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros — White Sox win series, 2-0 The White Sox made quick work of the Astros, taking both games in Houston and finally giving fans a postseason series victory for the first time since 2005. Timely hitting, some thunder from unexpected places and a bullpen that handled its business? Yes, please.
Chicago White Sox 6, Houston Astros 3 — Game 1 The Good Guys wasted no time getting on the board, manufacturing a first-inning run with a little small ball. Sam Antonacci drew a leadoff walk, Kyle Teel moved him over with a ground out and Miguel Vargas took a free pass before Munetaka Murakami’s sacrifice fly gave Chicago a 1-0 lead.
The Pale Hose added a pair in the second. Back-to-back singles from Braden Montgomery and Chase Meidroth, followed by a hit-by-pitch for Colson Montgomery, packed the sacks for Antonacci. The rookie delivered a two-run single to left, putting the Sox up 3-0.
Colson supplied the loud contact in the fourth, absolutely demolishing a solo shot 432 feet to center. Another run followed in the fifth, courtesy of a string of singles from Tristan Peters, Braden and Meidroth.
Houston answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Sox found a little breathing room in the seventh with help from undercover agent Bennett Sousa. Mune and Randal Grichuk singled, Peters moved them over with a sacrifice bunt and Sousa uncorked a wild pitch to bring Mune home.
The Astros added a tally in the eighth, but that was as close as they got.
Hagen Smith, Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings, while Grant Taylor was an absolute dog, throwing a career-high 54 pitches to help the South Siders finish the job: one down, one to go.
Antonacci opened with a double and scored on Teel’s single. The Astros then helped the cause with a pair of errors, including one on a Vargas grounder and another that allowed an extra run to score following an Andrew Benintendi single. Peters capped the outburst with an RBI base hit, and Brown’s afternoon was already over.
Houston eventually clawed back within a run, because apparently Sox fans weren’t allowed to enjoy a completely stress-free clincher. But Meidroth delivered the death blow in the sixth, launching a three-run tank to turn a nervous 4-3 lead into a much more comfortable 7-3 advantage.
The pitching staff took care of the rest. Sean Burke allowed three runs over four innings before handing things to the arm barn. Huascar Brazobán, Anthony Kay, Jordan Hicks and Erick Fedde combined for five scoreless innings, shutting the door on Houston and keeping the South Siders’ October alive.
Next up: Cleveland. The Good Guys open the ALDS at Progressive Field on Saturday at noon CT, with coverage on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox — Yankees win series, 2-0 So much for a competitive chapter in this rivalry.
The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 18-2 over two games, and they did it without Aaron Judge. His availability for the ALDS remains uncertain, but Ben Rice had no trouble picking up the slack, going 5-for-9 with two homers and 10 RBIs.
Boston’s second-half comeback was a nice story. Its postseason stay was considerably less inspiring.
Rice went deep twice, including an eighth-inning grand slam that turned an already comfortable lead into a full-blown beatdown.
Cam Schlittler was nails, throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, one walk and just two hits allowed. He needed a career-high 117 pitches, but Boston never found an answer.
The Red Sox managed only three hits all game, with Trevor Story’s double accounting for their lone extra-base hit. It’s hard to win when nobody gets on base and the other side keeps circling.
New York Yankees 9, Boston Red Sox 2 — Game 2 Boston briefly made this one interesting, cutting New York’s lead to 2-1 after six innings. Then old friend Garrett Crochet entered, making his first appearance since April, and things unraveled in a hurry.
Crochet was charged with four runs without recording an out, effectively slamming the door on any hopes of a Red Sox comeback.
The Yankees piled on from there, completing another nine-run performance and sending Boston home. Eighteen runs without Judge is a pretty unsettling thought for the Tampa Bay Rays, who have to deal with this lineup next.
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs — Padres win series, 2-0 It was a quick exit for our North Side foes, whose offense picked a spectacularly bad time to disappear.
The Cubs led MLB with 850 runs during the regular season. Against San Diego, they managed one run on eight hits across two games, with just one double to show for their extra-base production.
Likely NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong went 0-for-7 with a walk and four strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Padres kept their red-hot second half rolling right into October.
San Diego Padres 8, Chicago Cubs 0 — Game 1 The Friars piled up 13 hits, including solo dingers from Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, making sure this one never became much of a contest.
Machado went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and two RBIs, while Michael King dominated on the mound. King carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Nico Hoerner finally broke it up with a one-out single.
That hit gave the Cubs something to put in the box score. It did very little to change the game.
Gavin Sheets came off the bench and delivered a clutch pinch-hit, two-run four-bagger, extending San Diego’s lead to 4-1. With the Cubs’ bats still missing in action, that was more than enough.
The Padres finished the sweep, and Sheets helped send the North Siders home. A former White Sox player contributing to a Cubs postseason exit? We’ll take that little bonus.
Atlanta Bravesvs. Philadelphia Phillies — Braves win series, 2-1
After slashing just .219/.290/.364 with a .654 OPS, Riley stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth with Atlanta trailing 3-2. One swing later, the Braves were up 5-3, courtesy of a three-run homer.
Raisel Iglesias handled the ninth, although Brandon Marsh made him work a little by leading off with a single. Iglesias promptly induced a double play from Bryan De La Cruz, then got Bryson Stott to fly out and sealed the win.
Philadelphia was four outs from taking the opener. Riley had other plans.
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Atlanta Braves 3 — Game 2 The Braves looked ready to finish the series when they broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh. Drake Baldwin delivered an RBI double off Cristopher Sánchez, and Matt Olson followed with a sacrifice fly to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead.
The Phillies responded with a collective “hold my beer.” Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper went back-to-back, tying the game at 3-3 and wiping out Atlanta’s advantage.
Neither team could finish the job in nine, so off to extras they went. Thankfully, there are no ghost runners in the postseason. Actual baseball!
Alec Bohm kept the home run parade going in the top of the 10th, sending one out to right to put Philadelphia ahead, 4-3.
Then things got hairy for Andrew Painter, who had entered in the seventh to relieve Sánchez. Singles from Mauricio Dubón and Michael Harris II put runners on first and second with two outs, bringing Dominic Smith to the plate. With a 0-2 count, the next pitch was called a ball. Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto challenged the call, and the ABS review overturned it for strike three.
Ballgame. Series tied.
Atlanta Braves 6, Philadelphia Phillies 2 — Game 3 The Braves were cooking with gas from the start when Michael Harris II tagged Aaron Nola for a three-run blast in the bottom of the first, putting Philadelphia in an early hole. Phillies skipper Don Mattingly wasted no time with the hook, pulling the veteran with two outs in the second.
Then with Philadelphia’s season on the line, he turned to Zack Wheeler in the third. The 36-year-old got through that inning unscathed, but Ozzie Albies took him deep for a two-run shot in the fourth, giving Atlanta a 5-0 advantage.
The Phillies finally broke through in the sixth. Schwarber singled, Harper doubled and Bohm brought home a run with a ground out. Atlanta promptly took that run back in the seventh on a Matt Olson dinger.
Yet another old White Sox friend, Derek Hill, supplied a little life for Philadelphia with a leadoff triple in the eighth. Trea Turner drove him home with a sacrifice fly, cutting Atlanta’s lead to 6-2. With two outs in the inning, Braves manager Walt Weiss went to the pen for none other than Chris Sale. He wasn’t messing around.
Down to their final three outs, the Phillies went down with a whimper. Bohm singled to open the ninth, but a pop-up and two Ks later, Sale had pulled a Mark Buehrle, coming out of the bullpen to finish it out and send Atlanta to the NLDS.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, right, speaks with Josue De Paula during practice at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The deciding game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves played silently on the Dodger Stadium scoreboard Thursday as Dodgers players practiced below.
The Dodgers were less than 48 hours away from the first pitch of the National League Division Series. The “2026 Postseason” decals had been freshly painted up the baselines that afternoon. All that was left to be decided was their opponent — the winner of the game serving as the backdrop of their intrasquad scrimmage.
About a half an hour after the Dodgers cleared the field, the Braves advanced to the NLDS with a 6-2 win over the Phillies. The Dodgers and Braves will open the best-of-five series at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. PDT.
“We are the team to beat,” veteran utility player Kiké Hernández said. “We are the team that you have to go through. And that’s all nice words and everything, but we got to take care of business on the field. But I feel great about my team.”
The Dodgers are the reigning back-to-back champions and are aiming to become the first National League team to win three World Series in a row.
“Obviously it’s there, but it’s not something we’re really focused on,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said of the three-peat chase. “We’re trying to focus on ourselves getting ready this week, paying attention to whoever we might be playing and just trying to get ready for a postseason series the same way we’ve always gotten ready for it.
“We don’t need to be adding any extra pressure onto ourselves. We’ve been saying that for a long time. When you talk about three-peating, you’re putting that extra pressure on it that doesn’t need to be there. Winning a World Series is already hard enough as it is. So for us, we’re just trying to focus on what we have ahead of us and without the added noise to it.”
So, how did the Dodgers get ready for the postseason? Their bye week consisted of wild-card watch parties, batting practice, live pitching — from a long list of arms on Wednesday, especially — and an open workout Thursday that culminated in a scrimmage. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who’s penciled in to start Game 4 of the NLDS if necessary, started for the home team Thursday.
“Instead of showing up, checking a box to work out, then eject, I think that sacrifice from friends, family, it’s important,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re at the home stretch. We’re in the playoffs, and so I think that the more guys spend time with one another, it just lends itself to just more togetherness.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, talks with third baseman Max Muncy during practice Thursday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Dodgers have figured that out over five postseasons in this format. This is their fourth with a bye — after going through the wild card last year. And they introduced the watch parties in 2024.
“You’ve earned the bye and you should take that time to rest and recover,” Muncy said. “But you don’t want to give guys too much time to be at home and get that taste of what it might be like. That really worked for us back in 2024. You get guys here to the field. You’re not forcing anyone to do anything but you’re making all the guys hang out together for extended periods of time when they could be at home enjoying family time — which is great for everybody but not when you know what’s coming for us ahead.
“You’re going to be facing a team that’s already been through the fire. They’ve already been through the emotions. They’ve already been through the roller coaster which is the postseason. It’s hard to go from an at-home setting to trying to find a way to flip the switch.”
The Braves have, indeed, been through the fire. They claimed the No. 3 seed with a 94-68 record and the NL East title. They took Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Phillies but lost Game 2 in extra innings, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 25: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves steals second base in the fifth inning during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park on August 25, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and Braves have spent plenty of time in the last decade at or near the top of the National League standings. The two teams met in the playoffs three times, highlighted by a pair of exciting NLCS matchups each team used as a springboard to a championship.
Now the matchup is set, the Dodgers are set to play the Braves in the National League Division Series beginning on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
The Braves took care of the Philadelphia Phillies, beating their NL East foes in three games in the wild card round at Truist Park in Atlanta.
This round will mark the first playoff matchup between the Dodgers and Braves in five years, after a pair of near misses. After the Dodgers won it all in 2020 and the Braves captured a championship in 2021, Los Angeles and Atlanta had the two best records in the National League in both 2022 and 2023, but in each year both teams won in triple digits and flamed out in the NLDS. The NLCS rubber match never materialized until now.
During the Dodgers’ title runs in 2024 and 2025, the Braves lost in the wild card round and missed the playoffs altogether last year. But now Atlanta is back, having won the NL East with a 94-68 record.
Braves ace Chris Sale allowed three runs (two earned) in 16 innings against the Dodgers this season with 18 strikeouts in his two starts. The Dodgers won that first start, on May 8, their only win against Atlanta this season, before a 1-0 shutout by Sale on August 27. Sale pitched Tuesday against the Phillies and presumably wouldn’t be available to face the Dodgers until at least Game 2 on Sunday, which was the thinking before Sale pitched an inning and a third in Game 3.
The 37-year-old Sale has pitched on four days’ rest twice this season, both in April. Now, it’s an open question who Atlanta will slot into the rotation with a day’s break for travel. Meanwhile, by earning the bye, the Dodgers have the luxury to set up their rotation however they see fit for Saturday’s likely blistering Game 1 start.
Oct 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) meets with teammates on the mound against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in game three of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Not with a bang, but with a whimper.” So wrote T.S. Eliot. He was many things, but he was not a baseball fan: if he had been, he would’ve known that the world, or at least a season, can end with both. The Phillies and their fans know this well: their 2026 ended with the bangs of Braves home runs, and the whimpers of their own offense.
It began quietly for the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber singled to left against Braves opener Ray Kerr, but Bryce Harper went down whiffing on a cutter, and Bohm grounded out.
Aaron Nola went down 3-0 on Ronald Acuña Jr. , eventually walking him, then went down 3-0 again against Matt Olson, walking him too. His pitches could not find the strike zone. What happened next has happened many times this season, and happened again tonight: Nola gave up a gopher ball. Michael Harris saw a pitch that was quite low, delivered a perfect swing, knocked it into right field, and the Phillies were down 3-0. Nola’s second inning saw him put the first two Braves down, though they made good contact. Dominic Smith did not, though he did enough: he dribbled one straight back, just far enough to get on base. Nola was pulled, and replaced with Tim Mayza, who quickly wrapped up the inning.
The Phillies offense couldn’t do damage against Kerr, and so the deficit remained at three as Zack Wheeler came out for the bottom third. He immediately encountered trouble, as Acuña smacked a line drive that bounced off of Trea Turner for a leadoff single. But he was sent back to the dugout on a fielder’s choice, and Wheeler navigated the rest of the inning without incident.
Kerr returned for the fourth, the Phillies still unable to solve him, and the Phillies got their second baserunner of the night on via a Kyle Schwarber walk. Bryce Harper hit a hard line drive, which Mauricio Dubon grabbed on a dive, tossing to second to put Schwarber out. Kerr was replaced with Grant Holmes, who bobbled a grounder from Alec Bohm but got the out anyway, and the Phillies left their half of the fourth still scoreless. Their season was teetering on the brink, and soon it fell over: Wheeler walked Austin Riley, then gave up a homer to Ozzie Albies. Braves fans, full of passionate intensity, performed their typical pantomime.
With the mood thoroughly nauseous, the Phillies finally got some breaks: Bryan De La Cruz singled to open the fifth, and a wild pitch advanced him to second. Brandon Marsh replaced Edmundo Sosa as a pinch hitter and negotiated his way to ball four. But the glimmer of hope vanished, snuffed out by a twin killing. The Phillies put another baserunner aboard in the sixth (Schwarber, single to right), chasing Holmes, who was replaced by Robert Suarez. Harper doubled to right, and Schwarber scored on a groundout from Bohm. The Phillies would not go into the night scoreless.
Wheeler continued into the sixth, walking two with two outs, but working his way to the last out without further damage incurred. The offense was punchless in the seventh, and Jonathan Bowlan was asked to keep Atlanta’s the same. He could not: Matt Olson homered.
Derek Hill, pinch-hitting for Justin Crawford, tripled in the eighth as a ball slipped past a leaping Acuña Jr; he scored on a sacrifice fly from Turner. Chris Sale was brought in to face Harper, who flailed to a strikeout. Jhoan Duran took the eighth, preventing the deficit from getting worse. Sale returned for the final frame.
Alec Bohm, in possibly his last at-bat as a Phillie, singled to center. Bryson Stott foul popped out, De La Cruz struck out, Otto Kemp did the same, and all was silence.
Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies homered Thursday night to give the Atlanta Braves their first win in a winner-take-all playoff game since Game 7 of the 1996 National League Championship Series. They had lost six straight in between.
And the reward for that breakthrough? They get fly across the country to Los Angeles to face the two-time World Series defending champion Dodgers.
The division series open Saturday with four games in one day, all best-of-five games series.
The Tampa Bay Rays had the best record in the American League. They also haven't won a playoff series since 2020. They host the New York Yankees, who gave up two runs in two games against Boston. The Chicago White Sox swept Houston for their first series win since 2005. Next is Cleveland, a division rival they have never played in the postseason.
Then there's Jacob Misiorowski. The Milwaukee right-hander led the majors in ERA, strikeouts and opponents' batting average, something only Sandy Koufax, J.R. Richard and Mike Scott have done since 1950. He gets the ball in Game 1 against San Diego, a team that just held the majors' highest-scoring offense to one run in two haves.
The best-of-seven league championship series start Oct. 11, and the World Series opens Oct. 23.
The stage is set for the National League Division Series, with the Atlanta Braves advancing to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five matchup beginning Saturday, Oct. 3.
In Game 2, the Phillies staged an impressive comeback to keep their postseason hopes alive. Alec Bohm delivered a two-out home run in the 10th inning, lifting the Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Braves. With this win, Philadelphia forced a winner-take-all Game 3 in the NL Wild Card Series.
Ozzie Albies is doing his part to make sure the Atlanta Braves win the NL wild-card series over division rival the Philadelphia Phillies. In the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 3 of the series on Thursday, Oct. 1, he hit a two-run home run.
The switch-hitter approached the plate to swing left-handed. After getting a strike from Zack Wheeler, Albies took a pitch down the middle of the plate, swung hard and blasted the ball into right field.
The crowd at Truist Park knew it was gone as soon as he made contact and erupted in celebration. Albies let out a yell and lifted his arm with a finger pointed up as he rounded the bases. The hit was his fourth career postseason home run. Austin Riley, who was walked, also scored, giving the Braves a 5-0 lead.
Nola threw harder than usual, which is normal for pitchers amped up for a big start, but he could not find the strike zone. His four-seam fastball averaged nearly two miles per hour above his season average but only 32% of his pitches were in the zone. He threw his sinker 37% of the time, about double his season rate. His knuckle curve, which held hitters to a .177 average this season, was barely a quarter of his pitches.
He was chased after a single by Dominic Smith, who was in the lineup because of his past success against Nola. Left-hander Tim Mayza replaced him with Zack Wheeler in the bullpen.
Nola, 33, is the longest-tenured player on the Phillies. He went 7-12 with a 4.67 ERA this season, though he had a 2.45 ERA over 11 starts from late July to late September. He has four years and about $98 million left on the seven-year, $172 million deal he signed in November 2023.
Michael Harris II smacked a three-run home run in the bottom of the first on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Truist Park.
With a 2-0 count, the center fielder took a low pitch from Phillies starter Aaron Nola and swung at his ankles. He sent the ball sailing over Bryce Harper and into the stands in right field.
The home run also scored Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson, who were both walked, and put the Braves up 3-0.
"Ball was a little low, but I was just trying to hit it out," the 2022 Rookie of the Year said on the NBC broadcast before the bottom of the second inning. "I did it."
The series is tied 1-1. The winner will go on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jacob Misiorowski held hitters to a .157 batting average this season, the lowest by any pitcher with at least 100 innings since 1990. The San Diego Padres get their first crack at him at 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Milwaukee. It's the last game of the four on the Division Series' opening day, MLB announced Thursday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Blink and you’d have missed it: three of four wild card series are already over in two games. The Yankees, Padres, and the White Sox all punched their tickets to the Division Series yesterday. There were good storylines in all three. Too bad, so sad, for the Red Sox and their truly MIA offense (but Adley went 0-for-4 and I am rather bummed). The White Sox ended a 21-year drought in which they hadn’t won a playoff series. And the Padres downed the Cubs, and now get to face the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner in Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski.
So that leaves just one game today: the Braves vs. the Phillies, for all the marbles. In Game 1, the Braves took a stunning come-from-behind win on a Philadelphia bullpen collapse, but Philadelphia staved off elimination in Game 2.
For Philly, it’ll be right hander Aaron Nola on the mound. Nola had a 4.50 ERA in three starts against Atlanta this season. MLB.com suggests we might see ace Zack Wheeler entering the game in relief, despite being on short rest. With everything on the line, certainly could be.
As for the Braves, it’ll be southpaw Ray Kerr appearing as an opener, presumably to handle lefty sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber at the top of the lineup. After that, righty Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44 ERA in the regular season) is expected to handle most of the innings.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: The Wild Card base logo is seen before Game One of the Wild Card Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
And then there was one. Three of the four wild-card games proved to be pretty dull, with the Red Sox, Cubs and Astros rolling over with the lightest of struggles. So that just leaves the Phillies and Braves. Game #1 saw Atlanta come back from behind to take victory, while the roles were reversed in Game #2. So that sets the stage for a “winner takes all” Game #3 tonight in Atlanta. Enjoy it, because it’s the only baseball you are going to get today or tomorrow, before the Division Series get under way on Saturday. That’ll be another four-game slate, and might be the last such of the post-season, if one or other NLDS is a sweep. Because we then go into staggered games, the ALDS getting a day-off on Sunday.
Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves (1-1): 5:00 pm, NBC/Peacock
Starter question: it’s likely to trivial to bother with a poll, but who do you want to win this one?
LOS ANGELES — The full schedule for the Division Series round was announced by Major League Baseball on Thursday, giving us the start times for potentially all five games of the Dodgers’ first postseason round.
When the series shifts to the Eastern time zone, Game 3 on Tuesday will be televised at 3 p.m. PT, with Wednesday’s Game 4 also starting at 3 p.m. PT, if necessary. Both Games 3 and 4 will be televised by FS1.
If there’s a Game 5 in the Dodgers’ NLDS, it will be back at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 9, with a 5 p.m. PT start time on Fox.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13, Michael Harris II #23, and Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Only one Wild Card series made it to three games. Phillies and Braves play at 8:00 Eastern.
Aaron Nola (7-12, 4.67) vs. Ray Kerr (0-0, 1.47 in 9 games, 1 start 18.1 innings).
Today’s Lineups
PHILLIES
BRAVES
Trea Turner – SS
Drake Baldwin – C
Kyle Schwarber – DH
Ronald Acuna – RF
Bryce Harper – RF
Matt Olson – 1B
Alec Bohm – 1B
Michael Harris – CF
Bryson Stott – 2B
Mauricio Dubon – SS
Bryan De La Cruz – LF
Mike Yastrzemski – LF
Edmundo Sosa – 3B
Austin Riley – 3B
J.T. Realmuto – C
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Justin Crawford – CF
Dominic Smith – DH
Aaron Nola – RHP
Grant Holmes – RHP
In the other Series:
White Sox beat the Astros thru Divine Intervention. Always good to have a fan with red phone to God himself. 7-3 for the Sox yesterday. It was a fun game to watch.
Yankees thumped the Red Sox 9-2. Normally I’d be thrilled to see the Red Sox beaten so bad, but by the Yankees? Lots of complaints from the Red Sox players. A little weird that the Red Sox did their whole home run celebration for a home run that cut the lead to 6 in the seventh inning, but just be you I guess. And Red Sox players complaining that they use computers was interesting. I don’t think computers caused them to get just four hits. The Yankees had 14 hits.
And the Padres won 4-1 knocking the Cubs out, so now I don’t have a team to cheer for. Kevin Gausman had a rough time, giving up 3 runs in 3.1 innings.
