Riley's eighth-inning homer lifts Braves past Phillies in Wild Card opener

Austin Riley hit a three-run home run off All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Game 1 of the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series. The go-ahead blast came after Michael Harris II singled and Ozzie Albies was hit by a pitch, putting runners in scoring position. Riley drove the ball over the wall in right-center field, giving Atlanta a 1-0 series lead and a chance to clinch on Wednesday.

The Braves trailed 3-2 when Riley stepped into the batter's box. The Phillies had taken the lead in the seventh inning when J.T. Realmuto drove in two runs with a triple off reliever Didier Fuentes, following Bryan De La Cruz being hit by a pitch and Bryson Stott's single. The Braves had earlier scored twice: Alec Bohm's double drove in a run for Philadelphia in the first, Atlanta tied it when Mike Yastrzemski singled in Ozzie Albies in the second, and the Braves went ahead 2-1 in the sixth when Albies tripled and scored on Harris's single.

Riley's postseason breakthrough carried particular significance given his regular-season struggles. The third baseman batted only .219 with 19 home runs during the 2026 regular season, a sharp contrast to his expectations. However, he emphasized the reset that the playoffs provide. "Especially knowing how my season was not the way I wanted it, that's why the postseason is a clean slate," Riley said. Braves ace Chris Sale, a 37-year-old left-hander making his longest career playoff start, praised Riley's consistency despite his offensive struggles, noting that "you couldn't tell if he was the leading MVP candidate or if he was struggling."

The victory marked a significant moment in the ongoing rivalry between the franchises. The Phillies had defeated Atlanta in both the 2022 and 2023 NLDS, bouncing the Braves from the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Philadelphia also beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS. Atlanta went 9-4 against the Phillies in the 2026 regular season and won the NL East division by six games.

Sale struck out nine batters over 6⅓ innings, giving up three runs. At age 37, he threw a 100 mph fastball to Bryce Harper in the first inning, joining only Aroldis Chapman (Boston, 2025) as pitchers aged 37 or older to throw 100 mph in a postseason game since tracking began in 2008. Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo pitched five innings of one-run ball with 77 pitches, while the Philadelphia bullpen, which posted a 5.79 ERA in September (worst in the majors), struggled down the stretch. Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for the save after Dylan Lee threw a scoreless eighth.