Thursday, October 1, 2026
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One game into the 2026 Major League Baseball postseason and the Philadelphia Phillies are in danger of elimination from the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies and Braves battled in what was a close ballgame before a three-run home run from Austin Riley gave the Braves a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Phillies, unable to recover, will now play with their backs against the wall as they face a third-consecutive first round elimination from the postseason.
Facing veteran left-hander Chris Sale, the Phillies managed to strike first in Game One. Kyle Schwarber worked a full count walk with one out, putting the first baserunner on for the Phillies.
On either side of Schwarber in the order stood Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. The pair of hitters have plenty of history against Sale, history the pitcher executed on as he struck out both in their first at bats.
Now with two outs, Alec Bohm connected on a 99.1 mph fastball, driving it 400 feet into straightaway center field, over the head of center fielder Michael Harris II.
The double, with an exit velocity of 102.9 mph, scored Schwarber to give the Phillies the first run scored of the 2026 Major League Baseball postseason.
After going down 1-2-3 in the first inning, Mauricio Dubón led off the bottom of the second with a double into left field for the Braves. Harris II then moved Dubón to third on a successful sacrifice bunt. Ozzie Albies followed up by working a five-pitch walk to put runners on the corners for the Braves.
Austin Riley then stepped up to the plate looking to cause some damage. A 1-1 fastball from Luzardo tailed high-and-in, on a collision course with Riley. Instead, the ball deflected off the knob of Riley’s bat, landing in play. A live ball, Luzardo fielded the slow roller and initiated a run-down to get Dubón out on a 1-5 putout for the second out of the inning.
In the midst of the run-down, Albies advanced to third, putting him in position to score when Mike Yastrzemski singled into center field to tie the game up for the Braves.
After allowing one run in the top of the first, Sale settled into his typical form, allowing only three base hits through six innings of work.
Luzardo, meanwhile, was a bit of an unknown feature going into the ballgame. Coming off a shoulder injury in mid-September, Luzardo has yet to have a chance to truly show how long he can last since his injury.
“We're not going to put him in danger, but I know he feels good,” interim manager Don Mattingly explained to reporters before the game. “We're confident that he's healthy. It's just a matter of how long -- if he's throwing the ball good, for how long he can go.”
Luzardo exceeded expectations.
He managed to throw five innings for the Phillies, allowing only one run on three hits. He struck out six Braves hitters in the process, needing only 77 pitches to do so.
Alex McFarlane has been a rare bright spot within a struggling Phillies bullpen lately. Ending the season with a 2.84 ERA, the rookie made his postseason debut in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Striking out Dubón on a fastball clocking in at 101.1 mph, McFarlane then allowed Harris II to reach on a single into left field.
Albies then stepped up, slugging a line drive into straightaway center field. Derek Hill attempted to make a jumping catch on the outfield fence but came up short. As the ball ricocheted towards right field, Albies pulled up to third base with a go-ahead triple, giving the Braves a 2-1 advantage over the Phillies.
Chris Sale had never pitched six complete innings in a postseason game going into Tuesday. Coming back out for the top of the seventh, he struck out Hill before hitting Bryan De La Cruz with a 2-1 slider.
Bryson Stott stepped up and took advantage of an inside fastball, driving it into right field to put runners on the corners, forcing the Braves to go to their bullpen with one out.
Didier Fuentes entered in relief, getting Justin Crawford to fly out to shallow center field. Now with two outs, J.T. Realmuto stepped up to the plate.
On the final day of the regular season, Realmuto busted a brutal 0-for-34 slump with an RBI double.
“A streak like that is never fun,” Realmuto explained during his media availability on Monday. “It's a breath of fresh air when it finally ends. Getting that over with and getting into the postseason is the most important thing, and now we start new.”
After sitting on a first-pitch ball from Fuentes, Realmuto showed the clean slate was for real. Realmuto squared up on a fastball outside, driving it into the opposite field for a bases-clearing triple, regaining the lead for the Phillies going into the seventh inning stretch.
With the batting lineup about to turn over for the Braves, Mattingly opted to bring in his closer, Jhoan Duran, to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Duran took care of the Braves in order, striking out Dominic Smith before getting Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. out on respective ground and fly-outs.
Duran came back out to pitch the bottom of the eighth, getting the first two outs on a pair of fly balls from Matt Olson and Dubón. Harris II then hit an infield single to Turner, his third base hit of the day.
Duran worked Albies to a full-count, just one pitch away from getting out of the inning. His knuckle-curve sailed inside, hitting Albies in the foot to put two runners on base for the Braves.
Austin Riley then took control of the ballgame for the Braves, hitting a three-run home run into right center field, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead with three outs remaining for the Phillies.
Brandon Marsh entered to pinch hit and wasted little time putting a runner on base for the Phillies, connecting on a red zone fastball from closer Rasiel Iglesias to sling a single into right field. De La Cruz then topped a sinker, grounding into a double play to take the wind out of the Phillies’ sails.
With no one on base, Stott flew out to left field to end the ballgame as the Braves took Game One 5-3. Jhoan Duran took the loss for the Phillies.
For the second time this week, the Phillies now stand nine innings away from elimination. Down 0-1 to the Braves, Cristopher Sánchez will face off against Tyler Mahle with the season on the line. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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