Alec Bohm just crushed a two-out home run in the 10th inning, propelling Philadelphia to a wild 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. That absolutely bananas win forces a decisive Game 3 in their National League Wild Card Series, and man, you gotta be buzzing after watching that finish!
Harper’s Hustle and Painter’s Poise Drive the Comeback
The Phillies pulled off a massive comeback, trailing 3-1 in the seventh before Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper dropped back-to-back bombs in the eighth. Schwarber launched a 447-foot missile, and Harper followed with a 418-footer. Harper’s blast was pure redemption, too, because he had a tough fielding moment earlier. In the seventh, Drake Baldwin’s double glanced right off Harper’s glove in right field, bringing in Sean Murphy to give Atlanta that 2-1 lead. Harper, who only recently started playing outfield again late this season for the first time since 2022, got a poor jump and was leaping near the warning track. He wasn’t charged with an error, but even he admitted, “Probably should have been caught, obviously.” Matt Olson then added a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.
Meanwhile, Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez threw a career-high 116 pitches through 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs. But man, Andrew Painter, a regular season starter, came in and totally locked it down for the bullpen. He threw three scoreless innings to close the game, even stranding two runners in the 10th by striking out Dominic Smith. That’s clutch pitching right there.
Robo-Umps Take Center Stage in Wild 10th
The 10th inning was pure theater. Playing under traditional extra-inning rules, meaning no runner on second, Bohm stepped up and delivered his third career postseason home run, a 357-foot shot to right field off right-hander Didier Fuentes. But the real kicker for how this game ended? It was an ABS challenge! Painter gave up a one-out single to Mauricio Dubón, then struck out Austin Riley before Michael Harris II blooped a single. With Dominic Smith up, Painter’s 0-2 fastball was called inside by plate umpire Adam Beck. Painter and catcher J.T. Realmuto immediately challenged it, and the robo-ump confirmed the ball clipped the strike zone. That, my friends, was the very first time a postseason game has ever ended with a strike-zone appeal. Wild, right? Talk about making history in a nail-biter!
Now, the Phillies get to take on Atlanta again in Game 3 on Thursday. Philadelphia has a serious track record against Atlanta in the postseason, beating them in the 1993 NLCS and both the 2022 and 2023 NLDS. You know Atlanta is fuming after this one, and the Phillies are riding that wave of pure adrenaline. It’s winner-take-all, and you absolutely can’t miss it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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