Austin Riley smacked a three-run homer off All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning on Tuesday, fueling the Atlanta Braves’ 5-3 rally past the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series. This wasn’t just any blast; it was a go-ahead shot over the wall in right-center field, putting Philadelphia in a tough spot right out of the gate.
Riley’s Redemption Shot Stuns Philly
The hero of the night, Austin Riley, had a seriously frustrating regular season, hitting only .219 with 19 homers. So, when he stepped up and launched that ball off Duran, who had allowed just two homers in 61 regular-season games, it was a moment of pure redemption. Michael Harris II had singled, then Ozzie Albies got hit by a pitch, setting the stage perfectly for Riley’s heroics. Harris had a stellar night overall, picking up three hits. Riley himself summed it up perfectly: “Especially knowing how my season was not the way I wanted it, that’s why the postseason is a clean slate,” adding that he was “trying to do something good” for his teammates. Braves ace Chris Sale totally backed him up, saying Riley never let his struggles mess with his approach: “You couldn’t tell if he was the leading MVP candidate or if he was struggling. I really mean that. He’s the same guy. He kept doing the work and had a great moment.” Talk about stepping up when it counts!
Bullpen Woes Haunt Philadelphia
The Phillies’ bullpen has been a major problem, and it showed up big-time on Tuesday. They slumped into the postseason with a league-worst 5.79 ERA in September, and Atlanta absolutely pounced on it. While Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo was surprisingly sharp early on, pitching one-run ball over five innings with 77 pitches after missing time with left shoulder inflammation, the relief corps couldn’t hold. Interim manager Don Mattingly admitted, “In my mind if we got 75 pitches from him today we would be in a pretty good spot. He kind of gave us more than we thought honestly.” Once Philadelphia went to the bullpen, Atlanta took advantage. Ozzie Albies hit a tiebreaking triple off Alex McFarlane in the sixth for a 2-1 lead, thanks in part to center fielder Derek Hill appearing to jump too high and letting the ball hit his wrist. Even a two-run triple by J.T. Realmuto in the seventh, putting Philadelphia up 3-2 after Ronald Acuna Jr. bobbled the ball, couldn’t save them. Mattingly handed the ball to Duran in the seventh, maybe hoping for three innings, but Duran had only made one multi-inning appearance all season. It blew up, plain and simple.
Atlanta can now clinch the series on Wednesday, aiming to finally end Philadelphia’s history of postseason success in this NL East rivalry. The Phillies better figure out their bullpen, and fast. Get ready for Game 2, because the Braves are coming to close it out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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