ATLANTA -- Austin Riley supported Chris Sale’s strong start, halted the Phillies’ postseason dominance of Atlanta and put six months of frustration behind him with a swing that could make October worth savoring for both him and the Braves.
Riley’s three-run homer off All-Star closer Jhoan Duran with two outs in the eighth inning gave the Braves a thrilling 5-3 win over the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park.
“I’m happy for Austin Riley,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s been a tough year for him. But this just goes to show you, when the playoffs start, everything starts at zero. Nothing that happened in the regular season really matters. It’s a clean slate. Austin Riley has been a great postseason player.”
Four of Riley’s six career postseason homers have been of the go-ahead variety and three of those have been hit in the eighth inning or later. That eighth inning or later total matches Troy Glaus, Bernie Williams, Jose Altuve and Freddie Freeman for the most in MLB history.
The slugging third baseman previously hit a go-ahead shot in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the NLCS on Oct. 12, 2020, and he hit a go-ahead two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2 of the 2023 NLDS, also against the Phillies. Chipper Jones is the only other Braves player with multiple go-ahead homers in the eighth inning or later of a postseason game.
“I know how my season went,” Riley said. “It’s not the way I wanted it to. But that's the beauty of the postseason. You get a clean slate and go out there and try to do something for the boys and for this city.”
Instead of talking about being on the brink of elimination, the Braves joyfully discussed how everything changed when Riley sent Duran’s 99.9 mph fastball over the right-center-field fence for a go-ahead home run.
Riley doesn’t remember what any of his teammates said after he returned to a jubilant dugout after his home run. Was he also in a haze as he rounded the bases?
“I remember my gum falling out of my mouth,” Riley said.
It was a jaw-dropping moment that put the Braves in an encouraging position.
In the history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series, teams taking a 1-0 lead have gone on to win the series 21 of 24 times (88%), including 17 two-game sweeps. Home teams have won all nine series in which they have gone ahead 1-0, including eight sweeps.
The Phillies had won six of the previous eight postseason games played against the Braves this decade. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 2022 and ‘23 NL Division Series.
“It doesn't get more fun than this, playing this game in the postseason,” Weiss said. “You can imagine going from losing the lead to something like that. The swinging emotions are enormous. What a big home run.”
Sale played a significant role in this crucial Game 1 victory. The Braves ace registered nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. Two of the three runs he surrendered came via a J.T. Realmuto triple that Didier Fuentes surrendered with two outs in the seventh.
So where was Sale when the value of his strong effort was preserved by Riley’s home run?
“I was getting some arm care in, and unfortunately the [clubhouse] TV I was watching was on the delay [feed],” he said. “I just heard craziness coming from the entire clubhouse. Everyone's losing their mind, and I'm just sitting there like, ‘Oh, what's going on?’ About four seconds later, you see what happened. I just couldn't be happier for him.”
Coming off two injury-shortened seasons, Riley hit .219 with 19 homers and a .654 OPS during the regular season. Safe to say this was the most frustrating season of the two-time All-Star’s career. This past weekend in Miami, he talked about how relaxing his right shoulder might have helped him hit two homers in last week’s Reds series.
Riley might also have benefited from the go-ahead triple he hit against Duran during the ninth inning of a 5-4 Braves win in Philadelphia on Sept. 6.
The triple came against a 98.2 mph splitter that was in the middle of the zone. The ball had 109 mph exit velocity and it traveled a Statcast-projected 394 feet.
This home run came against a 99.9 mph four-seamer that was middle in. This is the hardest-thrown pitch Riley has homered against in his career, besting a homer he hit against Jacob deGrom’s 99.7 mph heater on July 1, 2021.
This latest home run had a 104.6 mph exit velocity and it traveled a projected 385 feet.
It would have been a home run in 27 of 30 MLB ballparks. Did Riley know it was gone?
“No, I did not,” he said. “I was just praying as I was running to first.”