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 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’ve been grinding for these guys and this city all year,” Riley said postgame. “And to finally come up big for them was huge. It’s not over yet; just the start, but a nice start for sure.”
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.
Having blown a lead in the seventh, the Braves were staring at a possible elimination game on Wednesday. But Riley saved the day with the opposite-field homer he hit off Duran, the closer who was called upon in the seventh.
Riley, who hit .219 with 19 homers and a .654 OPS in the regular season, is now tied for the all-time lead with three career go-ahead homers in the eighth inning or later of a postseason game, joining Troy Glaus, Bernie Williams, Jose Altuve and Freddie Freeman.
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 inning 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.
Sale recorded nine strikeouts, pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in his postseason career and limited the Phillies to one run through the first six innings. Everything was looking good until he hit Bryan De La Cruz with a pitch and then surrendered Bryson Stott’s one-out single to put runners at the corners with one out in the seventh.
Instead of sticking with his veteran ace, who had thrown 95 pitches, Braves manager Walt Weiss promptly called upon rookie phenom Didier Fuentes, who retired Justin Crawford before allowing J.T. Realmuto’s go-ahead two-run triple down the right-field line on a 99.4 mph fastball.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s inability to secure the ball in the corner allowed Stott to come around from first with the go-ahead run.