AUSTIN RILEY HOMER LIFTS BRAVES PAST PHILLIES IN WILD CARD OPENER

Austin Riley hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opening game of their best-of-three National League Wild Card Series, played at Truist Park. Riley connected off closer Jhoan Duran, driving a 99.9mph fastball 385 feet into right-centre field with two outs and two runners on base, turning a 3-2 Phillies lead into a 5-3 Braves advantage. Pitcher Chris Sale said he was completing his postgame routine in the clubhouse and watching a delayed broadcast when he heard the reaction around him before realising what had happened. Sale described his own reaction, saying he had not screamed that loud in a long time and that the whole clubhouse was "losing their mind" for Riley.

Sale had earlier struck out nine batters across 6.1 innings, limiting Philadelphia's scoring for most of his start. The Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning when J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run triple off Atlanta reliever Didier Fuentes, leaving the Braves nine outs from losing their postseason opener at home before Riley's homer reversed the result. Riley's swing capped a regular season in which he recorded 72 RBIs, 201 strikeouts and a .654 OPS across 159 games, along with a .219 batting average and 19 home runs. Braves manager Walt Weiss said he had believed throughout the season that Riley's form would turn around, adding that it did so "at times".

The result gives Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Wild Card Series against Philadelphia. Further games in the series will determine which team advances in the postseason, though the source material did not confirm the date or venue of the next fixture.