This was an absolutely unreal baseball contest. I don’t have the right words.
A sold-out crowd and the home Friday red uniforms energized a Braves squad on the brink of elimination, and the boys delivered some Truist Park magic to begin October baseball.
Ray Kerr was magnificent. This lineup – finally and blessedly – let it fly early to cruise to victory. Maybe this is controversial, but I like our chances if we continue to hit one-, two- and three-run bombs.
And Chris Sale slammed the door. You’re
reading that correctly.
The exorcism is complete. There will be no Red October this year for Philadelphia.
Making his postseason debut, Ray Kerr outdueled Aaron Nola, who is no stranger to the bright lights of October. Kerr set the tone early with a scoreless top of the first, allowing a single to Kyle Schwarber but leaving him stranded.
The deep familiarity between Aaron Nola and the Braves showed up in a major way nearly immediately. When Drake Baldwin flew out sharply to center on the first pitch he saw, it was looking like it was going to be yet another frustrating day of hard-hit balls that find gloves.
But then Ronald Acuña Jr. walked on five pitches. Matt Olson did the exact same.
Nola’s struggles to find the zone continued as he faced cleanup man Michael Harris II.
Except Michael Harris II wasn’t going to be content taking his base. So he laced a ball miles below the zone 100.5 miles per hour to right center field for an absolutely massive three-run home run to draw first blood for Atlanta. Truist Park erupted.
Kerr set the Phillies down in order in the second. Nola rebounded a bit to get Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies to line out. But surrendering a single to our nine-hole designated hitter Dom Smith was the final blow. Don Mattingly lifted him in favor of something we hadn’t seen in Games 1 and 2: an actual Phillies bullpen arm. Reliever Tim Mayza came, got Baldwin to ground out, and was done for the night.
Kerr worked yet another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third. Zack Wheeler entered for the home half of the third and was greeted rudely by Ronald’s single to left, his first hit of the postseason. But a force out, pop out, and line out kept the Braves from adding on.
With the three-run lead, Kerr came back out in the fourth as Grant Holmes waited in the wings. Kerr issued a leadoff walk to Schwarber before getting Bryce Harper to line into a force out. Walt Weiss made the stroll to the mound to make the change. Truist Park gave Kerr a well-deserved ovation as he beamed and headed back to the dugout. Holmes polished off the top of the fourth with a groundout and strikeout.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Austin Riley worked a fantastic at-bat, seeing nine pitches, fouling off the five that were in the zone, and working a walk. He set the table for another Braves bomb to right center – this one off the bat of Ozzie. This one went 419 feet and made it 5-0 Braves.
Another Dom Smith single (!) single prompted another mound visit, but Wheeler got Baldwin to ground into a double play.
Holmes’ first full inning began with two on with no outs, but a JT Realmuto flyout and Justin Crawford double play ended the threat. The following inning, Holmes exited after recording one out and allowing a single to Schwarber. Robert Suarez entered and immediately allowed a double to Bryce Harper. Alec Bohm’s RBI groundout got the Phillies on the board to make it 5-1, but that would be all they get.
Didier Fuentes bounced back from the last two harrowing days with a 1-2-3 seventh.
The Braves got that run back on their third homer of the night. A solo shot by Matt Olson to center field made it 6-1.
Dylan Dodd entered for the eighth, but the real story was the cameras panning to the bullpen to show a different left-hander throwing.
Dodd allowed a leadoff triple to pinch-hitter Derek Hill, who came home to score on Trea Turner’s sac fly. After he got Schwarber to fly out to right, Weiss made the call for Christopher Allen Sale. He struck out Harper to finish the eighth… then came back out for the ninth. Bohm led off with a single to try to spark a late rally. But the hope dimmed as Bryson Stott popped out and Bryan De La Cruz struck out. The last hope for the Phillies came in the form of Otto Kemp making his postseason debut as a pinch-hitter. But it didn’t matter. He swung at a slider bearing in on him for strike three.
Before the boys get on the Delta plane to Los Angeles (and before we worry about the roster and logistics for the NLDS)… goggles, champagne, and beer await in the clubhouse. Clinch sweet clinch.
You deserve a drink (or two) of your own after this series. Enjoy this one, Braves Country.
