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Heartbreaking: Phillies Fall 5-3 to Braves on Austin Riley Go-Ahead Homer
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies opened the 2026 postseason on the road in Atlanta, facing the division-rival Braves in a best-of-three Wild Card series. The Phillies had them on the ropes, taking a 3-2 lead into the 8th inning, but a heartbreaking 3-run home run from Austin Riley pushed the Braves to a 5-3 win.
10 thoughts from today’s game:
1. Where are all of the Braves fans?
This is supposed to be postseason baseball! Did you see how many empty seats are in Truist Park? That’s an absolute embarrassment:
2. Does Alec Bohm own Chris Sale?
Coming into today’s game, Alec Bohm was 7 for 23 against Chris Sale in the regular season with 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 2 walks. That’s the best slash line of any player on the Phillies against Sale. He continued it in the first inning, scoring Kyle Schwarber from first base on a smoked ball over Michael Harris’ head to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead:
3. Runs were at a premium on Tuesday
Postseason baseball is just a whole different ballgame, and you could see it early on Tuesday. The Phillies played the infield in with 1 out in the 2nd inning. Every run matters, especially when you’re facing Chris Sale. Michael Harris II was sacrifice bunting in the 2nd inning. Trea Turner tried to swipe a bag into scoring position with two outs and got picked off.
Everything is on the table early for both teams. When it’s Chris Sale vs Jesus Luzardo to start the game, that statement is even more true.
4. A missed double play?
Austin Riley accidentally poked a ball back to Jesus Luzardo in the 2nd inning. Luzardo’s first thought was to check the runner at third, and he ended up running him down and getting the lead runner. Mike Yastrzemski, however, would single on the next pitch to tie the game up at 1.
When you look at the skycam, it’s pretty obvious that Luzardo had a double play there to get out of the inning. Unfortunately, that’s not Luzardo’s first read, and hindsight is 20/20, but that would’ve been a clean 2nd inning for the Phillies if Luzardo went to 2nd:
5. Edmundo Sosa is obviously still hurt
Sosa tweaked his groin on Sunday afternoon running into second base. You could see it in Tuesday’s game after his double in the 5th inning. It was a pretty obvious limp around the bases into second base, but Sosa is going to continue to battle through it.
He had a pretty awesome answer on Sunday about his groin injury:
6. Jesus Luzardo was NEVER just going to be an opener
Don Mattingly said both Monday and Tuesday that Jesus Luzardo would be used more as an opener in Game 1. You could’ve taken that however you wanted to, but that was probably never the case. Although the Phillies were going to be careful with Luzardo due to his shoulder, the Phillies were going to have to pry Luzardo off of that mound.
Luzardo did his job, tossing 5 innings of 1-run ball. It certainly wasn’t his best control, but he continued to battle, like has has all year. The off-speed was really, really good.
7. Derek Hill… almost
Alex McFarlane entered the game in the sixth inning and struck out Mauricio Dubon on a 101.1 mph fastball to start the frame. He then allowed a single to Michael Harris II, and Ozzie Albies followed that up with a smoked baseball to the centerfield wall. Derek Hill went up to grab it at the top of the wall, but the ball hit him in the wrist, pushing the Braves to a 2-1 lead:
8. Everybody expected J.T Realmuto to get the big hit… right?
J.T Realmuto went hitless in 34 at-bats just four days ago. Realmuto stepped up with runners on the corners in the 7th with 2 outs and smoked a triple down the right field line, scoring Bryan De La Cruz and Bryson Stott, all the way from first base.
Baseball truly is a beautiful game:
9. What a bold decision by Don Mattingly… that worked… for 5 outs
The Braves had 9-1-2 due up in the 7th inning… and Don Mattingly went to Jhoan Duran. It is the earliest he has ever pitched in a Major League Baseball game. He went 1-2-3 through the Braves in the 7th, getting two big outs to Baldwin and Acuna.
10. It’s ALWAYS Austin Riley
Jhoan Duran got five outs, but allowed two baserunners in the 8th inning, which brought Austin Riley to the plate with 2 outs. Riley, who hit .219 in the regular season with a .654 OPS and just 19 homers, crushed a go-ahead 3-run homer off a middle-middle fastball from Jhoan Duran… because of course he did:
The team that wins Game 1 of the Wild Card round have won the series 15 out of 16 times. This is not going to be easy for the Phillies, but nothing has been easy for the Phillies this year. Cristopher Sanchez will take the ball on Wednesday afternoon vs. Tyler Mahle in a must-win Game 2 for the Phillies.
It says a lot that Jhoan Duran having to get 6+ outs was Don Mattingly’s best option. Duran can’t turn a 2-out, nobody on situation into a 3-run inning, but that’s not even the most frustrating part. What’s frustrating? Your biggest bullpen trade deadline acquisition being left off the roster. The Phillies could’ve used another patchable arm today, but Dave Dombrowski was unable to find that at the trade deadline.
Luke Arcaini has been writing about the Phillies for 6 seasons, and is now in his 2nd year covering for Phillies down at Citizens Bank Park for Crossing Broad. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke