Austin Riley turned the National League Wild Card Series opener with one swing, drilling a three-run homer off Phillies All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning as the Braves erased the deficit and claimed a 5-3 win Tuesday.
Key takeaways
- Atlanta opened the National League Wild Card Series with a 5-3 victory over Philadelphia.
- Riley’s eighth-inning blast brought home three runs and supplied the decisive turnaround.
- The homer came against Duran, Philadelphia’s All-Star closer.
Riley delivers the late blow
The Braves were chasing the game into the late innings before Riley got a pitch to handle against Duran. His three-run shot transformed the night in a hurry, pushing Atlanta in front and leaving the Phillies with no answer in the final frames.
It was a postseason opener decided by a familiar October formula: stay within reach, get traffic on the bases, and let a middle-of-the-order hitter change the scoreboard. Riley did exactly that, handing the Braves a 1-0 edge in the Wild Card Series.
Atlanta takes the early series edge
The 5-3 result gives the Braves the first win of the series and puts the Phillies under immediate pressure after their late lead slipped away. For Atlanta, Riley’s eighth-inning swing was more than a big hit—it was the defining moment of a tight opening game.
