Ray Kerr arrived at Truist Park on Thursday evening with the kind of calm that did not match the stakes. The 32-year-old left-hander parked, walked through the tunnel around 5 p.m. ET and, when asked how he felt, offered a smile and a simple answer: “I’m ready.”
By the end of the night, Kerr had given Atlanta exactly the nerve it needed. His 3 1/3 scoreless innings as the opener set the game in motion, Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson supplied home runs, and the Braves beat the Phillies 6-2 in the decisive Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series.
A long night turns Atlanta’s way
- Atlanta entered the finale still carrying the sting of Game 2, when a two-run lead in the eighth inning slipped away.
- Kerr took the ball against a Philadelphia lineup built around left-handed threats Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. His assignment was clear: get through the top of the order and keep the Phillies from landing an early blow.
- Schwarber reached with a single and a walk, but Kerr otherwise kept Philadelphia quiet. Harper struck out in one trip and grounded out in another as Kerr faced both left-handed stars twice.
- Kerr finished after 47 pitches, allowing one hit across 3 1/3 shutout frames. It was a demanding outing for a pitcher who had not thrown more than 35 pitches in any of his nine regular-season appearances this year.
- Atlanta’s lineup took over with home runs from Harris, Albies and Olson, building the offense behind the unexpected strength of its opener.
- With two outs in the eighth and Harper representing the last major obstacle, manager Walt Weiss called for Chris Sale, Atlanta’s Game 1 starter. Sale had worked into the seventh inning only two days earlier, but he needed four pitches—all sliders—to strike out Harper.
Kerr’s improbable October turn
The decision to use Kerr invited questions before first pitch. He has only 48 Major League appearances on his résumé, and just nine came during the regular season. Much of the previous two years was lost while he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Still, Kerr had shown Atlanta he could cover more than a short opener’s assignment. He had previously logged 3 1/3 innings twice in September. This time, though, came with a season on the line and a Phillies club that had repeatedly made October miserable for the Braves.
Philadelphia had won the prior three postseason meetings between the division rivals, including the National League Division Series in 2022 and 2023. Atlanta’s response in this Wild Card clincher was built around a pitcher few outside the clubhouse would have picked as the central figure.
Kerr arrived ready. Then he gave the Braves the innings, the breathing room and, ultimately, the opening they needed to put an old postseason problem behind them.
