Thursday, October 1, 2026 — three Octobers of heartbreak, erased in one night at Truist Park.
For the first time in franchise history, the Braves have beaten the Phillies in a postseason series. Atlanta won the winner-take-all Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series 6-2 on Thursday night, powered by three home runs, a surprise opener nobody saw coming and a four-out finish from Chris Sale on one day of rest.
Philadelphia had ended Atlanta’s season in the 1993 NLCS and again in the 2022 and 2023 Division Series. This time, the Braves — who won the NL East by six games — made sure the better regular-season team was also the better October team.
Harris Sets the Tone
Michael Harris II needed only one swing to make up for a rough Game 2, when he grounded into two double plays in a 10-inning loss. Aaron Nola walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson with one out in the first, and Harris, moved up to the cleanup spot, golfed a three-run homer that gave Atlanta all the runs it would need.
It was the lowest pitch the Atlanta-area native has hit for any of his 101 career home runs. Nola never settled in and was pulled after 1⅔ innings.
The Phillies turned to Zack Wheeler out of the bullpen in the third, only four days after he threw 97 pitches to clinch their playoff spot. Wheeler held on for four innings, but Ozzie Albies punished an 0-1 fastball in the fourth for a 419-foot, two-run shot that made it 5-0. Olson added a 416-foot solo homer off Jonathan Bowlan in the seventh.
Ray Kerr’s Night
The most unlikely hero was on the mound. Walt Weiss handed the ball to Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old left-hander making only the fourth start of his career, with one goal: get Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper out at least once from the left side.
Kerr did far more than that. He threw 3⅓ scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk — both to Schwarber — and left to a standing ovation. Two years ago he was recovering from Tommy John surgery; he didn’t pitch at all in 2025 and was recalled only on August 16.
“Hopefully, Ray Kerr became a bit of a household name tonight,” Weiss said. “He deserves it.”
Grant Holmes (1-0), Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes and Dylan Dodd bridged the middle innings. The Phillies scratched across a run in the sixth on an Alec Bohm groundout and another in the eighth on Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly, but never got the tying run to the plate.
Sale Closes the Door
Then the crowd of 41,731 got the moment it wanted. With two outs in the eighth, Sale — who threw 95 pitches as the Game 1 starter on Tuesday — walked in from the bullpen to face Harper. He struck him out, then fanned Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp in the ninth to end it. It was the 37-year-old’s first relief appearance of the year, and it took him 21 pitches.
Weiss admitted he hadn’t planned to even ask Sale about pitching. The ace volunteered, and Atlanta’s home crowd — finally a sellout after two afternoon games drew 30,127 and 37,150 — erupted.
Philadelphia’s Shrinking Octobers
For the Phillies, the loss continues an uncomfortable trend. Since reaching the 2022 World Series, they have exited earlier each fall: the NLCS, back-to-back Division Series and now the Wild Card round. “If you don’t win the last game, it’s a crash landing no matter what,” interim manager Don Mattingly said.
That sets up a pivotal winter in Philadelphia, with an aging core, an interim tag on the manager’s office and a bullpen that cost the club repeatedly this season. Expect the front office to be among the most active in the market.
Next: The Champions
Atlanta’s reward is the hardest assignment in the bracket. The Braves open the Division Series on Saturday at Dodger Stadium against the two-time defending World Series champions. Weiss was unsure whether Sale would be ready to start Game 2 on Sunday, and Tyler Mahle is pitching through an abdominal strain, so the rotation will be stretched.
Still, this is the Braves’ first postseason series win since their 2021 title run, and it came against the team that had become their October nemesis.
The Read
The Braves didn’t just advance — they finally broke a psychological wall. A homegrown center fielder, a journeyman opener and an ace willing to pitch on fumes delivered the win that three previous Atlanta teams couldn’t. Now they get to find out how far that momentum carries against the Dodgers.
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