Alec Bohm hit a two-out, go-ahead home run in the 10th inning to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, forcing a decisive Game 3 in their National League Wild Card Series. The game, played in Atlanta, featured a late rally by the Phillies after trailing 3-1 in the seventh inning.
Philadelphia’s comeback began in the eighth inning with back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Harper’s blast helped erase a deficit that had grown following a key misplay he made in right field an inning earlier. Harper, who resumed playing the outfield late in the season after time away due to injury, lost track of a fly ball by Braves’ Drake Baldwin that deflected off his glove, allowing Sean Murphy to score and give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Harper was not charged with an error.
“I didn’t think he hit it very hard,” Harper said of the ball that got past him. “I thought it was going to be a pop fly just right at me, and then it kind of kept traveling. Obviously a ball I should have caught. ... But how quickly can I turn the page and just get past that moment, knowing that I’m still coming up to the plate to hit and knowing that in the postseason, it doesn’t matter what you did the at-bat before.”
Atlanta added to its lead in the seventh when Matt Olson hit a sacrifice fly, but the Phillies answered in the eighth with Schwarber and Harper launching homers off Braves reliever Dylan Lee. Schwarber’s home run traveled an estimated 447 feet, with Harper following up with a 418-foot shot to right field.
Braves manager Walt Weiss acknowledged the impact of those late home runs. “Some big home runs late by some really good hitters. That’s what got us,” he said.
Starting pitcher Tyler Mahle delivered seven innings for Atlanta, allowing one run on six hits, while Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and throwing a career-high 116 pitches.
Reliever Andrew Painter, a former starter during the regular season, was credited with the win after shutting down Atlanta’s offense through three scoreless innings to close the game. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith on a successful automated ball-strike (ABS) system challenge, marking the first time a postseason game ended with a strike-zone appeal. Painter had initially been called for a ball but, after the review, the pitch was confirmed as a strike.
The game also saw action early on, with Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. reaching base on a walk, then stealing second and third bases before scoring on an Olson single in the first inning.
Bohm’s 10th-inning home run, a 357-foot drive to right field, was his third career postseason homer and came under traditional extra-inning rules that do not include automatic runners at second base. Bohm, who has faced criticism during a challenging season and is entering free agency, suggested the hit may help extend his tenure with the Phillies.
“I’ve been trying not to think about that,” Bohm said. “I really don’t want the season to end.”
The Phillies have a history of postseason success against Atlanta, having won three previous series in 1993, 2022, and 2023. The teams will meet again on Thursday for the series-deciding Game 3.