Braves Homer Three Times to Clinch Wild-Card Series Over Phillies

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night in the decisive Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series. Michael Harris II opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the first inning. Ozzie Albies added a two-run blast in the fourth, and Matt Olson supplied a solo homer in the seventh. The win sends Atlanta into a best-of-five Division Series against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. It also marked the Braves’ first postseason series triumph since the 2021 World Series and their first playoff series victory against the Phillies, who had beaten them in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.

Kerr and Sale Seal the Clincher

Ray Kerr delivered 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his postseason debut, coming in only his fourth career start. The 32-year-old left-hander limited Philadelphia to one hit and one walk, both by Kyle Schwarber, as manager Walt Weiss sought a lefty look at the Phillies’ left-handed hitters. Grant Holmes followed with two innings and allowed one run to earn the win. Chris Sale, the starter in Atlanta’s 5-3 victory in Tuesday’s opener, struck out Bryce Harper to end the eighth and finished the ninth by retiring Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp on strikes. Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola was lifted after 1 2/3 innings and three runs, having walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson before Harris’s homer. Zack Wheeler later allowed two runs in four innings, walking Austin Riley ahead of Albies’s homer that made the score 5-0.

Attendance and Series Backdrop

A sellout crowd of 41,731 filled the park for the night contest after announced totals of 30,127 on Tuesday and 37,150 on Wednesday. Kerr had pitched in only nine games after an Aug. 16 recall, following Tommy John surgery in 2024 and no appearances in 2025. Philadelphia’s five straight postseason berths have produced progressively earlier exits since its 2022 World Series loss to Houston.