For years, the Philadelphia Phillies were the postseason obstacle the Atlanta Braves couldn’t get past. On Thursday night, Atlanta finally changed that history.
The Braves defeated the Phillies 6-2 in the decisive Game 3 of their wild-card series, eliminating Philadelphia and advancing to the NLDS to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before Thursday, Philadelphia was a perfect 3-0 in postseason series against Atlanta. Two of those defeats were particularly painful for the Braves. The Phillies eliminated them in both 2022 and 2023 despite Atlanta winning more than 100 games during each regular season.
This time, they wouldn’t repeat it.
Atlanta Braves End a 30-Year Winner-Take-All Drought
Atlanta seized control almost immediately. After left-hander Ray Kerr handled the top of the first inning, Michael Harris stepped to the plate in the bottom half and launched a three-run home run that gave the Braves a 3-0 advantage.
The early lead was exactly what Atlanta needed in a high-stakes game.
Kerr’s performance was equally important. Making his first postseason appearance, he was deployed as an opener and delivered when the Braves needed him. He didn’t ultimately earn the win, but his work set the tone before Atlanta’s offense took over.
Harris wasn’t the only Brave to go deep. Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies also homered, giving Atlanta three home runs in the victory.
That created an interesting connection to another significant night in Braves postseason history.
Thursday marked Atlanta’s first victory in a winner-take-all postseason game since Game 7 of the 1996 NLCS. The Braves also hit three home runs that night, with Andruw Jones, Fred McGriff and Javy Lopez providing the power.
Thirty years later, Harris, Olson and Albies supplied the home runs that ended another long drought.
Phillies’ Decisive-Game Struggles Continue
While Atlanta ended one postseason drought, Philadelphia’s continued.
The Phillies have not won a winner-take-all postseason game since 1980. That streak remained intact after Atlanta grabbed an early advantage Thursday and never let Philadelphia reverse the game’s momentum.
It also reversed the recent postseason dynamic between these division rivals. Philadelphia had ended Atlanta’s October runs in 2022 and 2023, knocking out Braves clubs that had dominated during the regular season.
This time, Atlanta was the team moving on.
The Dodgers Are Waiting
For the Braves, there isn’t much time to celebrate. The next assignment is considerably more daunting.
Atlanta now advances to face the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. It will be the first postseason meeting between Atlanta and Los Angeles since the 2021 NLCS, when the Braves defeated the Dodgers in six games before winning the World Series.
Five years later, the circumstances are different, but the stakes remain substantial. Atlanta has finally cleared a Philadelphia hurdle that had repeatedly ended promising seasons.
Now the Dodgers are waiting.
