Alec Bohm’s 10th-Inning Home Run Forces Game 3 as Phillies Eliminate Braves From Wild Card Lead
Back-to-back homers from Schwarber and Harper erased a seventh-inning deficit before Andrew Painter closed out the first postseason game decided by an ABS challenge.
Alec Bohm launched a two-out, 357-foot solo home run to right field in the 10th inning Wednesday night, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies past the Atlanta Braves 4-3 and forcing a decisive Game 3 in their National League Wild Card series.
The blast off Braves right-hander Didier Fuentes (0-1) capped a volatile sequence that saw Philadelphia erase a two-run deficit through back-to-back eighth-inning home runs and survive extra innings without the automatic runner rule. Postseason baseball abandons the regular-season ghost-runner format at second base, placing a premium on traditional manufacturing of offense — a test Philadelphia passed when Bohm delivered his third career October long ball.
Andrew Painter (1-0), who pitched primarily as a starter during the regular season, entered the game to stabilize an exhausted Phillies bullpen. He threw three scoreless frames, navigating traffic in the 10th by allowing a one-out single to Mauricio Dubon and a bloop hit to Michael Harris II before striking out Austin Riley. Painter closed the game by fanning Dominic Smith on a 0-2 fastball initially called a ball by plate umpire Adam Beck. Catcher J.T. Realmuto immediately triggered an Automated Ball-Strike challenge, and the ABS system confirmed the pitch clipped the edge of the strike zone. The sequence marked the first time a postseason game has ended via a successful automated strike-zone appeal, underscoring how the technology is fundamentally altering late-game strategy for pitchers willing to attack the margins.
Philadelphia’s comeback began after Bryce Harper committed a critical fielding error in the seventh inning. Playing shallow in right field — a position he transitioned to from first base ahead of the trade deadline — Harper was late adjusting to a Drake Baldwin drive with runners on first and second. The ball glanced off his glove for a double, scoring Sean Murphy. Matt Olson followed with a sacrifice fly to push Atlanta’s lead to 3-1.
Harper answered directly in the eighth against Dylan Lee, who had earned the win for Atlanta in Tuesday’s 5-3 series opener. Kyle Schwarber struck first, driving a 447-foot home run to cut the deficit in half. Harper immediately followed with a 418-foot shot to tie the game, erasing his earlier defensive miscue with consecutive swings that neutralized Atlanta’s bullpen advantage.
The starting pitching duel remained tight through seven innings. Tyler Mahle allowed one run on six hits over seven frames for Atlanta, avoiding a perfect inning only until the fifth when he struck out both Schwarber and Harper. Cristopher Sánchez matched him with 6 2/3 innings for Philadelphia, surrendering three runs while throwing a career-high 116 pitches. Sánchez limited Atlanta to just one hit between Ronald Acuña Jr.’s first-inning RBI single and Murphy’s fifth-inning double.
Acuña generated early pressure by drawing a walk, stealing second, and advancing to third when shortstop Edmundo Sosa failed to cover the bag, eventually scoring on Olson’s single. Sosa later exited the game in the ninth after reaching on an infield single, appearing to aggravate a leg injury before being replaced by pinch-runner Derek Hill.
Thursday’s winner-take-all Game 3 carries heavy historical weight. Philadelphia has dominated Atlanta in recent October matchups, eliminating the Braves in the 2022 and 2023 NLDS after previously defeating them in the 1993 NLCS.
