Austin Riley steals game one for the Braves, Phillies lose 5-3

That one’s going to sting for a while. The Phillies had Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in their hands on Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, and with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jhoan Duran left a fastball right down broadway to Austin Riley.

Austin Riley crushed it into the right-field seats for a three-run homer, and just like that a 3-2 Phillies lead turned into a 5-3 Braves lead.

Now the Phillies are one loss away from going home.

Luzardo Did His Job and Then Some:

Everybody was worried about how much Jesús Luzardo would have after 22 days without a start, and he answered that loudly. He went five full innings, allowed just one run on three hits and needed only 77 pitches to do it.

The expectation going in was two or three innings if things went well. Luzardo gave the Phillies more than anyone could’ve asked for and handed the bullpen a game they were in position to win.

Realmuto Delivers for the Phillies

JT Realmuto, who was stuck in an 0-for-32 skid less than a week ago, delivered the biggest hit of the day for the Phillies with an RBI triple that put them up 3-2.

It was the kind of swing that should have been the story of this game. The offense finally showed up in a big moment, Luzardo had been lights out, and things were rolling.

HISTORY WILL NOT BE KIND TO THOSE WHO DOUBTED JT REALMUTO. #RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/XOfnrc3oab

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) September 29, 2026

Jhoan Duran Decision:

Don Mattingly went to Duran in the seventh inning, and I didn’t have a problem with it. The Phillies’ bullpen options are thin, and Duran is the best arm down there. Your closer should be able to get more than three outs in a playoff elimination scenario, and he handled the seventh without any issues.

The eighth is where it fell apart, and it didn’t start with a loud hit. With two outs, Michael Harris II hit a dribbler up the middle, and Trea Turner’s throw to first got away.

It was scored a base hit, but that’s a play that has to be made. Then the Braves challenged and won a hit-by-pitch call on Ozzie Albies, and suddenly there were two on with two outs for Riley.

That’s when Duran made the one mistake you can’t make in that spot. He threw a fastball right into Riley’s wheelhouse, and Riley didn’t miss it.

LET IT FLY, AUSTIN!#LetItFly pic.twitter.com/fMljqixlHk

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 29, 2026

Where This Leaves the Phillies:

You can argue about sending Duran back out for a second inning, but I’m not going to pretend that was the wrong call given what this bullpen looks like.

The bigger issue is that the Phillies couldn’t finish off a two-out inning, and it cost them a game they controlled for most of the afternoon.

Now it’s win or go home. Cristopher Sánchez is lined up for Game 2, and he’s been the most reliable starter on this staff all year.

The Phillies need him to be exactly that, and they need the bats that showed up Tuesday to show up again. They’ve come back on the Braves before. Time to do it again.

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