Austin Riley slugged a two-run homer in the eighth inning and made a fine defensive play in the ninth, helping the Atlanta Braves rallied from a four-run deficit to post a 5-4 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to even the best-of-five National League Division Series at one game apiece.
Ronald Acuna Jr. was on third when Riley belted a two-out homer to left off Philadelphia’s Jeff Hoffman (0-1). Travis d’Arnaud hit a two-run homer in the seventh for Atlanta, which had just four hits.
J.T. Realmuto slugged a two-run homer for the Phillies, who left 11 runners on base. Alec Bohm’s RBI single and Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly accounted for the other runs.
Game 3 is Wednesday at Philadelphia.
Phillies starter Zach Wheeler went 5 2/3 innings before allowing his first hit. He exited after d’Arnaud’s homer in the seventh. Wheeler struck 10 — tying Philadelphia’s single-game postseason record — and gave up three runs (two earned) and three hits with one walk over 6 1/3 innings.
Atlanta’s A.J. Minter (1-0) worked a perfect eighth before walking Bryce Harper to start the ninth. Raisel Iglesias entered and notched the save in dramatic fashion.
With one out, Nick Castellanos hit a blast to deep right-center that leaping Braves center fielder Michael Harris II caught while colliding with the fence. Harper was about 20 feet past second as Harris threw the ball to the infield but missed the cutoff man. Riley was backing up the play and threw to first to retire Harper and end the contest.
Atlanta left-hander Max Fried allowed three runs and six hits in a four-inning start. He walked four and struck out three while making his first big-league appearance since Sept. 21 due to a blister on his left index finger.
The Phillies scored in the first when Trea Turner doubled with one out and scored on Bohm’s single.
In the third, Harper singled with one out and Realmuto followed by hammering a 2-0 slider from Fried over the wall in right-center. The blast was Realmuto’s second of this postseason and fifth of his career.
Philadelphia made it 4-0 in the fifth. Castellanos singled with one out, stole second, continued to third on a throwing error by d’Arnaud and scored on a sacrifice fly by Stott.
Matt Olson reached on Turner’s fielding error in the second and was the only Atlanta batter to reach base until Acuna walked with two outs in the sixth.
Ozzie Albies followed with a hard single to right for the first hit off Wheeler as Acuna advanced to third. On the play, Turner misplayed the throw from right fielder Castellanos, and Acuna dashed home.
Olson singled to start the Atlanta seventh. One out later, d’Arnaud drilled Wheeler’s last pitch of the night over the fence in left to pull the Braves within 4-3. It was his first postseason homer this year and 10th of his career.
Riley’s go-ahead blast an inning later was his first of this postseason and the fourth of his career.
–Field Level Media