Philadelphia needed two eighth-inning home runs to keep its season from ending in regulation. Alec Bohm then supplied another in the tenth to keep it from ending at all. His solo shot gave the Phillies a 4–3 victory over Atlanta on September 30, leveling the Wild Card Series and forcing a deciding third game.
The sequence began with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Atlanta had scored twice in the seventh to take a 3–1 lead, leaving Philadelphia six outs from elimination. Schwarber and Harper each homered in the eighth, bringing the score to 3–3. Bohm's extra-inning drive provided the next and final run.
The Phillies finished with 12 hits, but their most consequential late production came from three swings that left the park. Atlanta collected nine hits and six walks, creating ample opportunities to build more than a one-run final deficit. Philadelphia's relief work prevented those chances from becoming another scoring inning after the seventh.
The opening exchange
Harper singled in Trea Turner in the first, giving Philadelphia an immediate 1–0 lead. Matt Olson answered in the bottom half with a single that scored Ronald Acuña Jr. The game was level at 1–1 before either starter had completed a full inning.
Tyler Mahle then held the Phillies to that single run through seven innings. He allowed six hits and one walk, struck out six and threw 95 pitches. Philadelphia continued collecting some contact, but it could not turn the hits into another run against him.
Cristopher Sánchez worked 6⅔ innings for the Phillies. He allowed three runs on six hits and five walks, striking out six while throwing 116 pitches. The walk total created more baserunners than Philadelphia would have preferred, but Sánchez kept the score tied until Atlanta's seventh-inning breakthrough.
The two starters reached the late innings through different statistical routes. Mahle issued only one walk, while Sánchez allowed five. Both prevented the opponent from scoring between the opening inning and the seventh. The game remained close enough that a single multi-run sequence could establish what appeared to be a decisive advantage.
Atlanta finds that sequence
Drake Baldwin doubled in Sean Murphy in the seventh, moving Atlanta ahead 2–1 and sending Ha-Seong Kim to third. Olson's sacrifice fly then scored Kim, extending the lead to 3–1. The Braves had paired an extra-base hit with a productive out, collecting two runs from a scoring position they had finally developed late.
Baldwin finished with two hits and an RBI. Olson had two RBIs, accounting for Atlanta's opening run and its third. Murphy's double, walk and run contributed to the seventh-inning opportunity.
Mauricio Dubón also recorded two hits. Atlanta's nine-hit total and six walks show that its offense did not lack ways to put runners on base. The problem came in converting more of those opportunities into points before Philadelphia's power erased the margin.
Schwarber and Harper answer
Schwarber homered to right-center in the eighth, reducing the gap to 3–2. Harper followed with another homer to right-center, tying the game. The Phillies had removed the two-run deficit without requiring a long sequence of singles or walks.
Harper finished with two hits and two RBIs, contributing both the opening run and one of the late tying swings. Schwarber's homer was his only hit in five at-bats, but it created the necessary first step in the eighth-inning comeback.
Dylan Lee was charged with two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Atlanta had received seven effective innings from Mahle, but the first major relief breakdown changed a position of control into a tied elimination game. The timing made the home runs more consequential than their contribution to the Phillies' 12-hit total alone would suggest.
Bohm finishes the recovery
The game remained level through the ninth. Bohm then homered to right in the tenth, giving Philadelphia a 4–3 advantage. He finished with two hits and a walk, while his RBI supplied the final separation.
Andrew Painter worked three scoreless innings for Philadelphia, allowing three hits and one walk with three strikeouts. His appearance gave the Phillies enough time to complete the comeback and then protect the extra-inning lead. Alex McFarlane also supplied a scoreless third of an inning after Sánchez.
The combined relief line after the starter was 3⅓ scoreless innings. Atlanta continued to have baserunners, but it did not produce another run. That distinction made Bohm's solo homer sufficient: Philadelphia did not need to keep scoring after it moved ahead.
What the result changed
The victory forced Game 3 rather than deciding the series. Philadelphia had recovered from a Game 1 loss and a late Game 2 deficit, but still needed another win to advance. Atlanta's missed opportunity was equally specific: a 3–1 lead with six outs remaining did not become a series-ending result.
The Phillies' comeback was built from a different form of offense than Atlanta's seventh-inning sequence. The Braves used a double and a sacrifice fly. Philadelphia used three solo home runs across the eighth and tenth. Painter's long relief appearance made the third of those swings the winning one instead of merely another temporary answer.
