ATLANTA (WPVI) — Bryce Harper’s error in right field put Philadelphia in a hole. His home run an inning later put the Phillies in position for a comeback victory that extended their postseason.
Alec Bohm gave Philadelphia the lead with a two-out homer in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Wednesday to force a deciding Game 3 in their NL Wild Card Series.
The Phillies rallied on back-to-back home runs by Kyle Schwarber and Harper in the eighth after trailing 3-1 in the seventh. Harper’s homer made up for a crucial infield error an inning earlier.
“I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, I can tell you that,” Harper said with a smile.
Regular-season starter Andrew Painter (1-0) saved the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen with three scoreless innings to close out the game. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith with a successful ABS challenge.
Playing under traditional extra-inning rules that do not include automatic runners at second base as in the regular season, Bohm hit his third career postseason home run, a 357-foot shot to right field off right-hander Didier Fuentes (0-1).
For Bohm, who faced criticism during a rough season in which he hit .249 and faced free agency, the home run may have extended his time with the Phillies.
“I tried not to think about it,” Bohm said. “I really don’t want the season to end.”
The Phillies will look to continue their playoff dominance over the Braves in Game 3 on Thursday. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.
In the seventh, Drake Baldwin’s double glanced off Harper’s glove in right field, driving in Sean Murphy to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Harper, who returned to playing the outfield late in the season for the first time since 2022, made a bad jump and was leaping toward the ball near the warning track. He was not accused of error. Matt Olson added a sacrifice fly.
“I didn’t think he hit very hard,” Harper said. “I thought it was going to be a pop fly right at me, and then it kept traveling. Obviously a ball I should have caught. … And obviously I could hear it pretty good from the Braves and Phillies fans in the dugout, so I have to show up in that situation.
“But how quickly can I turn the page and move past this moment, knowing that I’m still up to bat and knowing that in the postseason, it doesn’t matter what you did at bat before, the inning before. It’s what you do in that moment.”
The Phillies tied it on eighth-inning homers by Schwarber and Harper off Dylan Lee, the winning pitcher in the Braves’ 5-3 opening victory Tuesday. Schwarber’s shot carried 447 feet and Harper followed with a 418-foot shot.
“A couple big homers late by some really good hitters,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s what attracted us.”
Tyler Mahle allowed one run on six hits in seven innings for Atlanta. Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings for Philadelphia while throwing a career-high 116 pitches.
Painter gave up a one-out single to Mauricio Dubón in the 10th, then struck out Austin Riley before giving up a bloop single to Michael Harris II. Painter’s 0-2 fastball to Smith was called inside by home plate umpire Adam Beck, but Painter and catcher JT Realmuto immediately called for a robo-ump challenge. ABS confirmed the ball clipped the strike zone, the first time a playoff game has ended with a strike zone call.
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. walked, stole second and then third with Edmundo Sosa not covering the bag before scoring on Olson’s single in the first.
Sánchez did not allow another hit until Sean Murphy doubled to center field with one out in the fifth.
Mahle kept pace, although he didn’t have a perfect inning until the fifth, when he struck out Schwarber and Harper. Sánchez issued an intentional walk to Acuña with two outs before Baldwin’s grounder to second base ended the inning.
Mahle fears injury
Weiss said the Braves had a major scare when Mahle felt an abdominal pull during his pregame warmup.
“We didn’t know if he would be able to get the start,” Weiss said, adding that the scare came “right at the time of the game, when he came out of the bullpen.
“He ended up working and getting better as the game went on. We were struggling.”
Sosa leaves injured
Sosa left the game after hitting an infield single to open the ninth. He appeared to aggravate a leg injury and was replaced by pinch runner Derek Hill. Phillies manager Don Mattingly said the injury did not appear serious.
To be continued
Braves RHP Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44 ERA) is expected to start or throw massive relief in Game 3 Thursday against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (7-12, 4.67).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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