Takeaways: Austin Riley’s Go-Ahead Homer Punishes Phillies’ Bullpen Risk in Game 1

The Braves came back to win Game 1 of the NL wild-card series at home on Thursday against the Phillies thanks to a three-run home run by Austin Riley in the eighth inning. Chris Sale pitched well for Atlanta, tying a postseason career-high with nine strikeouts across 6 1/3 innings. Facing him, Jesus Luzardo delivered about as good an outing as Phillies fans could’ve asked for. Anticipated to be just an opener for the game, Luzardo ended up throwing 77 pitches and surrendered just one run across five innings, far exceeding his expected workload.

Both starters pitched well, but this game was ultimately decided in the later innings. Riley’s go-ahead, three-run shot off Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning gave Atlanta a 5–3 lead. The Braves shut the door in the ninth inning to grab a 1–0 lead in the best-of-three series.

As we set our sights on Game 2, which will be played at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, also from Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga., we’re going to look back at the two biggest takeaways from what was a very dramatic Game 1.

Everyone starts with zeroes in the postseason

When the postseason gets going, everyone’s stats reset to zero. Whatever happened in the regular season is in the past, and all that matters is the present. There were a pair of glowing examples of that in Game 1. The first came from Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, who delivered a clutch two-run triple in the seventh inning to give Philadelphia a 3–2 lead. Realmuto was one of MLB’s coldest hitters in September, and he endured a 1-for-39 slump to close out the season. After logging a .614 OPS in 123 regular-season games, it was the veteran backstop who provided the most important offensive moment for the Phillies.

Unfortunately for Realmuto and the Phils, the Braves were able to bounce back. And it was yet another player who struggled throughout the regular season that delivered the game-clinching hit for Atlanta.

Austin Riley, who hit an RBI triple after swinging at the first pitch against Duran in the regular season, got the better of the Phillies closer yet again on his initial offering Tuesday. With runners on first and second, Riley parked a fastball from Duran just beyond the wall in right-center field. The 385-foot, go-ahead shot made it a 5–3 ball game in the bottom of the eighth, which held through the ninth.

AUSTIN RILEY
GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER
ATLANTA IS GOING WILD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XrPQnazvVO
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026

Riley, the recipient of the largest contract ever issued in franchise history, had a rough go of things during the regular season. His .654 OPS was the worst of his career, and he slugged just .364 across 159 games. But when his team needed him most, he delivered. The three-run blast was the sixth postseason homer of Riley’s career, and he did so against one of the league’s best closers. Riley has a knack for coming through for the Braves with the game on the line. This was his third career go-ahead postseason home run in the eighth inning or later, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. That’s tied with Bernie Williams, Troy Glaus, Jose Altuve and Freddie Freeman for the most in postseason history.

He and Realmuto have a ton of postseason experience, and oftentimes that can be important for a player to draw on no matter how he played in the regular season.

The Phillies’ lackluster bullpen forced Don Mattingly’s hand with Jhoan Duran decision

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jhoan Duran — Jhoan Duran faced nine batters on Tuesday, something he’d only done once before with the Phillies. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In a 3–2 game in the seventh inning, Phillies skipper Don Mattingly opted to turn the ball over to closer Jhoan Duran to protect the lead. It was a questionable decision, though not a heinous one considering the state of Philadelphia’s bullpen. Maintaining the lead at any cost, especially with the heart of the Braves’ batting order coming up, was crucial for the Phillies, prompting Mattingly to pass the baton to his most reliable arm. It was a big ask, though, considering Duran had only pitched more than one inning in just one game this season.

Duran ended up working himself into a jam in his second inning of work, surrendering an infield single to Michael Harris before hitting Ozzie Albies in a full count with two outs. That brought Riley to the plate, who got the better of Duran for the second time in a month.

Mattingly’s decision to ride Duran for two innings was a difficult choice, but the real issue at play is the lack of strength in Philadelphia’s bullpen. The Phillies had just two relievers on their wild-card series roster with an ERA below 3.30. Alex McFarlane, one of those two, was used in relief of Jesus Luzardo in the sixth inning. He gave up a go-ahead RBI triple to Ozzie Albies, who came within inches of a home run. Then Duran came in during the seventh. That left them without a strong relief option late in the game, and Duran ended up throwing 27 pitches––tied for the second-most he’s thrown in a game all season.

Phillies relievers recorded a cumulative 4.43 ERA during the regular season. It was an area of weakness all year long, but not one that went unaddressed. GM Dave Dombrowski attempted to shore up the group at the trade deadline, acquiring Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian in separate deals. Neither one ended up playing well enough to earn themselves a spot on the postseason roster, however. The shortcomings of those trade deadline acquisitions ended up costing the Phillies in Game 1, as Mattingly didn’t feel comfortable trotting out any of Tim Mayza, Jonathan Bowlan, José Alvarado, Chase Shugart or Tanner Banks in a big spot.

Mattingly spoke on the situation after the game, acknowledging it was “frustrating” to give up a home run in that spot, but acknowledged that he felt the Phillies had their “best guy out there.”

"It's frustrating. But in our minds, we had our best guy out there, you live with this one."

Don Mattingly explains the decision to go with Jhoan Duran for the 7th and 8th inning of today's Game 1 loss in Atlanta.

📺 MLB Network pic.twitter.com/cqsiv0fShD
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 29, 2026

Mattingly noted that Duran breezed through the seventh inning, and had the eighth gone smoothly, it was possible they’d have brought him back out for the ninth. That just goes to show how shallow the pool of relievers the Phillies feel confident in for high-leverage situations truly is. But given that Duran threw 27 pitches on Tuesday night, Mattingly will likely have to put his trust in one of their other relievers in Game 2, depending upon how deep into the game Cristopher Sanchez can pitch.

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