Braves Manager Says Phillies 'Scare Me As Much As Any Team In The Game'

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t had much luck against the Atlanta Braves this season. But then again, who has?

The Braves clinched the National League East title on Wednesday and finished off taking three out of four from the Phillies. But each of those games was fiercely contested.

The Phillies are in the top spot in the National League Wild Card playoff, in spite of the loss. Assuming the Phillies hang on, they would have to play the Braves in the National League Division Series.

Baseball fans would love a matchup between the last two National League champions, with the Braves having won the 2021 World Series.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker — who led those Braves to that title in 2021 — may not relish it quite as much.

These Phillies don’t quit, and he knows it.

“This team scares me as much as any team in the game, honestly,” Snitker said on Tuesday. “That firepower and what they’ve got. As we saw right there, if they’ve got a strike left, they’re dangerous. When you come in and play good teams like this, you expect it to not be easy, and it never is.”

Snitker was talking about Tuesday’s 7-6 Braves victory, which went 10 innings.

He could also just as easily be talking about last year’s NLDS, where the Phillies — who were the No. 6 seed in the new playoff format — beat the No. 2 seeded Braves, 3-1.

With the Braves the first team to clinch a division crown and on a glide path toward the No. 1 seed, all the Phillies have to do is get back on track to ensure that they get another shot at Atlanta, assuming they win their NL Wild Card series.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson doesn’t see the Phillies’ effort changing down the stretch.

“Because they keep coming back. They keep fighting,” Thomson said to reporters on Tuesday, including The Athletic. “That (winning) too will change, just like hitting with runners in scoring position. As long as they’re fighting, I’m good with it.”