Start Time Revealed for Game 3 Between Phillies and Braves

Following a few teams being eliminated on Wednesday, the start time for the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 is set.

Sep 30, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Alec Bohm (28) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves in the tenth inning during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies will be getting set for a win-or-go-home Game 3 on Thursday following a thrilling Game 2. After Wednesday night, they now know when they will be playing.

Coming into the game on Wednesday, the Phillies had to feel good about their chances with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound. The southpaw is one of the best in the league, and there aren’t too many times that Philadelphia is an underdog with him on the mound. 

The southpaw came through with a big-time start for the Phillies, but when he left the game, they were trailing. A major defensive blunder by Bryce Harper hurt Philadelphia in this one, but he and Kyle Schwarber were able to make up for it with back-to-back home runs. 

In extra innings, Alec Bohm provided the power with a solo home run to give the Phillies the lead. Furthermore, rookie Andrew Painter came out of the bullpen and pitched three scoreless innings to help the team secure the win. Now, with everything on the line for Game 3, they finally have their start time. 

Start Time Announced 

Game 3 start time set: 8:15pm ET

Tickets: https://t.co/yBL77aCLG8 pic.twitter.com/E3dK7VIpcD

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 1, 2026

Following the San Diego Padres being able to eliminate the Chicago Cubs in their NL Wild Card Series and all of the other series being just two games, it will be the Phillies and the Braves who are featured in the primetime spot on Thursday night. 

Philadelphia and the Braves had to wait until this game was completed to know when they would be playing on Thursday. If the Cubs had won, it would have been another 2:00 PM start in Atlanta. However, the Phillies and Braves will be the only game now. 

With it being an elimination game, it should be all hands on deck for Philadelphia in this one. The argument can be made that the Phillies might be in better shape now following the Game 2 win. 

Philadelphia will have their closer Jhoan Duran back and available after a tough Game 1. Furthermore, they will have both Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler likely ready to go. How they decide to use their two starters will be interesting, but the team should be able to figure out 27 outs with the combination of those three alone. 

Coming into Game 3, teams that have won the first game of the series are now an outstanding 18-1 in the Wild Card Series. The Phillies will be trying to make that 18-2 on Thursday night and pull off the come-from-behind series win against the Braves.