Start Times Set for Phillies vs. Braves in NL Wild Card Round

The Philadelphia Phillies will be facing the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Round. Here are the start times for each potential game.

Sep 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) celebrates in the locker room after win against the Tampa Bay Rays and clinching a playoff spot at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was certainly a wild regular season for the Philadelphia Phillies, but in the final game of the season, they were able to clinch a playoff berth. 

The Phillies started out the year as one of the worst teams, but despite being (9-19) at one point, they will be in the playoffs for the fifth straight season. That is certainly an accomplishment for the franchise, but it was a strange road to get there. 

On Sunday, Philadelphia controlled their own destiny. While a loss by the Arizona Diamondbacks also could have gotten them into the playoffs, the Phillies didn’t let them decide if they would make the postseason or not. 

With the season on the line, it was a great performance by Zack Wheeler. The right-hander came through with a strong start, going six innings and allowing just one run. 

However, the big surprise in this game was the offensive production that the team received. Prior to Sunday, this was a group that had scored just three runs in the last four games. Fortunately, they woke up a bit in this one and got seven across home plate. 

Now that the Phillies have clinched, they know they will be playing the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Round, and they also have the start times for those games as well. 

Start Times Set for NL Wild Card

If the Phillies win, they’ll play Wild Card Series in Atlanta during earliest slot — 2 p.m. — on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) September 27, 2026

The two NL East foes will be playing at least two more times this season, with all of the games needed taking place in Atlanta. The Phillies came close a couple of times to catching the Braves in the division race, but Atlanta has pretty much gone wire to wire in first place in the division. 

Due to the team having to use Wheeler in Game 162, he likely might not be available until a potential Game 3 of this series. The Phillies aren’t going to have an off day in the series and will be playing three straight games starting on Tuesday. 

More than likely, the team will be going with Cristopher Sanchez in Game 1, followed by Nola in Game 2. Perhaps Wheeler could be in the conversation for the start in the second game, but that will likely come down to what happens in Sanchez’s start. 

With all three potential games being at 2:00 PM EST, Philadelphia will be getting set for what will be an exciting Wild Card matchup.