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The 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs kicked off this afternoon (Tuesday) with the first game of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at the Braves' home field. Jesus Luzardo took the mound for Philadelphia, facing off against Chris Sale for Atlanta.
And the Phillies set the tone right from the start, thanks to Alec Bohm's RBI double that brought home Kyle Schwarber. The Braves, however, tied the game in the bottom of the second inning, with Mike Yastrzemski's timely single driving Ozzie Albies across the plate.
It wasn't until the sixth inning that one team took the lead, and it was the Braves who struck first thanks to Albies' triple that brought Michael Harris III home.
That lead lasted only half an inning, as the Phillies came back strong with a two-run triple off the bat of J.T. Realmuto.
Closer Jhoan Duran then entered the game in the seventh inning to face the top of the Braves' lineup. The strategy worked for one inning but not for the second, as Austin Riley sent the reliever's pitch over the fence in left field for a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.
AUSTIN RILEY GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER OFF JHOAN DURAN pic.twitter.com/k6c8KtiIMq
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 29, 2026
That sealed the Phillies' fate; they lost 5-3 and now face elimination.
The next game will take place tomorrow at 2 p.m. (Quebec time), with Christopher Sanchez taking the mound for the Phillies and Tyler Mahle doing the same for the Braves.
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