For two-thirds of Monday night, the Braves looked lifeless and lost. They were a shell of themselves, and did not come close to resembling the juggernaut we had watched all season.
Would this be it? Would this be the beginning of the end of a season that held so much promise?
In the final innings, these Braves reminded us why they are so special. They climbed out of a four-run hole to match their largest postseason comeback.
They eventually beat the Phillies, 5-4, in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Truist Park. The series is tied, 1-1, as it heads to Philadelphia.
Five observations:
1. In an hour, the Braves went from the depths of nothingness to a momentum-shifting victory. In a few innings, they saved their season.
They looked done as Zack Wheeler no-hit them through five innings.
Now, they are as alive as ever. The belief is back – though evidently, it never left.
“A lot of people probably would’ve said our season was over two innings ago,” reliever AJ Minter said. “And for us to go out there and flip the script, and just not give in – I mean, one (at-bat) saved our season, basically. For us to even up this series and go into Philly with all the momentum, it’s a game-changer.”
That one at-bat Minter mentioned is Austin Riley’s go-ahead homer in the eighth. We’ll get to the amazing plays that made this happen, but first, the big-picture view: The Braves were in trouble. The Phillies had almost dealt them a death sentence by going up, 2-0, as the series headed to Philadelphia.
But the Braves were not going to go out like this.
They scored once in the sixth. In the seventh, Travis d’Arnaud blasted a two-run shot. In the eighth, Austin Riley launched a go-ahead homer. In the ninth, Michael Harris II made one of the best plays you’ll ever see as the Braves completed a game-ending double play.
“It’s huge,” Max Fried said of the momentum shift. “You’re now playing a best of three. It’s better than having to win three straight. We know that they play well at home. We’re not expecting anything less than the big kind of fight and grind that we’ve had to do so far. We’re getting excited. I know the boys are ready to get going.”
Describing the win, Minter said: “All that was, was heart and (guts).”
2. When Jeff Hoffman hit Ronald Acuña Jr. with a pitch in the eighth inning, Nicky Lopez and Tyler Matzek were talking in the dugout, with the crowd beginning to roar as loud as it had all night.
“I got Ozzie (Albies) hitting a two-run (homer) here,” Lopez told Matzek.
“I got Riley,” Matzek responded.
Albies grounded out.
It brought up Riley, who played hero in the 2021 NLCS but hit .199 with runners in scoring position in this regular season. Two nights before, the Braves failed in every one of these spots.
Determined to write a different story, Riley worked a terrific at-bat. He saw five pitches. He worked the count full.
On the sixth pitch, Hoffman threw a slider at the bottom of the zone. Riley connected and hit a two-out, two-run shot into the Phillies’ bullpen, providing them with a souvenir for a brutal plane ride home.
“At the end of the day, you’re not trying to do too much, and just try to be in the moment,” Riley said. “I actually stepped out and looked over (at hitting coach Kevin Seitzer), and I sometimes overstride in big moments and get too amped up, and he just kind of was telling me to calm down.”
3. With one out in the top of the ninth, Nick Castellanos hit a ball that hung in the air as it flew to the wall in right-center field.
“There’s so much that went through my mind,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, who had no idea whether Harris, one of baseball’s best defensive center fielders, would catch it.
Harris, who sprinted to the wall, leaped and made the catch. He quickly threw the ball back toward the infield. At that moment, Bryce Harper, who was on first, was trying to go back around second and back to first so he wouldn’t get doubled off to end the game.
The ball went past second base, but Riley backed up the play, grabbed it and made an off-balance throw to first baseman Matt Olson for the third out as pandemonium broke out at Truist Park.
“I just knew as a defender, I was gonna do anything I could to make the play and get a glove on it,” Harris said. “I’m gonna put my body at risk, and I was just going up to grab it, no matter what.”
4. The Braves’ offense – the one that set records, the one that made history, the one that will be remembered forever – was dormant. These world-class hitters had no answer for Wheeler, who dished the nastiest stuff he had. He was dealing.
Then, the spark came.
Acuña drew a two-out walk in the sixth. Ozzie Albies then lined a single to right field, and the throw bounced off shortstop Trea Turner when it came back into the infield – which allowed Acuña to run home.
The Braves had trimmed the lead to three runs.
In the seventh, d’Arnaud, who caught Wheeler in New York, homered off his former teammate. It ignited the crowd. It gave the Braves life.
It became integral to the comeback.
“It’s a huge momentum shift,” Kevin Pillar said of this victory.
Credit: Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
Credit: Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
5. After the game, Fried, elated and relieved, credited his teammates.
Asked how he’s feeling – he had a blister, if this wild game made you forget – he said: “A lot better now with the win, that’s for sure. These guys played a heck of a game. They never gave up.”
Especially the bullpen. Each man passed the baton to the next. Over five innings, none of the five relievers who pitched allowed an earned run.
As they held the game there, the Braves – whose motto this postseason is “As One” – authored another memorable postseason moment.
“It’s not going to do bad. I know that,” Snitker said when asked what this newfound momentum could do for the team’s chances in Philadelphia.
Stat to know
12 - In the regular season, the Braves had 12 victories in games in which they trailed after seven innings. The only team with more was Cincinnati, which had 13 such victories.
Quotable
“It’s a lot more pressure to go down 2-0, especially against a tough team, in a tough place to play like Philly. We didn’t come out as hot. Finished hot, so I guess that’s a good thing to have momentum going into Philly.” - Harris
Up next
The Braves haven’t yet announced a Game 3 starter. The Phillies will start right-hander Aaron Nola. Wednesday’s game begins at 5:07 p.m. and will be televised on TBS.
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