NL Wild Card: Braves vs. Phillies

Season Series: The Braves won the regular-season series against the Phillies 9-4, outscoring them 66-43 across 13 games. Atlanta swept a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park in April, then took two of three at Truist Park the following week. The teams split four games in Philadelphia in early September before the Braves won two of three in Atlanta to close the head-to-head schedule. Atlanta finished 5-2 in Philadelphia and 4-2 at home.

Game 1: Talk about a hot start to the postseason. In the first playoff game of the year, Atlanta and Philadelphia did not disappoint. After the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, off an Ozzie Albies RBI triple, J.T. Realmuto returned the favor for Philly, hitting his own triple in the top of the seventh that drove in two runs, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Realmuto was almost the hero of the day, but Austin Riley must have had other thoughts, because he hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that put the Braves in front for good.