Bryce Harper made his presence known early and often in Wednesday’s Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park. (` Photo/Matt Rourke) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
It was a long-ball party in Philadelphia on Wednesday as the Phillies hit six home runs – setting the record for the most in a game in MLB postseason history – en route to a 10-2 win over the Braves in Game 3 and a 2-1 lead in this NLDS.
They have a chance to punch their ticket to an NLCS return at home in Game 4 on Thursday.
No. 1 Atlanta Braves vs. No. 4 Philadelphia Phillies, Game 3: Phillies 10, Braves 2 (Philadelphia leads 2-1)
Game summary:
What seemed like a pitchers’ game in the first two innings quickly turned into a home run derby in the bottom of the third inning. Nick Castellanos gave Philly the lead with a home run, tying the game 1-1 after the Braves scored in the top half of the inning on a double by Ronald Acuña Jr. and a single by Ozzie Albies.
Then, after singles by Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner, Bryce Harper hit a three-run pitch that gave Philadelphia a 4-1 lead. Two batters later, the Phillies ejected Braves starter Bryce Elder from the game. Reliever Michael Tonkin inherited Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott and was tasked with getting the final out of the inning. Instead, he got an RBI double against JT Realmuto that made it 6-1.
The next two frames were largely uneventful until Harper launched his second home run of the game to center field in the fifth. 7-1 Philly.
Atlanta responded poorly with an RBI single from Orlando Arcia that cut Philadelphia’s lead to 7-2 in the sixth. But the Phillies got the run back with a Turner home run to center field in the bottom of the inning and then grabbed two more home runs from Castellanos and Marsh in the eighth inning, making it 10-2 and plunging the Phillies faithful into pandemony.
Key moment:
The Phillies’ six-run third inning gave both the team the lead and put things almost out of reach for the Braves. The decisive blow was Harper’s three-run home run that overwhelmed Turner and Marsh.
With that swing, Harper changed the tenor of the stadium — bringing the crowd to maximum volume — and essentially ended Elder’s night, although manager Brian Snitker left him for a few more batters.
Impact player:
The one and only Bryce Harper. Harper, a true postseason force, made his mark early on Game 3 with the three-run throw that clinched the game for the Phillies. He made his presence known again in the fifth with a towering home run to center, and he came close to a third home run with a deep flyout in the bottom of the sixth.
With the two home runs, Harper set the record for home runs in NLDS history, with 10 in his career (passing Braves star Chipper Jones) in just 26 games. Game 3 was the first multihomer postseason game of Harper’s career. He also now has the third-most home runs in Phillies playoff history with nine, in just his second postseason with the team.
What’s next?
Game 4 begins Thursday at 6:07 p.m. ET in Philadelphia. The Phillies, who have not yet announced their starter, are looking to clinch this series and return to the NLCS, while the Braves, who will hand the ball to Spencer Strider in a must-win situation, are looking to get this one NLDS returns to Atlanta for Game 5 on Saturday.
Comments are closed.