5 stats that define Braves’ victory over Phillies in Game 1

The Braves won a thriller Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park with third baseman Austin Riley’s late three-run homer lifting them to a 5-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 1 of the Wild Card series. The Braves would advance to the National League Division Series with a win Wednesday.

Here are five stats that summarize the team’s Game 1 win:

3 and 4: This was Riley’s third go-ahead homer in the eighth inning or later in the postseason (fourth go-ahead shot overall). That’s tied for the most such homers in postseason history with Troy Glaus, Bernie Williams, Jose Altuve and former Braves MVP Freddie Freeman. (h/t MLB statistician Sarah Langs.)

Riley’s recent postseason success gives hope that he’ll distance himself from a dreadful regular season. He’s hit .350 (7-for-20) with three homers, six RBIs and a 1.181 OPS since the 2023 NLDS.

99.9: Riley homered off a 99.9 mph fastball from Phillies All-Star reliever Jhoan Duran. It was the fastest pitch he’s homered against in his career (the previous high was 99.7 mph).

9: Chris Sale struck out nine Phillies, his most in any postseason outing of his career. It was also the most by a Braves starter since Max Fried struck out nine against the Brewers on Oct. 9, 2021.

3-for-3: Outfielder Michael Harris II was an underappreciated contributor, going 3-for-3. It was his third straight multihit postseason game dating back to the Wild Card series in 2024. He’s the first Braves player with a multihit streak that long since Eddie Rosario’s legendary run in October 2021.

Harris has three hits in consecutive postseason games, becoming the third Brave to do so, following Andruw Jones (twice, 2004 and 2005) and Bret Boone (Oct. 8-9, 1999).