Braves win thriller over Phillies to take further control of NL East

The Braves haven’t mathematically won the National League East. But it sure feels like a wrap.

After falling behind 3-1 early, the Braves rallied to stun the Phillies to win 6-5 in 11 innings in Friday’s series opener at Truist Park. The team scored five runs from the seventh inning on, trailed in the ninth, 10th and 11th, yet still pulled off their latest Win of The Year.

The victory was seismic: The Braves lead the Phillies by five games in the division. They’ve prevented Philadelphia’s best-case scenario – a sweep – and positioned themselves to perhaps deal a knockout blow this weekend.

And they achieved it in seemingly improbable fashion.

“People got their money’s worth tonight,” first baseman Matt Olson said. That’s despite a 40-minute delay due to inclement weather.

The story begins near the end: with Phillies closer Jhoan Duran unavailable, Braves catcher Sean Murphy sent the game to extras with a single in the ninth that scored pinch-runner DaShawn Keirsey Jr. after Phillies center fielder Derek Hill misplayed a ball.

The Phillies managed one run off Raisel Iglesias in the 10th, but Mauricio Dubón’s sacrifice fly scored pinch-runner Brewer Hicklen to reset the score again.

Credit to young Didier Fuentes, who surrendered one run in the 11th but left the bases loaded with Phillies. It allowed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to provide his latest clutch hit with a two-out game-tying single. Kim scored from first when catcher Drake Baldwin smacked a Brooks Raley sweeper into the gap.

“That was an epic game,” manager Walt Weiss said. “That was one for the ages right there.”

These are the types of wins that have defined the 2026 Braves. They’re not perfect. They’re more flawed than some of their past iterations. Yet they’ve snatched so many victories that seemed to be spiraling into defeats.

This was a true team win, as cliché as it sounds. It required numerous individual efforts from the stars to the pinch-runners.

“When you have to work substitutions, move guys around and do it the way that Walt and Manso (bench coach Tony Mansolino) were – they had their thinking caps on tonight,” Olson said. “Everybody contributed.”

Ace Chris Sale surrendered three runs – all produced on a bases-loaded double from Hill in the second – but he allowed only one hit in his other six frames across a seven-inning showing.

Sluggers Olson and Austin Riley, paid handsomely to mash, each smacked solo homers off Phillies righty Aaron Nola. That was the only offense produced against Nola, who was strong over 6-1/3 innings.

Kim, whose professionalism has been lauded throughout this trying campaign, came up clutch again after entering as a pinch-runner in the ninth. Then he sparked the celebration, rounding the bases to the crowd’s roar and sliding headfirst into home plate for the exclamation point.

“All the stuff he’s been through, then you fast forward into later in the season and he has two of the biggest hits of our season (along with his winner against the Dodgers),” Weiss said. “You love when guys persevere and the game rewards them for it.”

Murphy, another player who’s dealt with injury and criticism, had his timely hit. Role player Mike Yastrzemski went 3-for-3. How about the newcomer Keirsey Jr., who played his running role perfectly? The same goes for Hicklen and his marvelous slide into home to beat the throw.

“It was incredible,” Hicklen said. “Awesome opportunity. In front of a sell-out crowd, it’s hard to put into words because your entire life you dream of the moment of sliding into home and jumping up and celebrating with your teammates.”

Baldwin, the franchise’s All-Star catcher, wore the cape as the game-finishing hero. “A ton of excitement there at the end there,” he said with a smile that could’ve illuminated Truist Park.

It was a collective effort that reminds spectators why the Braves have outpaced the Phillies throughout the entire season. They simply have fewer deficiencies while exhibiting an intangible factor that’s difficult to quantify.

The Braves haven’t looked their best lately. They were on the verge of dropping their fourth of five games. Their offense had sputtered, giving credence to concerns ahead of October.

But a win like Friday’s is quite the elixir. Now, the Braves feel poised to emphatically slam the door on the NL East with 14 games remaining.

These two franchises have ruled the division for quite some time. They’ve combined to win 25 of the 31 division titles in this iteration of the East. They’ve won every NL East title since 2018. Both clubs have also won a league pennant in the past five years. They’ve met twice in the postseason since 2022 with the Phillies winning both meetings. The entire picture has made this one of the most compelling rivalries in MLB.