Braves hit three home runs to advance to NL Division Series
Atlanta crowd celebrates playoff win
Atlanta Braves fans packed The Battery to celebrate a historic playoff series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies following a pivotal Game 3 win.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night at Truist Park to clinch the National League Wild Card Series and advance to the Division Series.
Atlanta Braves bats countdown to NLDS
What we know:
Michael Harris II launched a three-run home run in the first inning to put Atlanta ahead early after Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson.
Ozzie Albies added a two-run shot in the fourth inning, and Olson hit a solo home run in the seventh to secure the win.
Ozzie Albies (1) of the Atlanta Braves bumps forearms with Austin Riley (27) after hitting a 2-run home run during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series on October 1, 2026 at Truist Par
READ ALSO: Live blog recapping the game
Atlanta pitchers and bullpen dominate
Dig deeper:
Left-hander Ray Kerr threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his postseason debut, allowing just one hit and one walk. Grant Holmes earned the win in relief, while Chris Sale struck out Bryce Harper to end the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth.
Playoff roster updates
What we don't know:
Officials have not confirmed whether Braves pitcher Tyler Mahle will be available for the next round despite feeling an abdominal pull Wednesday. Atlanta management said Mahle was feeling pretty good on Thursday.
Atlanta postseason run
The backstory:
This marks Atlanta's first postseason series victory since winning the 2021 World Series. The win also gives the Braves their first playoff series victory over Philadelphia after falling short in previous postseason meetings.
Truist Park crowd
By the numbers:
Thursday night's decisive matchup drew a sellout crowd of 41,731 fans at Truist Park. Attendance for the earlier afternoon games stood at 30,127 on Tuesday and 37,150 on Wednesday.
The Source: The details were gathered by the FOX 5 Sports Team from the Atlanta Braves, MLB, game coverage, FOX Sports, and the Associated Press.