Phillies Win Game 2 Against Braves, Set Up Decisive Game 3

<p>Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series was tied at 3-3 on Wednesday afternoon when Alec Bohm hit a two-out homer in the 10th inning, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves and forcing a winner-take-all Game 3.</p><p>The Phillies had been trailing 3-1 before Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning. Harper's home run followed a fielding error he committed earlier in the game.</p><p>Andrew Painter, a regular-season starter, pitched three scoreless innings, helping to manage the Phillies' bullpen. He stranded two runners in the 10th inning and struck out Dominic Smith after the Phillies won an ABS challenge.</p><p>Under traditional extra-inning rules, Bohm's home run was his third career postseason homer, a 357-foot shot to right field off right-hander Didier Fuentes.</p><p>The Phillies will aim to continue their postseason success against the Braves in Game 3 on Thursday. Philadelphia previously defeated Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.</p><p>In the seventh inning, a double by Drake Baldwin deflected off Harper's glove in right field, allowing Sean Murphy to score and giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Harper, who returned to the outfield late this season for the first time since 2022, did not charge the play as an error. Matt Olson added a sacrifice fly.</p><p>“Probably should have been caught, obviously,” Harper stated.</p><p>The Phillies tied the game with home runs by Schwarber and Harper in the eighth inning off Dylan Lee, who was the winning pitcher in the Braves' 5-3 opening win on Tuesday. Schwarber’s home run traveled 447 feet, while Harper's followed at 418 feet.</p><p>Tyler Mahle pitched for Atlanta, allowing one run on six hits over seven innings. Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in 6.2 innings for Philadelphia while throwing a career-high 116 pitches.</p><p>The start time for the decisive Game 3 has not yet been determined. The Braves announced that MLB will schedule the game for either 2:15 p.m. ET or 8:15 p.m. ET in Atlanta, depending on the outcomes of the other three Wild Card Series Game 2 matchups that night.</p><p><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</i></p>