After finishing the regular season with a 104-58 record, the No. 1 ranked Atlanta Braves entered the postseason hoping to add their fifth World Series championship in team history. However, the Braves fell short of expectations after losing 3-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Divisional Series (NLDS) on Oct. 12.
The Braves sought to replicate their 2021 success and bring another World Series title back to Atlanta. With strong seasons from All-Stars outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., first baseman Matt Olson and pitcher Spencer Strider, it looked like nothing could stop this Braves squad. Yet, the Phillies proved to be an undeterred force.
Coming off of finishing runner-up in the 2022 World Series, ending the 2023 regular season 90-7 and clinching the top Wild Card berth, the Phillies made quick work of their opponents when they defeated the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card Series 2-0.
In a stunning case of deja vu, the Phillies found themselves in a familiar showdown against the Braves in the 2023 NLDS, a year after their impressive 2022 playoff run, which included a 3-1 NLDS win against the Braves. Aiming to eliminate the top team, the Phillies did just that in almost identical fashion.
Braves shutout at home in Game 1 of NLDS
Almost 44,000 fans gathered to see the best offensive team in Major League Baseball perform in the postseason. However, the Phillies scored three and held the Braves to a shutout at Truist Park. It was the first time this season that the Braves were held scoreless at home. Pitcher Ranger Suarez and the rest of the Phillies bullpen combined for eight strikeouts and three walks, while Braves ace Spencer Strider went seven innings, allowing one earned run.
Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott stayed hot after his series-sealing grand slam against the Marlins in the NL Wild Card Series and ended the night at 2-3 with an RBI single in the fourth inning. First baseman Bryce Harper maintained his record of getting a hit in every game against the Braves in the postseason as he ended the night 2-2, including a solo home run in the sixth inning. Game 1 was all but sealed in the eighth inning when the home-plate umpire made a controversial catcher interference call against Braves catcher Sean Murphy with the bases loaded. As a result, the Phillies scored their third run of the evening. Braves fans responded in anger with a barrage of boos and tossing trash onto the outfield grass.
Atlanta Braves fans were fired up for Game 1 at Truist Park on Oc. 7. (Sage Hou/Contributing Writer)
Braves rally from being down 4 to win Game 2, in all-time classic
In Game 2, the offense-heavy Braves were held scoreless again for the first five innings, combining for 14 shutout innings across Games 1 and 2. They broke the record for most scoreless innings by a 100-win team at the start of the postseason.
The Phillies continued their series domination through a four-run lead with third baseman Alec Bohm’s RBI single, a two-run home run by catcher J.T. Realmuto and a sacrifice flyout by second baseman Bryson Stott. However, just when all hope was nearly lost, the Braves offense roared back to life in remarkable fashion. An error by Phillies shortstop Trea Turner allowed Acuña to score in the sixth inning, igniting the Braves’ momentum. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud hit a two-run home run in the seventh and third baseman Austin Riley gave the Braves the lead in the bottom of the eighth with another two-run home run.
In the top of the ninth inning, Harper drew a walk, leading to Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos representing the go-ahead run as he walked up to the plate to face Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. On the 2-2 pitch, Castellanos launched the ball deep into right-center field, only for outfielder Michael Harris II to make a remarkable leaping catch at the outfield fence.
“I knew off the bat it was going to be close to the fence, so I knew once I went back, I wasn’t stopping,” Harris said to reporters after the game. “I was going to do anything I could to get a glove on it. If my body had to go down because of that, I would have done that.”
Harper backtracked to first base desperately as Harris’ throw came back into the infield. Despite the throw missing second baseman Ozzie Albies, astute positioning from Riley allowed him to pick up the ball and fire it to first, ending the game on an 8-5-3 double play.
Truist Park exploded as the first base umpire signaled that Harper was out. A seismologist claimed that two seismic stations in the Atlanta area picked up small anomalies just after 9:16 p.m., around the time Harris made the game-ending catch.
Phillies finish job at Citizens Bank Park in Games 3, 4
The Braves took the lead in the top of the third inning in Game 3 when Albies hit a single to score Acuña from second base. However, the Phillies answered right back with six runs of their own in the bottom of the third, forcing starting pitcher Bryce Elder out of the game after only eight outs.
After Game 2, reports surged about Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia saying “ha-ha, Atta Boy, Harp” in the clubhouse, referencing Harper’s baserunning error to end the game.
Harper ended up hitting two home runs and four RBIs, leading the Phillies to a commanding 10-2 Game 3 victory. During each home run trot, Harper stared right at Arcia, making for an all-time postseason moment.
“Yeah, I mean, I stared right at him,” Harper said in the postgame press conference.
Arcia responded in the locker room through a translator and said that he was “under the impression” that he could say whatever he wanted in the clubhouse.
Harper’s heroics overshadowed other strong Phillies performances. Castellanos hit two home runs, while both Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh hit a home run each. The game tied a postseason record of six home runs.
Game 4 saw Strider take the mound again with less success than Game 1. Castellanos and Turner continued to stay hot and hit another two home runs and ended the night 3-3. Turner similarly continued his hitting home-run streak with a solo home run in the fifth inning and ended the night 4-4.
When asked about what makes the Phillies special, Harper attributed individual attitudes to the culture.
“I just think there are so many guys that have been in these situations, not just now, but their whole lives,” Harper said. “We’ve got some really good players. I think we just kind of vibe together.”
Again, the Braves’ offense had a poor showing, only chalking up five hits and one run against Suarez and the Phillies bullpen. Riley stayed hot and hit a home run in the fourth inning. Acuña, with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh, hit a deep fly ball into left-center field only for it to fall short of the warning track and be caught by Phillies center-fielder Johan Rojas.
Braves season takeaways
While the Braves remained nearly faultless throughout the regular season, they once again have failed to turn up when October has come around. Pitching was never their strong suit — the Braves have long relied on out-scoring their opponents rather than holding them to a few hits. Obviously, this approach is problematic if the offense fails to produce in October. Strider and the pitching staff played on par with what fans should have expected from their starters and bullpen. Yet, the Braves’ league-best offense in the postseason was underwhelming. Unlike Harper and Castellanos who have turned up time and time again in the postseason, Acuña and Olson were almost non-existent for the entire series.
While the front office could add some pitching support in a starter or a bullpen, none of it will matter if the big hitters are not able to perform in the big moments.
The Braves have topped the National League East since 2018, but for the fans the regular season does not matter anymore. They will have to wait for the 2024 postseason and hope that the Braves can perform next October.
