ATLANTA - After being held hitless into the sixth inning, the Atlanta Braves rallied for an improbable 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on two-run homers by Travis d'Arnaud and Austin Riley and a game-ending double play for the ages to even the NL Division Series at one win apiece Monday night.
D'Arnaud, who started at catcher over slumping Sean Murphy, gave the Braves hope with his shot into the left-field seats in the seventh, cutting Philadelphia's lead to 4-3.
It was Atlanta's first extra-base hit of the series.
Riley provided the second, driving a 3-2 pitch from Jeff Hoffman (0-1) into the Phillies bullpen with two outs in the eighth to put the Braves ahead for the first time in the best-of-five series. Ronald Acuña Jr. scored ahead of Riley after being plunked on the left arm by Hoffman's first pitch coming in from the bullpen.
It ended in equally stunning fashion. With Bryce Harper aboard, Nick Castellanos drove one to the fence in deep right-center, only to be robbed on a great leaping catch by Michael Harris II.
Harper had rounded second base when Harris made the catch. He backtracked desperately, and the throw back to the infield skidded past second baseman Ozzie Albies. But Riley alertly backed up the play and zipped a throw to first that completed the double play.
Just like that, the series was all tied up. Game 3 is Wednesday at Philadelphia.
A.J. Minter (1-0) earned the win and Raisel Iglesias claimed his first save of this postseason.
With Zack Wheeler dominating a lineup that led the majors in runs and tied a big league record with 307 homers, the Phillies built a 4-0 lead. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run drive in the third off Max Fried, sandwiched between Alec Bohm's run-scoring single and Bryson Stott's sacrifice fly.
Wheeler, who was born and raised not far from Truist Park, was one strike away from making it through the sixth without allowing a hit. But he walked Acuña after getting ahead 1-2 in the count, and Albies lined a single to right.
Acuña was holding up at third, but he took off for home when the throw back to the infield ricocheted off Trea Turner's glove for the shortstop's second error of the night.
Wheeler fanned the side in each of the first two innings, with the Braves making contact on just 12 of 26 strikes. Matt Olson was the lone baserunner, reaching when Turner bobbled a routine grounder to shortstop.
Through the first four innings, the home team didn't even get one of the infield - unless you count the Hammer, Brush, Paint Can and Drill racing around the warning track as part of the Home Depot Tool Race.
Finally, on Atlanta's 13th batter of the night, Marcell Ozuna lifted one to center field. It was caught by Johan Rojas, but that seemed like progress the way the Braves were struggling.
Atlanta was shut out 3-0 in Game 1 and started the series with 14 straight scoreless innings - its longest drought of the season - before finally breaking through with an assist from Turner's glove.
Fried, who went on the injured list late in the season with a recurring blister issue, labored through four innings. He surrendered three runs and six hits and was lucky to leave the game trailing only 3-0.
Bryson Stott grounded out with the bases loaded to end the first, and the Phillies stranded two more runners in the fourth.
In all, the Phillies left 11 runners on base.
FAMILIAR LINEUP
After juggling the batting order for the series opener, and catching some heat when the Braves were shut out at home for the first time all season, manager Brian Snitker returned to a more familiar lineup card.
Albies was back in the second slot after batting cleanup in Game 1, followed by Riley and Olson.
The Braves did make the change at catcher, which paid off big time.
UP NEXT
Aaron Nola, who pitched seven scoreless innings against Miami during the wild-card round, will go for the Phillies in Game 3. The right-hander made three appearance against the Braves during the regular season, posting a 3.50 ERA while failing to pick up a decision.
Atlanta has yet to name its starter for Game 3, though the Phillies are expecting to see either Bryce Elder or AJ Smith-Shawver, a 20-year-old rookie. "You kind of prepare for both of them and just be ready to go," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said.
Braves win in NLDS game 2 gives fans renewed spark
Braves fans showed up Monday night looking for redemption after they were shut out by the Phillies in the NLDS game one.
Rodney Barron showed up at The Battery 4 hours early to cheer on the Braves.
"I wanted to see the Braves, couldn't get into the stadium, but wanted to be with my people in the battery," said Barron.
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Braves fans excited after tying NLDS
Fans of the Atlanta Braves were electrified outside Truist Park. The Battery was full to capacity, just like inside the stadium, to see the exciting finish to the Braves victory over the Phillies on Monday evening.
Chad Smith had his lucky World Series shirt on. He watched the Braves win in 2021, and is looking for a repeat performance.
"I've watched Braves baseball for 20 years, this is the best team I've watched in a long time, they can do it this year," said Smith.
Throughout the game as the Phillies scored, the few Phillies fans in attendance cheered.
"Anywhere Philly is, we dominate, we make it happen," said Erica, who is originally from Philadelphia.
Braves fans tried to keep the hope alive. Many remembered what happened in 2022 when the Phillies beat the Braves in the postseason. But they say that was last year.
"It's a different year, a different feel in the air. It's our time for another World Series for Atlanta," said one fan.
When that home run came in the seventh inning, suddenly things looked brighter. By the end of the game, and the Braves 5-4 win reignited the dreams of another World Series were back!
Going into Monday’s NLDS Game 2
The NL East Champions Braves (104-58) take on the Wild Card winning Phillies (90-72) for Game 2 at Truist Park on Monday evening at 6:07 p.m.
ATLANTA BRAVES LOOKING TO TAKE BACK SERIES IN NLDS GAME 2
The Phillies have a 1-0 lead in the series.
Max Fried (8-1, 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 80 strikeouts) is expected to be on the mound for the Braves and Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.56 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 212 strikeouts) for the Phillies.
Matt Olson leads the Braves with 54 home runs while slugging .604. Ozzie Albies is 15-for-41 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI over the last 10 games.
Alec Bohm has 31 doubles and 20 home runs for the Phillies. Bryce Harper is 10-for-26 with two doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
In the last 10 games, the Braves went 6-4, with a .269 batting average, 4.90 ERA, and outscored opponents by three runs. The Phillies went 7-3, with a .229 batting average, 2.93 ERA, and outscored opponents by 16 runs in their last 10 games.
Atlanta has a 52-29 record in home games and a 104-58 record overall. The Braves lead MLB play with 307 total home runs, averaging 1.9 per game.
Philadelphia is 90-72 overall and 41-40 on the road. The Phillies rank eighth in MLB play with 220 total home runs, averaging 1.4 per game.
Monday's game is the 15th meeting between these teams this season. The Braves are ahead 8-6 in the season series.
Braves-Phillies: Some interesting stats
This will be the 2498th time in their franchises’ history the two teams will meet on the diamond. The Braves and Phillies are close to being equally matched in overall win-loses, but the Braves do have a near 2% better win record.
During the 2023 regular season, the two met for 13 games in which the Braves have an 8-5 record. The Braves actually did better on the road against the Phillies with a 5-1 record and a 3-4 record at home.
The Braves have not lost more than 2 games in a row against the Phillies since 2021, when Atlanta would go on to become the World Series Champions.
The Associated Press contributed to this article