The Phillies needed three home runs to rescue their season Wednesday. Then they needed one last strike. Philadelphia rallied for a 4-3 victory over Atlanta in 10 innings in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, forcing a decisive third game Thursday at Truist Park.
And somehow, the comeback wasn’t even the strangest part.
The final out came on a strikeout involving an automated ball-strike challenge, bringing an abrupt finish to a game that had already offered Philadelphia fans plenty of reasons to pace around the living room.
Alec Bohm supplied the winning swing with a solo homer in the 10th. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper made that moment possible with consecutive home runs in the eighth, when the Phillies were trailing 3-1 and running out of chances. For a team facing elimination, it was quite a way to earn another afternoon of October baseball.
Schwarber and Harper turn six outs into a fresh start
Atlanta had moved within six outs of a sweep after scoring twice in the seventh. Drake Baldwin’s RBI double broke a 1-1 tie, and Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly extended the Braves’ lead. With Tyler Mahle having completed seven innings of one-run baseball, Philadelphia finally had an opening against the bullpen.
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026Schwarber wasted little time taking advantage.
He launched a 447-foot homer to right-center against Dylan Lee, cutting the deficit to one. Harper followed with a 418-foot shot to right-center, tying the game before Atlanta could settle back into protecting its lead.
Two swings. Two runs. An entirely different afternoon.
Harper had also driven in Philadelphia’s first run with a first-inning single that scored Trea Turner. But the Phillies went scoreless for the next six innings, leaving their biggest bats with urgent work to do late.
They delivered together.
Bohm supplies the lead, Painter survives the last scare
Bohm’s turn arrived with two outs in the top of the 10th.
After Schwarber struck out and Harper grounded out, Bohm drove a 357-foot homer to right off Didier Fuentes. Philadelphia had its first lead since the opening inning.
Alec Bohm with a HUGE swing 💪 #Postseason https://t.co/XnHYt21ugb pic.twitter.com/BfQA4Mwvsp
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026Protecting it required another tense stretch from Andrew Painter.
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The right-hander had entered in the eighth and helped keep the game tied through the ninth. Atlanta threatened again in the 10th, putting runners at first and second on singles by Mauricio Dubón and Michael Harris II.
Dominic Smith entered as a pinch hitter for Sean Murphy with two outs and the potential tying run on second.
The game ended with the ABS challenge strikeout, sealing Philadelphia’s escape and leaving those runners stranded.
A day after losing the opener 5-3, the Phillies had answered with a comeback of their own. Atlanta’s opportunity to finish the series disappeared, and Philadelphia earned the only thing that mattered Wednesday: another game.
Thursday, the division rivals get one final chance to settle it.
