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Braves power past Phillies in Game 3 to book NLDS showdown with Dodgers

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Cite

Braves power past Phillies in Game 3 to book NLDS showdown with Dodgers. (2026, October 2). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/01/braves-phillies-nl-wild-card-game-3-mlb-playoffs

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-02 · by Agencies

Quick Summary

In Game 3 of the National League wildcard series, Michael Harris II's three-run homer early in the game helped the Atlanta Braves defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night. The Braves' victory clinched their spot in the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the first time they have won a playoff series since winning the 2021 World Series. Ray Kerr pitched three scoreless innings to secure the win for Atlanta, while Aaron Nola struggled for Philadelphia, allowing three runs in just over an inning before being pulled from the game.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves played two closely contested games in their National League Wild Card Series, with the Phillies forcing a decisive Game 3 after winning 4-3 on Wednesday in extra innings. In this game, Alec Bohm's home run in the tenth inning secured victory for the Phillies, who had earlier rallied from a 3-1 deficit with back-to-back homers by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. With momentum on their side, Philadelphia opted to start Aaron Nola, known for his durability and postseason experience, against an inexperienced Braves reliever Ray Kerr. Despite being the home team, odds makers are closely split on which team will win Game 3, reflecting the tight competition between these two rivals. Bettors can take advantage of promotions such as BetMGM's offer to receive up to $1,500 back in bonus bets if their initial wager does not succeed, valid for users in several US states including Arizona and Illinois. This deal aims to attract new gamblers while rewarding those supporting the Phillies' efforts to advance further in the playoffs.

Written for “Phillies vs Braves Wild Card Series” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Phillies vs Braves Wild Card Series
Sports · 13 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 18 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different games: one from September 27 during a regular season tailspin, and another on October 2 in a decisive wildcard series game.”
Fox News
Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A discusses the Phillies' efforts to secure a spot in the postseason, while Article B reports on Game 3 of the NL Wildcard Series between the Braves and Phillies, where the Phillies lost.”
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different games between the Phillies and two other teams, separated by several days.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 2 of 108 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different games in separate series between the Phillies and Rays, followed by the Phillies and Braves.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses the prediction and setup for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card game between Phillies and Braves, while Article B reports on Game 3 where Braves won the series against Phillies.”
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different games in the Braves vs. Phillies series, with Article A mentioning Game 2 and Article B detailing Game 3.”
Fox News
Hedges 3 of 34 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes the events of Game 2, while Article B describes the events of Game 3 in the Braves-Phillies series.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe two different games, with Game 1 being a win for the Phillies and Game 3 being a win for the Braves.”
Fox News
Hedges 3 of 37 claims Outlet record 69/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
13
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 1898 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

No reporter is named on this article, beyond the feed's “Agencies”.

Topics

Atlanta Braves Philadelphia Phillies World Series

Subjects

Kerr PERSON · 5× Atlanta ORG · 4× Braves ORG · 4× Phillies ORG · 4× Philadelphia GPE · 3× Matt Olson PERSON · 2× Schwarber PERSON · 2× Michael Harris II PERSON · 1× Ray Kerr PERSON · 1× the Atlanta Braves ORG · 1×

Narrative

Left-hander Chris Sale, the starter in Atlanta’s 5-3 win in Tuesday’s series opener, struck out Harper to end the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth by striking out Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp. Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, the winning pitcher in Sunday’s 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay that clinched the wildcard spot, walked Austin Riley in the fourth before giving up Albies’ homer to right field that gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
2026-10-02 · The Guardian
Braves power past Phillies in Game 3 to book NLDS showdown with Dodgers · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Ray Kerr threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night in the decisive Game 3 of their National League wildcard series. asserted
Braves → hit → series
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Matt Olson added a solo shot in the seventh for the Braves, who advance to a best-of-five Division Series against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. asserted
who → hit → champion
The Braves won a postseason series for the first time since winning the 2021 World Series and earned their first playoff series win against the Phillies. asserted
Braves → win → Phillies
Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS. asserted
Philadelphia → beat → NLCS
Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola was pulled after allowing three runs in 1 2/3 innings. asserted
Nola → pull → innings
Nola walked Ronald Acuña Jr and Matt Olson with one out in the first before giving up the homer to Harris, who hit into two double plays in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss in 10 innings, which forced Thursday night’s game. asserted
which → walk → game
Kerr made his postseason debut in only his fourth career start. asserted
Kerr → make → start
Braves manager Walt Weiss wanted a left-hander to face Phillies left-handed hitters Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper at least once. asserted
hander → want → hitters
Kerr allowed only one hit – to Schwarber in the first – and one walk – to Schwarber in the fourth. asserted
Kerr → allow → fourth
Right-hander Grant Holmes followed Kerr and allowed one run in two innings to earn the win. asserted
Holmes → follow → win
Kerr left to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd and acknowledged the cheers by lifting his arm as he approached the dugout. asserted
he → leave → dugout
Left-hander Chris Sale, the starter in Atlanta’s 5-3 win in Tuesday’s series opener, struck out Harper to end the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth by striking out Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp. Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, the winning pitcher in Sunday’s 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay that clinched the wildcard spot, walked Austin Riley in the fourth before giving up Albies’ homer to right field that gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead. asserted
that → strike → lead
Wheeler allowed two runs in four innings. asserted
Wheeler → allow → innings
Jonathan Bowlan, Philadelphia’s fourth pitcher, gave up Olson’s homer to center field. asserted
Bowlan → give → field
Kerr, 32, flourished in the postseason spotlight. asserted
Kerr → flourish → spotlight
He pitched in only nine games after being recalled by Atlanta on 16 August. asserted
He → pitch → August
He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and didn’t pitch in 2025. asserted
He → undergo → 2025
Philadelphia’s 2022 World Series loss to Houston began a streak of five straight postseason appearances with progressively quicker exits – the NL Championship Series, two NLDS exits and now the wildcard loss. asserted
loss → begin → exits
The game drew a sellout crowd of 41,731 after the Braves fell short of sellouts in the first two games of the series, with school and work conflicting with the 2.15pm first pitch for many fans. asserted
school → draw → fans
Afternoon starts also hurt attendance in other Wild Card Series games this week. asserted
starts → hurt → games
The announced attendance at Truist Park was 30,127 on Tuesday and 37,150 on Wednesday. asserted
attendance → announce → Wednesday
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