Phillies win NLDS Game 1 2022 - MLB.com

ATLANTA -- The Phillies might have something special brewing.

It might have first occurred to people during an epic ninth-inning comeback Friday night in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series in St. Louis. Or maybe it was Bryce Harper’s mammoth homer in Game 2 on Saturday night. Or possibly it was two big-time pitching performances from Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola against the Cardinals. Or maybe even watching the entire team sing “Dancing on My Own” and have the time of their lives in a champagne-soaked party after they clinched a spot in the NL Division Series.

Or perhaps it was the Phillies’ 7-6 victory Tuesday afternoon over the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS at Truist Park, which they survived after Matt Olson smashed a three-run homer in the ninth to put everybody on edge.

The Phils strung together four consecutive two-out singles off Braves ace Max Fried in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Fried’s throwing error and Harper’s first sacrifice bunt in 381 days led to two more runs in the third to give Philadelphia a 4-1 lead. Nick Castellanos’ two-out single to left field in the fourth -- his third hit in four innings -- scored two runs to make it 6-1.

Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez avoided damage, despite walking a career-high five batters in 3 1/3 innings, but the bullpen stepped up and picked up the remaining 17 outs. Six relievers combined to pitch the final 5 2/3 frames, with Olson's three-run homer off Zach Eflin marking the only major hiccup.

The winner of Game 1 in a best-of-five series has gone on to win the series 102 of 144 times (71%). In Division Series history with a 2-2-1 format, teams that won Game 1 on the road have gone on to win 29 of 41 series (71%).

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