Braves advance to NL Division Series

The Atlanta Braves beat the Phillies 6-2 at Truist Park on October 1 in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series, eliminating Philadelphia and sending Atlanta to Los Angeles. Read more: Braves advance to NL Division Series

That result finishes a bracket three of the four Wild Card Series had already settled by Wednesday night. The Braves-Phillies winner was the last piece missing. Atlanta finished the regular season 94-68, won the NL East and took the No. 3 seed. Philadelphia had clinched the final NL wild card spot only days earlier, beating Tampa Bay 7-3 on the final day of the 162-game season.

Three homers settle it

Phillies starter Aaron Nola lasted just 1⅔ innings, charged with three runs before he could escape the second. Ozzie Albies followed with a two-run homer in the fourth, and Matt Olson added a solo shot in the seventh.

Braves left-hander Ray Kerr opened the game and held Philadelphia scoreless for 3⅓ innings, allowing one hit and one walk in his fourth career start. Grant Holmes relieved him and worked two innings, allowing one run to earn the win. Dylan Dodd got two outs in the eighth before Chris Sale finished the inning and closed out the ninth.

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"Hopefully Ray Kerr became a bit of a household name tonight," Braves manager Walt Weiss said after the game at Truist Park. "He deserves it. He's got an amazing story."

The weekend's full slate

Atlanta now opens the National League Division Series against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with Game 1 set for Saturday at Dodger Stadium at 4 p.m. Eastern on Fox, with FS1 and Fox Deportes carrying simulcasts. The two teams have met in October twice this decade. The Dodgers won a seven-game NLCS in 2020, and the Braves beat them in six games the following year on the way to a World Series title. Atlanta also won five of its six meetings with Los Angeles this season.

The Padres and Brewers begin their series the same day, also on Fox, with Games 1 and 2 in both National League matchups scheduled for October 3 and 4. On the American League side, the White Sox face the Guardians and the Yankees face the Rays, with both series opening Saturday on TBS, simulcast on truTV and HBO Max, before Game 2 on October 5.

Kerr, working in just his fourth career start, said the moment still hadn't fully landed.

"I've dreamed about stuff like this," he said. "For it to actually happen, I still haven't processed it yet."