The Phillies thought they had their best weapon on the mound when the game mattered most. Instead, Jhoan Duran became the unlikely face of a collapse that could send Philadelphia home. With the Braves turning a one-run deficit into a 5-3 lead, Austin Riley’s eighth-inning three-run blast flipped the game on its head and left the Phillies staring at elimination.
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Duran had been one of Philadelphia’s most reliable relievers all season, surrendering just two home runs across 61 appearances. When the Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the seventh, Don Mattingly trusted his best arm to keep the game within reach. The decision spectacularly backfired, but Mattingly and Bryce Harper didn’t shy away from it after the game, staying candid about why he made the call.
“Yeah, that’s a dagger. Obviously, we have the lead going into the eighth. Best closer in the game on the bump. Riley just got to it,” NBC Sports Philadelphia quoted Harper.
Mattingly called Duran early for a rare multi-inning appearance, asking him to secure a nine-out save after J.T. Realmuto’s two-run triple gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh.
Duran breezed through a 1-2-3 seventh and smoothly got the first two outs of the eighth. The turning point was when, with two outs, Michael Harris II reached base on an infield single following a 2-0 splitter.
Duran lost his command and hit Ozzie Albies with a 3-2 knuckle curve, putting runners on first and second for the heart of Atlanta’s order.
Riley stepped into the plate, and Duran challenged the Braves’ third baseman with a 99.9 mph first-pitch four-seam fastball right down the middle. Riley crushed it the other way over the right-center field wall for a decisive three-run blast, putting Atlanta ahead 5-3.
“It’s frustrating. But in our minds, we had our best guy out there; you live with this one,” Mattingly said after the game.
To make it more shocking, Riley had an underwhelming regular season compared to Duran’s dominant one.
While Duran finished the regular season with a 1.82 ERA, 33 saves, and 84 strikeouts, Riley hit just .219/.290/.364 with 19 home runs and 72 RBI over 159 games.
With the Braves already having names like Matt Olson and Ronald Acuna Jr., many would have least expected that the Phillies’ best reliever could get humbled by someone like Riley.
“I’ve been grinding for these guys and this city all year,” Riley said postgame. “And to finally come up big for them was huge. It’s not over yet; just the start, but a nice start for sure.”
Now, the Phillies are just one game away from ending their 2026 season. Cristopher Sanchez will start on Wednesday for Game 2, who went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA during the regular season. If he could earn a win, only then would Duran get a chance to ask for a redemption.
“This is a September to forget,” American sports host Michael Barkann exclaimed during the Phillies’ delayed entry to the postseason. Their first postseason game proved why this is a month to forget for the Philadelphia fans.