The Phillies needed a jolt, and Alec Bohm delivered one in the biggest possible spot.
With the game tied in the 10th inning and the season hanging in the balance, Bohm turned on a 99.4 mph fastball from rookie reliever Didier Fuentes and sent it out to the opposite field for a go-ahead home run. That swing lifted Philadelphia to a 4-3, 10-inning win over the Braves and pushed the Wild Card Series to a decisive Game 3.
Bohm’s late heroics were the capstone on a busy night at third base and first base. He helped turn two important double plays, including one in the sixth inning that proved vital to the Phillies’ survival, and he also handled a couple of tricky scoops while continuing to settle in at first base. But the defining moment came with two outs in the 10th, when he stayed on that pitch and drove it out for the game-winner.
There was plenty else to like for Philadelphia. Cristopher Sánchez gave them a strong start, Bryce Harper answered with a redemption moment of his own, Kyle Schwarber provided the homer that helped start the comeback, and Andrew Painter threw three scoreless innings in his postseason debut. Still, Bohm was the one who finished the job.
For Atlanta, the collapse belongs to the bullpen.
Starter Tyler Mahle shook off a rough 23-pitch first inning and settled in beautifully, working seven strong frames and handing the relievers a 3-1 lead. At that point, the Braves had an 86.5% chance of moving on to the NLDS to face the Dodgers.
Instead, the bullpen couldn’t protect it. Left-hander Dylan Lee, who did not allow a home run to a left-handed batter during the regular season, gave up back-to-back blasts to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the eighth, and Harper’s shot tied the game.
Lee recorded just two outs. Raisel Iglesias did his part, but Fuentes was the one who got burned in the 10th.
Braves relievers allowed three runs on five hits over three innings.
In Chicago, the White Sox kept their Cinderella run rolling and did it with help from the Garrett Crochet trade.
Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth, two of the players acquired in that deal, drove in four of Chicago’s seven runs in a 7-3 win over the Astros. Teel started the scoring with an RBI single as the game’s second batter.
Meidroth later blew it open with a loud three-run homer in the sixth after Bryan Abreu left a pitch up. Teel and Meidroth combined to go 4 for 8 with a homer in the game, while Braden Montgomery, the third player in that trade, went 0 for 4.
Over the two-game Wild Card Series, Teel, Montgomery, and Meidroth combined to go 9 for 21 with six RBI. That haul has already paid off in October, and it helped send the White Sox into an ALDS matchup with the Guardians.
It also gives Chicago its first postseason series win since the 2005 World Series title. The franchise’s last two series-clinching wins came in Houston.
Houston’s exit was ugly from the start, and Hunter Brown took the brunt of it.
Brown, billed as the Astros’ ace, couldn’t even get out of the first inning in a game that had to go their way. He faced nine batters, needed 36 pitches to record two outs, and was charged with four runs.
His line was a mess: double, single, error, strikeout, single, single, single, strikeout, wild pitch, walk, then the hook. The Astros were already leaning on a bullpen game in Game 1 because of necessity, not choice, and Brown was supposed to steady things in Game 2.
Instead, he delivered the most damaging start of his season.
There was at least one bright spot for Houston. Peter Lambert threw three innings on two days’ rest in Game 2, after tossing two innings and 41 pitches on Sunday, also on two days’ rest.
He gave the Astros a chance to get back into it after Brown’s quick exit. But the rest of the lineup and pitching staff couldn’t make enough happen, and the Astros were sent home quickly.
In Other News...
White Sox Have A Huge Chance To End This In Houston
The White Sox have put themselves in a rare and very real position in Houston, carrying a 1-0 lead into Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Daikin Park. After taking the opener, Chicago now has a chance to close the door quickly and turn a tense best-of-three into a short October stay for a Houston club that has spent the week trying to steady itself after a rough start.
Dylan Cease is expected to take the ball for Chicago, while the Astros are set to counter with Framber Valdez in a game that figures to feel far different from Game 1, with both sides adjusting lineups and bullpen availability. For the White Sox, the task is straightforward even if the setting is not: handle the pressure, avoid giving Houston life, and see whether this series can end before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Wild Card Opponent Just Added A Strange New Edge
The White Soxs Wild Card trip to Houston picked up an unusual backdrop this week when chairman Jerry Reinsdorf received a letter from Pope Leo XIV, who offered well wishes and blessings ahead of the series. The exchange came after Reinsdorf reached out about the clubs Pope Night promotion, when fans were handed White Sox-themed Pope hats, adding another layer to a postseason matchup that already had no shortage of attention.
For Chicago, the note only deepened a connection that has become one of the strangest and most enduring storylines around the franchise. Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope and a lifelong White Sox fan, has shown continued support for the team, and now his latest gesture gives the club an unexpected bit of energy as it heads into a series where every detail feels amplified. [Read more 🡒]
Former White Sox Pitcher Just Sparked An October Crowd Debate
The White Sox got the first crack of the AL Wild Card Series off to a strong start, beating the Astros 6-3 at Daikin Park, but the setting drew some attention of its own. The crowd of 34,011 gave the game a quieter feel than a typical October opener, and former White Sox pitcher Bennett Sousa noticed, suggesting the atmosphere did not match the kind of postseason energy usually expected this time of year.
Sousa later apologized for what he said, but the reaction only added another layer to a familiar October conversation about crowd intensity and fan expectations. For Chicago, the result in Houston was the headline on the field, yet the backdrop served as a reminder of how different postseason nights can feel from one city to the next. [Read more 🡒]