Once again, it seemed the Atlanta Braves’ regular season dominance was no match for the Philadelphia Phillies’ playoff brilliance.
Yet down to their last four outs before falling into a hole that would have wrecked their record-setting year, Braves slugger Austin Riley saved their season.
He lofted a go-ahead, two-run homer off Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Atlanta to a 5-4 victory in Game 2 of their National League Division Series, a best-of-five in which their outlook was bleak just moments earlier.
Yet thanks to Riley’s one-handed clout Monday night, the Braves squared this NLDS at 1-1 – instead of falling into a 2-0 hole going back to Philadelphia.