Braves turn to Sale to close out Phils in wild-card clincher - ESPN

ATLANTA — Powered by a three-run homer by Michael Harris II in the first inning and an electric four-out relief appearance on one day of rest by ace Chris Sale, the Atlanta Braves finished the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 in the deciding Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Thursday night at Truist Park.

The Braves earned their first playoff series win against the Phillies and will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series, which begins Saturday.

Sale, coming of a strong Game 1 performance in which he had playoff career highs of 6⅓ innings and nine strikeouts Tuesday, came in to throw the last 1⅓ scoreless innings of Game 3 on his throw day.

Braves manager Walt Weiss said he woke up Thursday morning not expecting to even have a conversation about Sale's Game 3 availability.

«I was not going to go to Chris Sale and ask him if he could pitch tonight,» Weiss said. «I didn't want to put him in that position because I knew that even if he was hanging, he would tell me yes. So, I was not going to bring it up. But literally as soon as I stepped in my office this afternoon, he was sitting in the chair across from my desk, and he looked at me and he said, 'I feel amazing.' I said, 'Well, let's talk.'»

Weiss said he and Sale then mapped out a plan.

«I told him there was a good chance he was going to get the top of the order at some point in the eighth or the ninth,» he said. «It worked out that way. Was hoping he only had to go one, but he had to get to four outs. But what a warrior, man. This guy — I've run out of superlatives for Chris Sale.»

The crowd at Truist Park erupted when it was clear it was Sale walking out of the bullpen to face Phillies slugger Bryce Harper with two outs in the top of the eighth inning.

Harris