The Atlanta Braves finished the Philadelphia Phillies 6–2 in Thursday night’s winner-take-all National League Wild Card Game 3 at Truist Park, clinching their first playoff series win against Philadelphia and booking a Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers that starts Saturday. ESPN, MLB.com, CBS Sports, and Associated Press desks all confirm the FINAL: Michael Harris II’s three-run homer in the first, Ozzie Albies’ two-run shot in the fourth, and Matt Olson’s solo blast in the seventh supplied all six Atlanta runs.

Surprise opener Ray Kerr threw 3⅓ scoreless innings. Ace Chris Sale, who had started Game 1 on Tuesday, walked out of the bullpen with two outs in the eighth on one day of rest and got the final four outs — 21 pitches after 95 in Game 1. Manager Walt Weiss said Sale sat in his office Thursday afternoon and volunteered; Weiss later said he was unsure whether Sale could start NLDS Game 2 on Sunday. Phillies starter Aaron Nola lasted a short outing; Zack Wheeler and Jonathan Bowlan absorbed later damage. Atlanta drew 41,731 and ended a streak of three straight postseason series losses to Philadelphia (1993 NLCS, 2022 and 2023 NLDS).

Backstory: the Braves blew a two-run eighth-inning lead in Wednesday’s Game 2 and needed a clean Game 3 to avoid another early exit. Their last postseason series win was the 2021 World Series. Locked Division Series board overnight: White Sox–Guardians, Yankees–Rays, Padres–Brewers, and Braves–Dodgers. Watch lineups and starter notes on MLB.com; Game 1 in Los Angeles is Saturday afternoon Eastern on national TV. This card treats the 6–2 clinch as a multi-outlet FINAL — resolving the open Game 3 followup left mid-fifth at late-night scroll.