Braves 6, Phillies 2: Kerr's scoreless 3 1/3 innings carry Atlanta past Philadelphia in Wild Card clincher, October 2

The Braves defeated the Phillies 6-2 on Thursday, October 2, in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series, advancing to the NLDS with a performance built on an unlikely hero: 32-year-old reliever Ray Kerr, who allowed one hit over 3 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Kerr learned Wednesday night that he would serve as the opener in the winner-take-all game. Six weeks prior, he was at Triple-A Gwinnett, still making his way back from Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2024. In 2015, Kerr pitched for the Reno Astros, a men's league team with many collegiate players, while working at a 7-Eleven and a movie theater simultaneously. He grew up in foster homes while his father served prison time. Kerr's assignment was to neutralize the Phillies' two left-handed sluggers, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, at the top of the order. Kerr has made just 48 career Major League appearances, with nine coming this season. He carries a 1.47 ERA in those nine big league games. He auditioned as an opener by throwing three scoreless innings on Friday in Miami, and had held the Phillies scoreless over two outings (6 1/3 innings) in September, per MLB.com's reporting. Kerr said after the game, "This was just another Thursday. Growing up, I had a hard time. So, this was nothing." Grant Holmes, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, and Dylan Dodd bridged the game until Chris Sale appeared out of the bullpen. The 37-year-old Sale struck out Harper to end the eighth, recording the final four outs after throwing 95 pitches over 6 1/3 innings a little more than 48 hours earlier. Sale said of Kerr: "To do what he did tonight for us, that's unbelievable. He did everything he could for this ballclub. He put it on the line for us tonight. That fired me up, honestly, and I think it got everyone going." Atlanta's offense produced three home runs: Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II all connected. All three were part of Braves teams eliminated by Philadelphia in both the 2022 and 2023 NL Division Series, per MLB.com's reporting. Manager Walt Weiss said of Kerr: "Hopefully Ray Kerr became a bit of a household name tonight. He deserves it. He's got an amazing story of perseverance. That was a best-case scenario, and he did it. He got through the top twice, which kept us from using another guy at the top. So, Ray, it all started with Ray. Everything fell into place because of Ray Kerr." Kerr said: "I've dreamed about stuff like this. For it to actually happen, I still haven't even processed yet." The Braves had lost six straight winner-take-all postseason games, the third-longest streak of all time. Their last such victory was Game 7 of the 1996 NL Championship Series. Atlanta will face the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers in the NLDS, with that series opening at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, October 5, per MLB.com.