We can safely say Game 2 of the Philadelphia Phillies-Atlanta Braves wild-card series ended like no other postseason game in MLB history on Wednesday.
An already dramatic game culminated in Phillies rookie Andrew Painter throwing an inside fastball to Dominic Smith while up 4-3 with two outs, an 0-2 count and two men on base. Home plate umpire Adam Beck called the pitch a ball.
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In any other playoffs, the result would have been a 1-2 count. However, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto used the club’s one remaining ABS challenge to take another look at the pitch, with Painter also tapping his head to signal a challenge.
The ruling: Strike. Game over. Series tied 1-1. The first walk-off ABS challenge in MLB postseason history.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Realmuto won the challenge. In the first year of MLB’s new system, no catcher in baseball had a higher success rate on ABS challenges (min. 20 challenges) than the Phillies veteran, who was right 81% of the time, per Baseball Savant. By total value (i.e. taking into account number of challenges), Realmuto was the third-best catcher in baseball when it comes to ABS.
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The Phillies entered Wednesday with their backs against the wall after their loss in Game 1 on Tuesday. They were in even more dire straits after the Braves took a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning, thanks to some adventurous defense by Bryce Harper.
Harper, however, found redemption via back-to-back home runs alongside Kyle Schwarber to tie the game in the eighth, eventually forcing extra innings. Then Alec Bohm delivered the game-winning homer in the top of the 10th inning.
Meanwhile, the Phillies turned to Painter for the final three innings of the game. That in itself was a nice story, as Painter was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball until a series of injuries wreaked havoc on his playing time and on-field performance. At 23 years old, Painter made his MLB debut this season and stuck in the rotation, with mixed results.
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With their season on the line Wednesday, the Phillies bet on Painter’s talent and were rewarded with three shutout innings featuring three strikeouts and a walk on 37 pitches.
They’ll play Game 3 vs. the Braves on Thursday in Atlanta.
