Atlanta Braves win the NL East for the sixth straight season and become the first team to clinch the postseason
- Spencer Strider earned a 17th career MLB victory in a 4-1 victory over the Phillies
- Austin Riley’s two-run explosion helped solidify that win and the postseason berth
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The Atlanta Braves captured their sixth straight NL East title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Wednesday night behind Spencer Strider’s seventeenth major league victory and Austin Riley’s two-run home run.
Kirby Yates struck out Brandon Marsh to end the game and the players danced in a crowd near the mound as Phillies fans chased them off the field. Yates earned his fifth save.
The Braves are now the first team to officially clinch a spot in the Major League Baseball playoffs. Four teams – the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Oakland A’s and Colorado Rockies – have already been eliminated.
Atlanta took special satisfaction from being on the same Citizens Bank Park field where the Phillies eliminated them in the NL Division Series last October.
The Phillies won that series 3-1 – just as Atlanta won this four-game set.
The Atlanta Braves enter the postseason after capturing their sixth straight NL East crown
Spencer Strider earned his 17th win of the regular season – the most in baseball so far
A two-run blast from slugger Austin Riley helped Atlanta capture the division title
The Phillies lead the NL wild card and the teams could face each other in October.
Cristopher Sánchez (2-4) had a career-best 10 in 7 1/3 innings.
Strider (17-5) won for the fifth time in six starts, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings.
Strider struck out nine and increased his MLB-best total to 259.
He also gave the bullpen some much-needed rest after a rough first three games in Philly.