ATLANTA — Is there any team the Braves want to see less than the Phillies this time of year?
The Phils went into Truist Park Saturday night and took Game 1, just as they did a year ago in the NLDS, withstanding the Braves' best shot in Spencer Strider and winning, 3-0, to seize momentum.
Just like that, no more home-field advantage for Atlanta. If the series goes the full five games, each team would have two more in its home park, and better yet for the Phillies, they'd be able to use Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in three of the remaining four.
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The Phillies have won Game 1 of all six postseason rounds they've played over the last year, continuously putting themselves in the driver's seat in series they entered as underdogs.
The pressure is squarely on the Braves, who won 104 games and tied the major-league record with 307 home runs. They haven't played meaningful baseball for months, save for trying to maintain their large second-half lead on the Dodgers for home-field throughout the National League playoffs. Braves manager Brian Snitker switched things up this week, having his team play intrasquad games in front of fans to try to better prepare them after a long layoff.
The Phillies eliminated the Braves last year and have played them tough in 2023. Atlanta won the regular-season series, 8-5, but five of those games were decided in the eighth inning or later.
Some teams might be intimidated by the offensive firepower at Atlanta's disposal. Not this bunch.
Philadelphia Phillies
"We're eager and excited for this series because it's the next chapter on our journey to get a ring," Nick Castellanos said two hours prior to Game 1. "I think that right now, the way we feel about each other, we're looking forward to playing anybody, honestly. It just happens to be the Braves."
The Braves hadn't been shut out in 125 games. They were held scoreless only twice in the regular season, April 19 and May 12.
Ranger Suarez took the crowd out of it by stifling Atlanta's offense early. He retired 10 of the first 11 hitters he faced with the only baserunner quickly erased trying to steal second on J.T. Realmuto.
Suarez had his changeup and curveball working and used both corners. The Braves put six balls in play against him and all were weakly hit.
"He's a tough ride. He always is for us," Snitker said pregame.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson went to the bullpen early, turning to Jeff Hoffman with two on and two outs in the fourth inning. Hoffman walked Marcell Ozuna to load the bases but struck out lefty Michael Harris II to end the Braves' threat.
Some might have been surprised by the quick hook for Suarez, but Thomson has said he would manage aggressively with days off in between Games 1 and 2 and Games 2 and 3. The Phillies feel they have as many as eight high-leverage relievers in Craig Kimbrel, Jose Alvarado, Hoffman, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering and Cristopher Sanchez, and they used all but Soto and Sanchez.
Dominguez put runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth with the top of the Braves' order due up and the Phillies leading by a run. In an enormous spot, he pounded the inside corner to strike out MVP frontrunner Ronald Acuña Jr. looking, then challenged Austin Riley with a 99 mph fastball right down the middle for an inning-ending punchout. That 10-pitch sequence might end up being the most important of the series. The game was hanging in the balance with just the hitters the Braves would have wanted at the plate.
Kerkering, who was in Double A three weeks ago, went 1-2-3 in the seventh inning on just eight pitches. It didn't take him long to earn Thomson's full trust.
Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth after Kerkering walked Acuña. The Braves put their first two men on base but Strahm induced a Matt Olson flyout, and Ozzie Albies hit a one-hop rocket to short that Trea Turner snagged on a dive to begin an impressive inning-ending double play. Turner also stole two bases and is 5-for-11 with two doubles and four steals in his first three playoff games as a Phillie.
The Phils' first run off Strider was unearned. He walked Bryce Harper with one out in the top of the fourth and made an errant throw on a pick-off attempt that put Harper in scoring position. Bryson Stott, MLB's leader with 82 two-strike hits this season, singled on an 0-2 count to produce the game's first run. Strider's opponents were previously 13-for-136 (.096) on 0-2 counts with 86 strikeouts.
Two innings later, Harper sent a first-pitch, down-and-in Strider slider into the right field seats for his first home run of the postseason, further quieting the crowd of 43,689, the largest in Truist Park history.
An insurance run was added in the eighth when Sean Murphy committed catcher's interference on Realmuto with two outs, two strikes and the bases loaded. The call stood upon review and unhappy Braves fans threw trash onto the outfield, delaying play for several minutes.
The Phillies appear to be peaking at the right time. They played two of their crispest games of the season to send the Marlins home in the wild-card round and followed up with maybe their most impressive win of 2023, given the degree of difficulty.
They're two wins away from reaching the NLCS for a second straight year. The Phillies and Braves are off Sunday before resuming the series with Game 2 Monday night. Wheeler starts opposite left-hander Max Fried, who missed his final two regular-season starts with a blister on his left index finger that Atlanta will be monitoring closely.