Tyler Mahle Reacts Before Braves Try to Close Out Phillies

When the Atlanta Braves traded for right-hander Tyler Mahle over the summer, not many people pictured him holding the ball with a chance to end a playoff series, but that is where he stands on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park.

Mahle made his big league debut in 2017 and has never pitched in the postseason, so Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies will be the first playoff start of his career.

The Braves got him from the San Francisco Giants in a trade for pitcher Anthony Molina, and Mahle went from a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts with the Giants to a 1.99 ERA in nine starts for Atlanta.

Atlanta took the opener 5-3 on Tuesday.

Left-hander Chris Sale struck out nine over 6.1 innings, and second baseman Ozzie Albies put the Braves ahead in the sixth with a triple that scored center fielder Michael Harris II.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto answered with a two-run triple in the seventh to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead, but third baseman Austin Riley flipped it back with two outs in the eighth, hitting a three-run homer off closer Jhoan Duran.

It was a big moment for Riley, who hit just .219 during the regular season, and it put Atlanta one win away from the next round.

Mahle was asked about the start on Tuesday, and he sounded like a pitcher who has waited a long time for it.

"Super exciting. No other way to put it," Mahle said, speaking with the AJC. "Super excited to be here and have this opportunity."

The Braves have their own reasons to feel good about him.

His last regular season start was a rough tuneup against the Reds in which he gave up five earned runs over five innings, but he held the Phillies to one earned run over 13 innings across two starts in September, according to MLB.com's Game 2 preview.

He will face left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA this season but is 0-5 in nine career outings against Atlanta, per MLB.com.

Every game of this best-of-three series is in Atlanta, with a Game 3 set for Thursday only if the Phillies win on Wednesday.

Teams that win Game 1 of this round have gone on to win the series 21 of 24 times, per MLB.com, and the winner opens the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Closing it out would also mean a lot for this club, since Philadelphia knocked Atlanta out of the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023.

The Braves gave Sale the ball in Game 1 for good reason, and now Mahle gets his turn.

Mahle is the right man for this start, since he has been one of the best arms on the staff since he arrived, and a long outing from him would save the bullpen for the Dodgers.

The road through Los Angeles was always going to be the hardest part of this October, and the Braves would love to get there without needing a Game 3.