MLB Playoffs: Phillies dominate Atlanta, seize control of NL Divisional Series first best-of-five

The MLB Playoffs began with big surprises, including the first NL Divisional Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park where Bryce Harper’s home run made a sound difference that finished the game 3-0.

Bryce Harper showed what he was made of in a critical moment during game 1 of the first playoff round against the Braves who finished the season with 104 wins, the most wins of the entire MLB 2023 season, and the team that has been unstoppable throughout the year.

Both teams met a year ago when the Phillies took the Braves by storm and advanced to the next round and eventually made it to the World Series but lost to the Astros who also won their first game in the NL Division Series vs the Minnesota Twins.

The Braves had a regular season scoring average of 5.8 runs per game

This best-of-five series is putting a lot of pressure on the Braves as they need to convert that stellar season to a World Series ticket, and based on today’s performance, they have their work cut out for them.

We are yet to see the Brave’s regular season performance where they tied the MLB record of 307 homers and had a scoring average of 5.8 runs per game, however, they were neutralized by Phillies’ Bryce Harper’s mighty swing.

This has been the first time in 5 months that the Braves have been without any runs, and the first time in many games since they had a difficult situation like the one that happened in the 8th inning where a catcher’s interference caused an uproar and the fans threw trash onto the field.

The game ended 3-0 in favor of the Phillies.