Atlanta Braves fans got an early glimpse of the atmosphere of postseason baseball during what turned out to be an epic back-and-forth affair between NL East rivals. The Braves and Phillies have produced several iconic moments in recent years, and Friday night's extra inning rollercoaster was the latest installment.
Atlanta was on the brink of defeat on multiple occasions on Friday night, but thanks to some heroics from unexpected sources, the Braves emerged victorious and pushed their division lead to five games. Ha-Seong Kim, Brewer Hicklen, and DeShawn Keirsey Jr. did not enter the night as expected contributors, but by the end of the evening, each had their own signature moment that propelled Atlanta to a very important win.
Walt Weiss on Ha-Seong Kim: “All the stuff he’s been through, then you fast forward into later in the season and he has two of the biggest hits of our season. You love when guys persevere and the game rewards them for it.”
— Gabe Burns (@GabeBurnsAJC) September 12, 2026
Braves get key contributions from the most unlikely of sources during epic divisional matchup
It's not farfetched to call Friday night's game the most entertaining baseball game the Braves have played this season. The crazy part is that the game had all the makings of another one-run loss fueled by a frustrating offensive performance.
Thankfully, when things looked bleak, a few unexpected heroes stepped up. Entering the bottom of the ninth trailing by one run, Mike Yastrzemski continued his solid night at the plate by getting on base to start the first comeback of the night. Recent roster addition DeShawn Keirsey Jr. was called upon to pinch-run for Yaz, and the move immediately paid off.
On a Sean Murphy single up the middle, Keirsey Jr. reached a 28.5 ft/sec sprint speed and scored all the way from first after a misplay by Philadelphia CF Derek Hill. While the Braves did not win the game in regulation, it was Keirsey's speed that allowed them to push the game into extras. The impressive baserunning did not stop in regulation either.
After the Phillies took the lead in the top half of the tenth inning, Atlanta played ABC baseball to get the game back tied. With one out and a runner on third base, Mauricio Dubón hit a shallow fly ball to centerfield. Luckily, Hicklen and his 91st percentile sprint speed was the man on third base. An aggressive tag-up allowed Hicklen to slide underneath a potential game-ending outfield assist and keep the game moving to the 11th inning.
This set the stage for one final comeback. Down to their last out, the Braves sent Ha-Seong Kim up to the plate with the extra inning ghost runner still at second base. Ha-Seong Kim apparently has a flair for the dramatic as he lined a game-tying single to left field. HSK's walk-off against the Dodgers was iconic, but this game-tying knock rivals anything Kim has done in a Braves uniform.
Of course, as we all know by now, Drake Baldwin was the final man to put his stamp on this thriller and send Truist Park into a frenzy. This win ultimately shrunk Atlanta's magic number to nine for the NL East crown and as the great Brandon Gaudin pointed out, put Philadelphia's division title hopes on life support. In a game where Matt Olson homered and Sale pitched seven innings, it was the supporting cast that fueled Atlanta's most electric victory of the season.
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