Braves–Phillies rivalry

Braves–Phillies rivalry

Atlanta Braves Philadelphia Phillies
First meeting	May 4, 1883 Recreation Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Beaneaters 11, Phillies 10
Latest meeting	October 12, 2023 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Phillies 3, Braves 1
Next meeting	March 28, 2024 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Statistics
Meetings total	2,545
Regular season series	1318–1198–15 (.524), Braves
Postseason results	10–4, Phillies
Largest victory	Braves, 29–4 (1883) Phillies, 20–3 (1899)
Longest win streak	Braves: 22 (1883–1884) Phillies: 10 (1885–1886)
Current win streak	Phillies, 2
Postseason history
1993 NL Championship Series: Phillies won, 4–2 2022 NL Division Series: Phillies won, 3–1 2023 NL Division Series: Phillies won, 3–1

The Braves–Phillies rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. Both teams are members of MLB's National League (NL) East division. The rivalry has gained intensity following the Braves' move to the division in 1994, along with multiple postseason matchups between the two teams in recent years.

Background

Both the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are among the oldest active National League and Major League Baseball clubs, with the Braves being founded in 1871, and later being an original charter member of the National League in 1876, and the Phillies being founded shortly after in 1883. Despite both teams' long history, there was largely no animosity between the two in their first hundred years of existence, even though the two teams met frequently as part of National League play. In 1969, the MLB's expansion added divisions to each league, and despite both teams' locations along the East Coast, the Braves and Phillies were separated into the NL West and East divisions, respectively.

1993 NLCS: Establishment of a rivalry

The first postseason meeting between the two teams came in the 1993 NLCS, when the NL West champion Braves met the NL East champion Phillies. Despite the fact that both teams were only separated by 7 games in win-loss records, the two teams came into the series with differing backgrounds. The 104-win Braves entered the series seeking their 3rd-straight National League pennant, as they had lost the 1991 and 1992 World Series to the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays, respectively. The Braves were led by their "Big Three" trio of starting pitchers (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz), and were considered a favorite to win the World Series after narrowly winning the West division over the 103-win San Francisco Giants by one game. Unlike the Braves, the Phillies' 97-win season was surprising to many, given the fact that the team had won just 70 games the year prior. However, outfielder Lenny Dykstra and pitcher Curt Schilling led the Phillies to their first division title since 1983.

In Game 1 of the series, the underdog Phillies managed to defeat the Braves in a 4–3, extra-inning victory thanks to a walk-off double from third baseman Kim Batiste. The Braves then responded with two decisive victories in Games 2 and 3, and took a 2–1 series lead. However, in the next three games, the Braves offense faltered, and the Phillies broke through Atlanta's pitching staff to complete the upset and advance to their first World Series in ten years, where they would fall to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.

1995–2013: Braves and Phillies dominate the NL East

In the offseason following the NLCS meeting between the two teams, a new playoff format was implemented in the MLB that resulted in a third division being created for both leagues. As a result of the divisional realignment that took place, the Braves moved from the NL West to the NL East, meaning the Braves and Phillies would now compete in the same division for the first time since divisional play began in 1969.

Over the next ten years, the Braves dominated their new division, winning the NL East every year from 1995 to 2005 and winning three more National League pennants and a World Series championship. Atlanta continued to be led by their trio of star pitchers, along the rise of star third baseman Chipper Jones. The Phillies, on the other hand, declined following their pennant-winning season in 1993, and entered a rebuilding period throughout the rest of the 1990s. The Phillies saw a resurgence at the turn of the century, and began to challenge the Braves for the division title in the early 2000s. Atlanta's streak of eleven-consecutive division titles finally ended in 2005, and the Phillies then began a streak of five-straight division titles that lasted from 2007 to 2011 and resulted in two National League pennants and a World Series championship for Philadelphia.

Between the 1995 and 2013 seasons, the Phillies and Braves combined for 17 NL East titles, with the only seasons that one of the two teams did not win the division being 2006 (New York Mets) and 2012 (Washington Nationals).

2018–present: Resurgence and back-to-back NLDS meetings

By the 2014 season, both teams had entered rebuilding phases and would each miss the playoffs until 2018, when the Braves won their first NL East title in six years. This Braves team was led by homegrown talents such as first baseman Freddie Freeman, right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., and second baseman Ozzie Albies. The Phillies, meanwhile, made key additions in the 2018-19 offseason by signing six-time All-Star right fielder Bryce Harper from the Washington Nationals and trading for catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins. Despite these additions, the Braves continued their secure hold on the division, winning it the next two years in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, the race for the NL East came down to the final weeks of the season between the Braves and the Phillies, however, the Braves would ultimately win the division for the fourth-straight season after the Phillies lost six of their last seven to finish the season. The Braves would then go on to defeat the Houston Astros in that season's World Series.

2022 NLDS

During the 2021-22 offseason, the Phillies made more key additions, signing star outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. In 2022, the Braves narrowly won the division again, although this time after a battle with the New York Mets that came down to the last week in the season. The Phillies, though, clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 11 years, entering the postseason as a wild-card team. Although they were the last-seeded team in the playoffs, the Phillies managed to beat the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals, and they advanced to the NL Division Series, where they would play the Braves in the first postseason meeting between the two teams since the 1993 NLCS.

Entering the series, the 101-win, reigning World Series champion Braves were widely favored over the 87-win Phillies, as many did not expect the Phillies to defeat the Cardinals in the Wild Card Series.^[1] In Game 1 of the series, however, the Phillies' offense quickly jumped to a 7–1 lead, and despite a late comeback attempt from the Braves, they held on to win 7–6. The Braves then responded with a 3–0 victory in Game 2, tying the series at 1–1 as it shifted to Philadelphia. In Game 3 of the series, which was the first Phillies home playoff game in 11 years, the Philadelphia offense again exploded early with a 6-run third inning. One key moment in the third inning was Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins' three-run home run off of rookie pitcher Spencer Strider, where Hoskins notably spiked his bat into the ground after hitting the home run. Two batters later, Bryce Harper then hit a two-run home run, en route to a 9–1 Phillies victory. In Game 4, the Phillies offense once again bested the Braves, defeating Atlanta 8–3 and completing the upset over the Braves to advance to the NLCS. There, the Phillies continued their unlikely postseason run and defeated the San Diego Padres in five games, winning their first National League pennant since 2009. However, they would ultimately fall to the Houston Astros in six games in the World Series.

2023 NLDS

In 2023, the Braves improved on their 101–61 season and once again took the NL East division title for the sixth-consecutive year. During the regular season, the Braves set multiple records for team offense in a season, including breaking the record for the highest team slugging percentage in a single-season in MLB history. Along with this, right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player in MLB history to record 70 stolen bases and 40 home runs in a single season, en route to winning his first NL MVP award. Because of the historic Braves offense and having the best record in the entire MLB, they entered the postseason widely seen as favorites to win the World Series.^[2] The defending National League champion Phillies, on the other hand, made a blockbuster free agent signing of shortstop Trea Turner over the offseason, and were projected to compete with the Braves for the NL East title in 2023. However, due to Turner's struggles early in the season, along with Bryce Harper being out for the beginning of the season due to recovery from Tommy John surgery, the Phillies finished with a 90–72 record, once again 14 games behind the Braves, although enough to qualify for a wild-card spot in the postseason. In the Wild Card Series, the Phillies swept the Miami Marlins, setting up a rematch of the previous year's NLDS and the third postseason meeting between the Braves and the Phillies.

Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (left) and Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia (right) were at the center of a feud after Arcia was heard mocking Harper in the team clubhouse after Game 2 of the NLDS.

The Braves once again entered the series as favorites to defeat the Phillies, and yet, like the previous season, the Phillies managed to win Game 1 in Atlanta. However, unlike the previous season, this year's Game 1 featured much less offense than the year before, as the Phillies shut out the Braves in a 3–0 victory. The game was not without controversy though, as during the eighth inning, Braves catcher Sean Murphy was called for catcher's interference after Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto fouled a ball away. Because the bases were loaded, this resulted in a run being scored for the Phillies. Although the call was reviewed and confirmed, Braves fans began throwing bottles and other objects onto the field at Truist Park, and play had to be briefly stopped to clean up the debris.^[3] In Game 2 of the series, the Phillies quickly jumped to a 4–0 lead, but the Braves ultimately came back to win 5–4 thanks to a go-ahead, two-run home run from third baseman Austin Riley in the eighth inning. However, the ending of the game was most notable, as in the top of the ninth inning, with the Phillies down to their final two outs in the game, right fielder Nick Castellanos hit a deep fly ball to right-center field. Braves center fielder Michael Harris II made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Castellanos of potentially, extra bases and record the second out of the inning. However, Bryce Harper, who represented the tying run at first base, never tagged up, and the Braves made a relay and caught Harper in the basepath after Harris' catch, recording the double play and ending the game. Following Harper's baserunning mistake, Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia was reported to have been taunting Harper after the game in the team clubhouse, repeatedly saying "Atta boy, Harper." When asked about the quote, Arcia responded by saying "He wasn't supposed to hear." As the series then shifted to Philadelphia, Arcia was met with loud boos by Phillies fans at the game. In Game 3, the Phillies routed the Braves 10–2, as both Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos hit two home runs each. After each of Harper's home runs, he notably stared down Arcia at shortstop while rounding the bases, an action that Harper later acknowledged was intentional.^[4] More controversy ensued when Harper crossed home plate after each of his home runs, where he made a throat-slash celebration that he had frequently used throughout the season. Braves radio broadcaster Joe Simpson was audibly upset with Harper's celebration, as he said: "Again [Harper] gave the throat-slashing sign, which given today's climate around the world, I'm not sure that's quite what anybody wants to see" following Harper's second home run.^[5] Many Phillies fans claimed that the Braves fans were being hypocritical, given the fact that the Braves organization had been embroiled in the tomahawk chop controversy in recent years. The next night, the Phillies bested the Braves in a 3–1, Game 4 victory led by a home run from Trea Turner and two more home runs from Nick Castellanos. Following the game, as the Phillies celebrated a second-straight NLDS victory over the Braves, Phillies rookie relief pitcher Orion Kerkering was seen wearing a shirt that said "Atta boy Harper" on the front and "He wasn't supposed to hear it" on the back, meant to mock Arcia's comments from before. For the second straight season, the wild-card Phillies had upset the 100+ win Braves and advanced to their second-straight NLCS, although this time they would fall to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games. Following this especially-controversial postseason meeting between the two teams, many media outlets began to acknowledge the rivalry as one of the best in the major leagues.

See also

• Major League Baseball rivalries
• Eagles–Falcons rivalry

References

This page was last edited on 11 January 2024, at 02:16