ATLANTA -- Powered by Austin Riley's two-out, three-run, go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, the Braves scored a dramatic 5-3 win in Game 1 of a NL Wild Card Series contest over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Phillies reliever Jhoan Duran's first pitch after a review delay was a 99.9 mph fastball in the middle of the plate, and Riley hit it just over the fence in right-center field.

Riley had a down season with career worsts in most offensive categories, but Braves manager Walt Weiss stayed optimistic that Riley's consistent mental approach would lead to results. "You couldn't tell this year if he was the leading MVP candidate or if he was struggling, I mean that," Weiss said. "He was the same guy every day. Stuff like this doesn't happen if you ride that roller coaster of emotion as a player."

When asked if he knew the ball was gone off the bat, after a long pause Riley admitted, "No, I did not. I was praying it was going as I was running to first." He said he took the approach to facing Duran like any regular season at-bat, then revealed a bit more about his own mentality: "That's the beauty of the postseason: clean slate."

It was a back-and-forth game, with the Braves taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Ozzie Albies hit a triple to deep center field. The Phillies took a 3-2 lead when J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run triple into the right-field corner in the next half inning. Weiss recognized similarities in the tight action when the Braves and Phillies match up in the playoffs. "That's usually how it goes when these two teams play each other," he said.