Walk-Off Makes Rain Delay, Extra Innings Worth It For Braves

The will to wait out a rain delay and stay focused paid off with their third win of the season and their first series win. 

“Yeah, it’s a big one. We needed that for sure,” Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach said. “To walk it off and win a 1 a.m. game like that is pretty cool.” 

The two teams exchanged a run in the first six innings of play. The Braves opened scoring in the first on a sacrifice ground out by Matt Olson, and the Phillies tied it on a solo shot by Kyle Schwarber in the top of the third. 

Following the completion of the sixth inning, the grounds crew pulled out the tarp, and action paused for two hours and 45 minutes. At 11:30 p.m., action resumed. A small but rambunctious crowd remained for the after-dark portion of the ballgame. 

The next run didn’t come until the top of the 11th inning when Johan Rojas forced home a run with a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-1. To go through all that just to lose. The Braves weren't going to have it.

Austin Riley scored the ghost runners on second base to lead off the bottom of the 11th and Marcell Ozuna ended with a two-run shot. Riley had his third clutch moment of the series, having one in each game. There was the go-ahead double in the win on Tuesday and then the game-tying solo home run on Wednesday. 

They went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. But this time, they got away with it. Regardless of the time of night, the fireworks were launched to celebrate and the train horn was blown. 

Pitching got the job done as well. Schwellenbach allowed the lone earned run in six innings of work. The bullpen allowed just the lone earned run in five innings of work after the pause. 

If that’s what it takes to get back into the win column, then so be it.

The Braves head south to Tampa to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. They should have some time to get a power nap in on the way down. 

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