Phillies eliminate defending-champ Braves, advance to NLCS

The Philadelphia Phillies won Saturday's Game 4 against the Atlanta Braves 8-3, winning their National League Division Series matchup versus the defending champions 3-1 and advancing to the next round.

The Phillies will face the San Diego Padres in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series after they upset the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 89-win Padres will have home-field advantage and that series will begin Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Petco Park.

"You gotta beat the champs to be the champs," Bryce Harper, who tacked on a solo insurance homer in the eighth inning off Kenley Jansen, said in his postgame interview with Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Trade-deadline acquisition Brandon Marsh played the hero in the decisive contest with an early three-run homer to open the scoring in the second inning. Right-hander and fellow deadline addition Noah Syndergaard was impressive in his return to the rotation, allowing one run on one hit while being limited to three innings of work.

"The Phillies just got that dawg in them today," Syndergaard said, speaking with Rosenthal.

Both Marsh and Syndergaard began the season with the Los Angeles Angels, who missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year.

J.T. Realmuto became the first catcher ever to hit an inside-the-park home run in the postseason. Somewhat controversially, superstar Braves right-fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. didn't back up rookie Michael Harris II on the third-inning deep fly.

Braves starter Charlie Morton was hit on the elbow by a comebacker early in the second inning. While the veteran right-hander was able to complete the frame and come out for the third, he was unable to get loose and was removed for right-handed reliever Collin McHugh.

It's the first time the Phillies have advanced to the NLCS since 2010. That marked the end of a streak that included three consecutive NLCS berths, two World Series appearances, and one championship.

Interestingly, the Phillies are following a similar trajectory as the 2021 Braves. Atlanta won 88 games last year - the lowest total of any playoff-bound team - and went on to win the World Series. The Phillies won 87 games this season, the worst of any NL postseason club but ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays. They're now 5-1 in the playoffs, having swept their wild-card round appointment with the NL Central champ St. Louis Cardinals.

The Braves getting knocked out also ensures that Major League Baseball will now go 22 years without a repeat champion - the longest streak of any of the four major North American sports leagues.