MLB playoffs 2023: Bryce Harper steps up once again to pace Philadelphia Phillies past Atlanta Braves

ATLANTA — The Philadelphia Phillies’ bandwagon is an ugly thing, dented and missing a hubcap, with old French fries and burger wrappers under the seats. An old cassette copy of Hall & Oates’ “Private Eyes” is its only music, and it leaves oil stains wherever it parks. But brother, when the Philly bandwagon gets going, it’s tough to slow down and even tougher to catch … even for the best team in baseball.

The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 3-0 on Saturday in Game 1 of the NLDS. Those are the facts. The story is this: Somehow, the band of mashers and misfits completely shut down one of the most prodigious offenses in the history of the sport, wrestling away home-field advantage and setting up the Braves for a second straight postseason kick in the teeth.

“That's one of the best offenses in the game,” Bryce Harper said afterward. “In their home ballpark, and for us to come down here and get one for us — and the first one — is huge.”

Harper, who’s mashing the gas on the bandwagon these days, reached base every time he walked to the plate Saturday. His 375-foot solo homer on the first pitch he saw in the sixth inning to put Philadelphia ahead 2-0 wasn’t decisive in the scorebook; when the other team can’t score, all you need is one. But Harper’s shot came just after Philadelphia’s Seranthony Domínguez struck out Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley with Braves on first and third, gut-punching the increasingly desperate hometown crowd.

“He's a big gun-type player. He's a Hall of Famer. It doesn't surprise me when he does great stuff,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Harper afterward. “He's definitely a guy that you're aware of, where he's coming around and where he's at in the batting order, because he's proven that he loves this stage.”

Said Phillies manager Rob Thomson: “This is his time of year. This is where he kind of shines. He's not going to do it every game, but he's come up with some big games for us. He doesn't get overwhelmed by the situation, that's for sure.”

All around Harper on Saturday, the Phillies stepped up to match his effort. Ranger Suárez, at best Philadelphia’s No. 3 pitcher, outplayed Atlanta ace Spencer Strider. Philly relievers snuffed out threat after threat. Trea Turner started a spectacular double-play from his stomach to shut down what — in normal 2023 circumstances — would've been the Braves’ standard game-tilting, five-run inning.

“You can't let up at all against this ball club because they're good, and they can attack, and they can do a lot of good things,” Thomson said, keeping emotions low and expectations manageable. “We gotta stay nose to the grindstone.”

Beating the Braves 8-7 would be enough of a cause for celebration. Beating them 3-0, in front of their home crowd and against their most dominant strikeout artist? That’s cause for celebration, though the Phillies kept matters in perspective.

“I thought we ran the bases well,” said Harper, who sported a black Ohio State hoodie after the game. “I thought we played really good defense and just timely hitting and really good pitching.”

Not the most incisive commentary, true, but Harper and the Phillies are more focused on keeping this team pointed toward the World Series than getting too high on a division series win.

“I don’t think any game is more important than the next, but it’s just nice winning the game that’s in front of you,” Turner said. “Especially when you have the lead and you feel you can win it, it’s nice to close it out.”

Still, the visitors’ clubhouse at Truist Park was chill, humming with the energy that comes from knowing you played your best in the season’s biggest moment to date. Right at this moment, the Phillies radiate confidence up and down the lineup.

“This clubhouse is pretty electric all the time. There’s never a dull moment,” Bryson Stott said after the game. “We all trust each other and want each other to succeed. If one guy doesn’t do it, there’s all the confidence in the next guy to do it, just pass the baton to our teammates.”

If there’s a saving grace for the Braves, it’s this: At least they know where the bottom is now. This was, literally, the worst game they’ve played in 2023. Atlanta was never shut out at home all season.

Plus, their offensive short-circuit wasn’t even the most embarrassing performance of the evening. As Snitker tried to make sense of the game in the Truist Park media conference room, TV screens nearby showed Clayton Kershaw surrendering six runs in a third of an inning. Now that’s the kind of performance that leaves a lingering mark on an entire series.

The Phillies and Braves get back at it Monday; the extra day of rest allows Philadelphia to reset its rotation, throwing aces Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola at the Braves. Atlanta will have a possibly-not-100-percent Max Fried coming back from a persistent blister. It’s not likely the Braves’ bats will stay dormant through Monday, but then again, it wasn’t likely that all nine hitters would ice up at the same time Saturday, either.

Game 2’s first pitch will be at 6:07 p.m. ET Monday. A few hours later, the bandwagon will roll north to a Philly street fight and, one way or another, a potential knockout blow.