Phillies rally past Braves to force Game 3, as Yankees, White Sox and Padres advance

Wednesday’s MLB Wild Card slate produced three sweeps and one winner‑take‑all contest, with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres each delivering decisive Game 2 performances. The Phillies rallied for a 4‑3, 10‑inning victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, erasing a late deficit to force a third game in the best‑of‑three NL series. Alec Bohm delivered the decisive blow with a solo home run in the 10th inning, after Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit back‑to‑back homers in the eighth to overturn Atlanta’s lead. Harper had earlier been involved in a defensive miscue that allowed the Braves to score two runs in the seventh. Andrew Painter earned the win after retiring the final three innings. The Chicago White Sox eliminated the Houston Astros with a 7‑3 win, completing a two‑game American League sweep and setting up a Division Series matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. Chicago jumped to a 4‑0 lead in the first inning against Hunter Brown, who recorded only two outs, before Houston gradually chipped away with solo home runs from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve. Chase Meidroth restored the cushion with a three‑run homer in the sixth, and the White Sox bullpen held the lead. The victory marked Chicago’s first postseason series triumph since its 2005 World Series sweep of Houston. The New York Yankees also completed a sweep, defeating the Boston Red Sox 9‑2 at Yankee Stadium. Max Fried allowed just three hits over six innings, while Cody Bellinger drove in four runs and Luis García Jr. contributed three hits and a home run. New York broke the game open with a six‑run sixth inning and will advance to the AL Division Series to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Yankees manager Aaron Judge, who missed the Wild Card series due to a calf injury, remains doubtful for the next round. In San Diego, the Padres defeated the Chicago Cubs 4‑1 to clinch their own two‑game sweep and earn a Division Series meeting with the Milwaukee Brewers. Gavin Sheets provided the key blow with a two‑run pinch‑hit home run in the fourth inning, and the Padres’ bullpen combined for 5 ⅔ scoreless innings after starter Nick Pivetta departed. Xander Bogaerts tallied two hits and an RBI, and San Diego limited Chicago to five hits after the Cubs managed only three hits in Game 1. Editorial credit: Grindstone Media Group / Shutterstock.com