Philadelphia Phillies beat Rays to avoid historic collapse, secure spot in wild-card vs. Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies avoided a historic collapse and beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of the regular season to finally clinch a spot in the wild-card vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Before Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rays in Game 162, the Phillies had lost four straight games and flirted with missing the postseason for the first time since the 2021 season. 

The Phillies had a 6 1/2-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third NL wild card on Sept. 1. But with the team collapsing down the stretch, that shrank to one game heading into the regular-season finale. 

The Phillies needed a win to guarantee a playoff spot, and the team's bats finally came through.

Bryce Harper homered, Kyle Schwarber had a two-RBI double, Trea Turner had two hits and scored a run, and Bryson Stott had three hits in the win. Edmundo Sosa also homered. 

Zack Wheeler pitched a strong six innings, striking out five and allowing one run on a home run in the fifth inning. Jesús Luzardo, who was reinstated off the injured list Sunday, pitched one scoreless inning in relief for the Phillies.

Even if the Phillies lost to the Rays, they still could've made the postseason with a Diamondbacks loss vs. the San Diego Padres. Instead, they finally snapped a four-game losing streak and head to Atlanta for a playoff series that starts Tuesday.  

Phillies-Braves wild-card round playoff schedule 

The Phillies will play their NL East rivals in the best-of-three wild-card series. Here's the full schedule.

• Game 1: Phillies @ Braves on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.
• Game 2: Phillies @ Braves on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.
• Game 3: Phillies @ Braves on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m., if necessary 

Phillies-Braves playoff history

While the Phillies went 4-9 against the Braves in the 2026 season, they've had their number in the playoffs. 

The Phillies have a 10-4 record against the Braves in the playoffs and have never lost a postseason series to Atlanta. 

Philadelphia beat the Braves in playoff series in 1993, 2022 and 2023.