Reliving 14 seconds of mayhem, from Michael Harris II’s catch to Bryce Harper’s retreat
Ava Arnold It took only 14 seconds from the time Raisel Iglesias came set on the mound to the moment Matt Olson caught the final out at first base. That’s no time at all, but it was enough to complete an all-time ending to a playoff game, and potentially enough to shift an entire postseason.
Game 2 of the National League Division Series hinged on a late-inning comeback and a chaotic game-ending double play. A half inning earlier, the Phillies had the best-record-in-baseball Braves on the ropes. But when it was over, the Braves had a 5-4 win that evened the series and gave a serious contender fresh life heading into Game 3, all of it flowing from Braves center fielder Michael Harris II’s leaping catch at the wall and Bryce Harper’s frantic but futile retreat around the bases.
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It is, so far, the play of the postseason, and a play to be remembered long after these playoffs are over. From the field to the dugout to the broadcast booth, this is what it looked and sounded like — with the Phillies down a run, Harper at first base, and Nick Castellanos at the plate against Raisel Iglesias — to those who lived it in real time.
Ben Ingram (Braves radio broadcaster, on air): Two balls, two strikes, one down. Iglesias looking into his catcher ready to fire.
Brian Anderson (TBS broadcaster, on air): Harper at this point has shown no indication of wanting to run.
Scott Franzke (Phillies radio broadcaster, on air): Iglesias at the belt. Long hold. Now the 2-2. Swing and a fly ball, right-center field. It’s deep!
Nick Castellanos (Phillies right fielder): I knew that I took a good swing. I knew that I hit it on a good part of the bat. I was just saying in my head like, ‘Go, go, go!’
J.T. Realmuto (Phillies catcher): I thought at least it was going to be in the gap. When he first hit it, I thought it was a for-sure double. Then it kept carrying.
Trea Turner (Phillies shortstop): Just because he kind of swung one-handed, I was a little surprised it went that far.
Brian Snitker (Braves manager): I didn’t know if (Harris) was going to run out of room.
Michael Harris II (Braves center fielder): It was a good swing (in a) situation with a guy on first, and that could have tied the game there if it gets down.
Ingram: Harris gonna go back! Harris back to the warning track! He leaps! Michael’s got it! He’s got it!
.@IngramRadio on Braves Radio calls the game ending double play:
— MLB Clutch Moments And Walk Offs (@MLBWalk_Offs) October 10, 2023
Harris: I just knew as a defender, I was going to do anything I could to make the play and get a glove on it. I had to put my body at risk and I was just going up to grab it, no matter what.
Turner: Harris is really good out there. He makes the play all the time.
Max Fried (Braves pitcher): I don’t expect anything less from him. … Jumping into the wall with his left side, I’m sure it wasn’t ideal, but his awareness to get the ball in as soon as possible, it’s a big-time play.
Snitker: And after he caught it, you go hoarse yelling.
The yelling was coming from all over because, on the bases, Harper had decided to round second, hellbent on scoring when the ball fell on the track. In the infield, Harris’s teammates were shouting at him to throw to first base.
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Franzke: Harper’s around second! Has to double back through the infield!
Anderson: Harper might be doubled up!
Rob Thomson, Phillies manager: Usually you don’t pass the base. You stay in front of it, make sure it’s not caught. But he thought the ball was clearly over his head, didn’t think he was going to catch it.
Harper: Just taking a chance.
Realmuto: You can’t really blame Harp there because he’s trying to score from first. In his mind, he’s trying to score on a double.
Jeff Francoeur (TBS broadcaster, on air): I think because of how hard Harris started to run — it looked like he was gliding at first — Harper decided to go thinking, I’m going to score on this.
Harper: I probably shouldn’t have gone over second base, but I made a decision and I’ll live with that.
Francoeur: You see why Harper went. He thought that ball was down.
Travis d’Arnaud (Braves catcher): We got Money Mike making a crazy catch on the wall.
Harper: Michael made a great play.
Castellanos: Hell of a catch.
Thomson: Unbelievable.
Larry Andersen (Phillies broadcaster, on air): Going against their closer, sometimes you take a chance. Harper took a chance. It didn’t work out.
Harper: He doubled me up. Tough way to end it.
Harris didn’t complete the double play on his own. In the cacophony, Harris didn’t know to throw to first and instead threw wide of second base, past two middle infielders and into no-man’s land in the infield where third baseman Austin Riley just happened to have ended up as an unexpected but necessary relay man.
Harris: I just threw it in to second. I thought that was the safe play because I thought (Harper) was halfway or maybe tagging.
Austin Riley (Braves third baseman): I think the only reason I was in the position that I was because I was screaming, ‘One!’ and just momentum just kept pulling me that way.
Sean Murphy (Braves catcher): He’s probably just being modest. I’m sure he saw the throw coming in and was getting behind it. He found himself in the right spot.
Snitker: He just is doing that subconsciously, I’m sure. Just the baseball player in him took him to that spot and (he was) able to make that play.
Murphy: There’s nothing that tells you how to do that or be there, but it’s just a good baseball player making a good play.
Francoeur: I think it went past, what, two Braves guys before they could even get to it? Riley was the last guy here.
Joe Simpson (Braves broadcaster, on air): All the infielders knew they had Harper dead to rights, but nobody could catch the ball on the throw-in. Thankfully, Riley was there again to save the day.
Brian Anderson: First a backhand then a little sidearm slingshot to first base, and it ends the game. What a play. What a sequence.
Harris: I threw it in as quick as I could, and the rest, I guess they handled it.
Snitker: It’s just like the Derek Jeter moment years ago in the playoffs. And it’s just one of those, I think, instinctual plays that a baseball player like Austin can make.
Riley: It ended up just being right spot at the right time.
End of NLDS Game 2 – Phillies Radio Call
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) October 10, 2023
With Riley’s heads-up play and quick throw to first, the ballgame was over and Atlanta’s Truist Park was in a state of bedlam. Through six innings, the Braves were losing 4-1 while Phillies ace Zack Wheeler tossed yet another postseason gem. Three innings later, they’d won the game on a couple of late home runs and a stunning final play. Sealing the victory to tie the series took all of 14 seconds.
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Anderson: What a catch by Michael Harris II, and the wheels were in motion. … It was Austin Riley who was backing up the throw that initially got away.
Franzke: He throws out Bryce Harper, who took a gamble and lost. And so have the Phillies.
Simpson: Craziest double play you’re ever gonna see.
Ingram: That’s the kind of win that will cut a team right to the bone.
Thomson: You get up four-nothing on these guys and you had some opportunities to break it open, and you didn’t, and they come back. … So, it’s a little disappointing, but hey, we’ve got home-field advantage now.
Castellanos: I mean, we thrive after we get punched in the face, man. You know? So that’s all it is. It stings, but we’ll take it and make it motivate us moving forward.
Realmuto: You’re definitely going to think about it. Tough losses, probably until you fall asleep you’re going to think about it. Then, wake up tomorrow and give my kids a hug, and it’ll be over. Just get to tomorrow and we’ll be fine.
Snitker: It’s not going to do (the Braves) bad, I know that.
d’Arnaud: Every playoff win is exciting. I think the way it ended was one of the most exciting endings to games I’ve ever seen as far as a defensive standpoint.
Riley: Luckily the Lord willing, He put me in a position to help the team win tonight.
Harris: After I saw the out at first, I blacked out and was running in the outfield screaming.
Anderson, as TBS cut to a shot of Iglesias holding both arms in the air: Iglesias says, ‘thank goodness we’ve got a center fielder. We got Michael Harris II.’
Francoeur: You know what else we got? We got a series heading back out to Citizens Bank Park.
THAT JUST HAPPENED.#AsOneATL
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 10, 2023
— The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and David O’Brien contributed to this story.
(Top photo of Michael Harris II’s game-saving catch in Game 2 of the National League Division Series: Matthew Grimes Jr. / Atlanta Braves / Getty Images)