The Philadelphia Phillies are preparing to face the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday, and the Phillies shortstop Trea Turner is looking forward to the matchup.
Turner praised Braves left-hander Chris Sale, who has the ball in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Turner said that familiarity with a pitcher helps in the postseason, but he made it clear how highly he thinks of Sale, per Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“More you see a pitcher is always beneficial. But he’s so good. He’s probably gonna be a first ballot Hall of Famer,” Turner said.
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Sale is coming off a dominant 2026 regular season. The Braves ace posted a 2.16 ERA with 200 strikeouts, and he had a 2.08 ERA and a .808 WHIP in four starts against Philadelphia over 26 innings.
Atlanta won the NL East with a 94-68 record and took the season series from the Phillies 9-4. Philadelphia clinched the final NL Wild Card spot on Sunday with a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Turner is hitting .242 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs this season. Even as the Braves have had the Phillies’ number this season, the Phillies hold a 10-4 all-time postseason record against the Braves and eliminated them in the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.
Game 1 begins Tuesday, followed by Game 2 on Wednesday and Game 3, if necessary, on Thursday. All three games will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on all NBC Sports platforms.
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