The Philadelphia Phillies, in the eight inning of Game 2 of the 2023 NLDS, appeared to have the 104-win Atlanta Braves team on the ropes. However, Austin Riley snatched the Phillies' souls with a two-run home run to left field, giving the Braves a 5-4 lead entering the ninth inning. Even then, the Phillies have been clutch in the past, so there was no counting them out; and for a second, it appeared as though a comeback was on after Bryce Harper began the top of the ninth with a walk.

The Phillies were unable to capitalize, however; After JT Realmuto flew out in the very next at-bat, Nick Castellanos hit a deep drive to center field, only for Braves center fielder Michael Harris II to make an incredible jumping catch at the warning track. Harper thought that the ball would go for extra bases, so he overran second base, forcing him to retreat as fast as he could to first base. Suffice to say, Harper did not make it back to first on time, ending the game on a whimper for the Phillies.

While this was a play that Rob Thomson and the Phillies wish they could have back, the Phillies manager saw that Bryce Harper thought that there was simply no way the Braves center fielder could get to the ball. But they were proven wrong.

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“Usually, you don’t pass (second) 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. And Harris made a heck of a play. Unbelievable,” Thomson said, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.

Bryce Harper could not have known for sure that the ball would have landed on the field, not in Michael Harris' glove. And the Phillies' first baseman wanted to make a huge play that could have tied the game at five run apiece in the ninth. It may have been a worthwhile gamble that simply did not work out in their favor.

Given how much talent the Braves have on their roster, the Phillies know that nothing will come easy for them as they try to send their division rival home in the NLDS for the second-straight season.