‘Right now, it’s a 10’: How Braves-Phillies became baseball’s new best rivalry
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Over the past two years, Phillies-Braves has transformed into one of baseball’s best rivalries, in the vein of Yankees-Red Sox, Giants-Dodgers, or Cardinals-Cubs.
One thing it did not yet have is a signature moment. That changed Wednesday night in Philadelphia, in the second edition of what could be an annual National League Division Series occurrence.
After word got out of postgame comments by Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia laughing at Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper for making the last out of Game 2 in Atlanta, their series resumed at Citizens Bank Park for Game 3. Harper responded to the barbs by hitting two long home runs, staring down Arcia as he rounded the bases both times and fanning the flames of this postseason’s hottest matchup.
With star power on both sides, two passionate fan bases providing raucous backdrops — and even the mascots getting into the mix — there is no shortage of entertainment, even before you mix in the potential for bulletin board material.
“They’re obviously a tough squad,” said Phillies starter Aaron Nola, who captured the Game 3 win. “They won the division six years in a row. And it’s pretty cool to match up with them again in the NLDS for the second year in a row. Just got two really good clubs going against each other.
“I feel like we want to face really good competition. I mean, everybody’s good competition this time of year, but the Braves are exceptionally good, and we know that. I feel like we usually play them pretty good — and it’s always a fun series.”
If we’ve learned anything from watching these two teams go toe-to-toe for two consecutive postseasons, it’s that this rivalry gets even better with each new matchup. It started last year, when the 87-win Phillies beat the 101-win Braves 3-1 in a division series that made headlines for Rhys Hoskins’ bat spike following a crucial three-run homer in Game 3. This year, it intensified with a comeback for the ages in Game 2, featuring a game-saving catch by Michael Harris II that led to Harper getting doubled off on first (and set up Arcia’s postgame comments). On Wednesday night, it was the Phillies’ turn to make a statement, when Harper’s long balls — and subsequent stare-downs of Arcia — showed the growing animosity.
When asked after Game 2 how he’d rate the rivalry on a scale of one to 10, Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn’t let coming up shortof the thrilling finish damper his enthusiasm.
“Today, it’s 10,” he answered with a smile.
And it doesn’t seem likely to fall any time soon — especially not if we keep getting these kinds of postseason matchups. In the past two years, the Braves have proven that they own the regular season, but the Phillies are built for October — and clearly have no intent of backing down in the postseason, no matter how many games behind Atlanta they finish in the NL East standings.
“That happens with any two good teams in the same division,” Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs said. “You saw it with the Dodgers-Padres series last year. I noticed that. L.A. was always the big brother but now that San Diego is a good team, they have a rivalry. In Philly, we have that with Atlanta.”
No matter how this edition ends — the Phillies hope to close things out in Game 4 tonight — both teams are built to keep adding chapters to this rivalry for years to come. Harper, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott are among the players who will still be on the Phillies through at least 2026 — and in Harper and Turner’s cases, much longer — while the Braves have more talent locked up than any team in baseball, including Ronald Acuna Jr., Harris, Matt Olson and Spencer Strider all through at least 2027.
“Look at the guys they have signed long term and the guys we have signed long term,” Braves reliever Brad Hand said. “They’re going to be meeting up a lot over the next 5-6 years. They’re going to see each other a lot.”
Hand has seen both sides of the rivalry, playing for the Phillies as recently as last season before joining the Braves in a summer trade this year. He admits that even though the rivalry is growing overall, there is another element added when it shifts to the one-of-a-kind environment of Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies greeted the Braves with a 10-2 thumping in Game 3.
“It’s a fun place to play in the postseason,” Hand said. “The fans are right on top of you in the bullpen. They get on you. It’s just Philadelphia. It’s how people are here.”
Acuna Jr. agreed, adding that the intensity in Philadelphia has forced him to raise his game. “I like it,” he said. “It’s a fun place to play. I feel like I can really focus there. I feel like the fans are really engaged and into it — and I feel like they boo me every time that I go up, but I feel like that helps. It helps me focus more.”
Several players commented that, despite playing in hostile environments during the most pressure-packed time of the year, the rivalry has been built out of mutual respect (though the growing Arcia-Harper feud could change that).
After coming back to face the team he came up with in this division series, Philadelphia outfielder Cristian Pache was surprised at the warm reception he received in Atlanta and called it “so much fun” to play against his old team.
“It was very unexpected to see the amount of love they showed me in Atlanta [in Games 1 and 2],” Pache said through his interpreter. “It was very special. Even though I didn’t do much for them. In Philadelphia, it’s incredible how much energy they bring to the game. They create a very hostile environment for the opponent. It’s an incredible atmosphere for everyone.”
Whether the series ends in a rocking Citizens Bank Park or heads back to Truist Park in Atlanta, this was the series everyone circled going into the postseason — and it has delivered, with two powerhouses trading punches in baseball’s next big rivalry. Or, as Hand put it:
“Two heavyweights going at it.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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