ATLANTA – Ozzie Albies crushed a three-run homer off Lucas Sims in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting the Atlanta Braves to an 8-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.
Albies’ 19th homer of the season sailed 412 feet into the right-field stands to send Truist Park into a wild celebration. He drove in placement runner Adam Duvall and Joc Pederson, who was walked by Sims (4-2).
“I was thinking when I got to home plate of tying the ballgame, so I needed a base hit,” Albies said. “Once the (at-bat) got rolling, I got my pitch I was looking for. Hitter’s count, and I did what I had to do.”
With the win and the Philadelphia Phillies’ loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Braves moved into a tie for first place in the National League East Division, where they are the three-time reigning champions. They did so a week after pushing their record above .500 for the first time this season; Atlanta and Philadelphia are now 59-55, with the New York Mets (57-55) one game back.
“That’s a great feeling especially right now,” Albies said. “The Phillies (lost), and we won. This game was important for us. Everything for the team. It’s enjoyable when you’re winning and you see where you’re at and fighting for first place to win the division, so everything counts from now on. There’s not a lot of the season left, so you just have to keep rolling.”