The Braves and Phillies have one of the best rivalries in sports going right now.
Atlanta has won the NL East the past two years, while Philadelphia has earned playoff berths through the wild card; however, the Phillies have knocked the Braves out of the playoffs in consecutive years. In last year’s NLDS, the rivalry took it up a notch when Orlando Arcia and Bryce Harper got into it.
“Atta boy Harper!”
Arcia muttered in Atlanta’s clubhouse after a victory in which Harper was doubled-up at first base to end the game. It wasn’t supposed to get out, but it did, and the Braves tucked tail, while Harper and the Phillies used it as fuel. Later in the series, the superstar famously hit a home run and stared Arcia down as he rounded second base.
Meanwhile, during the Braves series in Atlanta with the Phillies, Orlando Arcia is stoking the fire, staring Bryce Harper down after a two-run homer to put Atlanta up.
this is the most pathetic shit I've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/zXD7Yqyy4w
— Absolutely Hammered (@ah_pod) August 22, 2024
At the time of this writing, the Braves and Phillies are tied 2-2, but Atlanta trails Philly by 6.0 games in the NL East after taking the first game of the three-game set.
Though it’s not impossible, it’s improbable that the Braves end up catching the Phillies, especially as short-handed as they are with Austin Riley and AJ Minter the latest stars to hit the IL.
I don’t mind the fire from Arcia; in fact, I love it. The only thing is the Braves are 6.0 games out of the division lead, and it’s August 21st. It would’ve been nice if the Braves showed some of this fight in the postseason the past two years, instead of basically cowering in fear of the “big bad” Phillies.
But hey, better late than never. At the end of the day, there’s not much genuine hatred/rivalries in sports, so I won’t complain about the Braves and Phillies going back and forth. I actually love it.
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Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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