Tied at 7 in the bottom of the 11th, Austin Riley took a fastball to the wrist, putting the go-ahead run on base. Ozzie Albies stepped up and saw nothing but heat. Filiz stuck to his usual fastball-heavy approach, but Albies caught up with one and ripped it into the gap. Riley, not known for his speed, got the green light from third base coach Ron Washington and managed to score from first, giving the Braves the walk-off win. After that, it was chaos.
Albies brushed off the crowd of teammates and made a beeline for Washington, who greeted him with a huge smile and a quick hug. Ronald Acuña Jr. dropped Albies to the ground in celebration, and while most of the dugout mobbed the field, Johan Camargo mostly stayed back, awkwardly avoiding the mess. Meanwhile, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann shared a strange side conversation off to the side before finally joining the main celebration. The pitcher even brought over Albies’ helmet like a kid returning lost property.
Then came the postgame prank warfare. Acuña tried to douse Albies with the Gatorade cooler, but Albies dodged the first attempt. The second one landed square, setting off a chain reaction. Albies retaliated with a shovel full of ice, and just when it seemed over, he dropped a combo of bubblegum and more ice on Acuña. Braves took the game, and the dugout took the party from there.