The Philadelphia Phillies were close to getting the 1-0 lead in their National League Wild Card Series matchup against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, but a surprising decision by manager Don Mattingly late in Game 1 backfired.
Mattingly called on closer Jhoan Duran to close out the game earlier than usual, with the star closer entering the game in the seventh inning with the Phillies holding a slim one-run lead. He would later give up a go-ahead three-run homer to Braves star Austin Riley in the eighth inning, leading to a 5-3 Phillies loss.
Mattingly faced the media following the game and opened up on his decision to go for Duran in the seventh inning.
Article Continues Below“It's frustrating. But in our minds, we had our best guy out there, you live with this one,” Mattingly told reporters in the postgame press conference.
This story is being updated.