Radio call of Austin Riley's homer will have Braves fans even more fired up

It’ll sound cliché, but Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley and radio announcer Ben Ingram took Tuesday afternoon to remind us just why we adore postseason baseball. 

Most of us, at least. Phillies fans — or specifically, those who have stopped crying — most likely vehemently disagree with such a take. But Riley’s go-ahead, eighth-inning home run in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series made it clear just how little he cares what the city of Philadelphia feels about him or the playoffs.

Despite recording a career-worst .654 OPS during the regular season, Riley opened October in style. His three-run homer off All-Star closer Jhoan Duran sent Truist Park into a frenzy and had Ingram going the right kind of ballistic in the booth. 

“And the first pitch on the way from Duran ... Swung and a fly ball to deep right field that sends [Derek] Hill back to the well. That is gone! It’s gone! Riley rattles one out of here as he gave it a ride! And the Braves take the lead in the 8th!”

How can you not be romantic about baseball? In unrelated news, anyone wearing a throwback Mike Schmidt jersey can start reading this story again.

How would we grade Ben Ingram’s call of Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley’s go-ahead home run?

Take it from someone who grew up listening to John Sterling during the Yankees’ Core Four years: grading baseball calls is very subjective. Plenty of Yankees fans rolled their eyes when Sterling would describe an “A-Bomb from A-Rod” or how Mark Teixeira would send a “Tex Message” into the right field seats. Others felt misty-eyed upon even remembering those moments. 

On that note, we’ll give Ingram a solid 7/10 for his Riley call. It was solid and worked perfectly for the situation. He also deserves credit for letting the significance of the moment briefly play out without veering into an extended, potentially awkward silence. It’s a trait that so many television broadcasters either never learned or choose not to apply. 

Every game is technically a “must-win,” but keep in mind that the Wild Card Series is a best-of-three set. Had the Braves not rallied against Duran, they’d have been at risk of going down 1-0 and staring elimination in the face.

Instead, Riley lowered the Braves’ magic number for a title to 12, and he only increased the chances of Ingram calling his second World Series championship in six years. And remember: Braves fans won’t need to suffer through Joe Davis and John Smoltz if Atlanta wins another pennant. 

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