Braves Rumors: Game 3 mystery starter, Arcia mistake, not scared of Philly

Braves Rumors: Philly atmosphere doesn't scare Braves, allegedly

The Atlanta Braves have felt the full force of Philadelphia's fandom before. It's not a wholly new experience, at least not for the team's veterans. That said, it's hard to imagine one gets used to the singular atmosphere in Citizens Bank Park. That fanbase is rabid, especially when the team has as much competitive fire and postseason DNA as this Phils group.

Set aside the fact that Atlanta is about to start a struggling Elder, a rookie, or a reliever — the Braves face an uphill battle across the board with how loud that stadium will get. Especially with a pitcher of Aaron Nola's caliber on the mound.

The Braves, however, are downplaying the intimidation factor. Braves reliever Kirby Yates, who made his postseason debut on Monday, spoke highly of the Phillies crowd but expressed excitement, not fear.

"I don't think anybody's really seen that crowd like that. I wasn't on the team, but I was there. It was a little different. But truthfully, in my eyes, that's kind of the way you want every road crowd. It makes playoffs feel different, and that's something that makes it fun, something that makes it enjoyable... I don't think it should be easy to go to somebody else's place and come away with a game. Same way the opposing team shouldn't come in here and have it easy. They should kind of feel the same way, and I think they do. Both teams have really good home crowds."

That's the right attitude and he's right about the Braves crowd, to a certain degree. Atlanta has been rockin' the Battery during these last six years of contention, but even the most invested Truist Park crowd doesn't begin to approach Red October. Philadelphia fans are built different, as the kids say, but the Braves won't admit fear.

We will see on Wednesday how well Atlanta handles the energy of CBP. There's a huge difference between talking about it and playing against it.