Harper atones for outfield gaffe, Bohm homers in 10th as Phillies beat Braves 4-3 to force Game 3

ATLANTA (AP) — Bryce Harper's misplay in right field put Philadelphia in a hole. His homer an inning later put the Phillies in position for a comeback win that extended their postseason.

Alec Bohm put Philadelphia ahead with a two-out homer in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Wednesday to force a decisive third game in their NL Wild Card Series.

The Phillies rallied with back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Harper in the eighth after trailing 3-1 in the seventh. Harper's homer made up for a crucial fielding mistake an inning earlier.

“I wasn’t not trying to hit a homer, I can tell you that,” Harper said with a smile.

Andrew Painter (1-0), a starter in the regular season, saved the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen with three scoreless innings to close things out. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith with a successful ABS challenge.

Playing under traditional extra-inning rules that don't include automatic runners at second base like in the regular season, Bohm delivered his third career postseason home run, a 357-foot shot to right field off right-hander Didier Fuentes (0-1).

For Bohm, who has faced criticism during a rocky season in which he hit .249 and is facing free agency, the homer may have extended his time with the Phillies.

“I've been trying not to think about that,” Bohm said. “I really don't want the season to end.”

The Phillies will try to continue their postseason dominance over the Braves in Thursday's Game 3. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.

In the seventh, Drake Baldwin's double glanced off Harper's glove in right field, driving in Sean Murphy to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Harper, who resumed playing the outfield late this season for the first time since 2022, got a poor jump and was leaping for the ball near the warning track. He was not charged with an error. Matt Olson added a sacrifice fly.

“I didn’t think he hit it very hard," Harper said. “I thought it was going to be a pop fly just right at me and then it kind of kept traveling. Obviously a ball I should have caught. ... And obviously I was hearing it pretty good from Braves and Phillies fans in the dugout, so got to show up in that situation.

“But how quickly can I turn the page and just get past that moment, knowing that I’m still coming up to the plate to hit and knowing that in the postseason, it doesn’t matter what you did the at-bat before, the inning before. It’s what you do in that moment.”

The Phillies pulled even with eighth-inning home runs by Schwarber and Harper off Dylan Lee, the winning pitcher in the Braves’ 5-3 opening win on Tuesday. Schwarber’s drive carried 447 feet and Harper followed with a 418-foot shot.

“Some big home runs late by some really good hitters,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s what got us.”

Tyler Mahle allowed one run on six hits in seven innings for Atlanta. Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings for Philadelphia while throwing a career-high 116 pitches.

Painter gave up a one-out single to Mauricio Dubón in the 10th, then struck out Austin Riley before giving up a bloop single to Michael Harris II. Painter's 0-2 fastball to Smith was called inside by plate umpire Adam Beck, but Painter and catcher J.T. Realmuto immediately called for a robo-ump challenge. ABS confirmed the ball clipped the strike zone, the first time a postseason game has ended with a strike-zone appeal.

Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. walked, stole second and then stole third with Edmundo Sosa not covering the bag before scoring on Olson’s single in the first.

Sánchez didn’t allow another hit until Sean Murphy doubled to center field with one out in the fifth.

Mahle kept pace, though he didn’t have a perfect inning until the fifth, when he struck out Schwarber and Harper. Sánchez issued an intentional walk to Acuña with two outs before Baldwin’s grounder to second base ended the inning.

Weiss said the Braves had a major scare when Mahle felt an abdominal pull during his pregame warmup.

“We didn't know if he could make the start,” Weiss said, adding the scare came "right at game time when he came out of the bullpen.

“He ended up working through it and got better as the game went on. We were scrambling.”

Sosa left the game after reaching on an infield single to open the ninth. He appeared to aggravate a leg injury and was replaced by pinch-runner Derek Hill. Phillies manager Don Mattingly said the injury did not appear to be serious.

Braves RHP Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44) is expected to either start or pitch in bulk relief in Game 3 on Thursday against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (7-12, 4.67).

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning during Game 2 of baseball's National League Wild Card Series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Braves' Ozzie Albies flies out in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during Game 2 of baseball's National League Wild Card Series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter celebrates the final out against the Atlanta Braves in the 10th inning during Game 2 of baseball's National League Wild Card Series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper can't catch a Atlanta Braves' Drake Baldwin fly ball in the seventh inning during Game 2 of baseball's National League Wild Card Series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm celebrates his home run against the Atlanta Braves in the 10th inning during Game 2 of baseball's National League Wild Card Series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

DUBLIN, Calif. (AP) — A California couple has been charged with murder after authorities say they shot their son-in-law to death Saturday in a public park, days before he and the couple's daughter were set for a hearing in a bitter divorce case.

Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 77, were briefly in court Wednesday for an arraignment on the charges that was postponed until Thursday. Jennie Otis, a public defender representing Zhang, declined to comment. Chen told the judge through an interpreter that she didn’t have the money to hire an attorney. A public defender will be assigned to her case Thursday, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Diane Meier told her.

Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old gaming engineer for The New York Times, was shot to death in the parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, east of San Francisco. A police sergeant was driving nearby and saw him on the ground as witnesses began calling 911 and pointing out the couple in their vehicle, who were still near the scene, Dublin Police Services said in a news release.

Police detained the couple as they were driving away in the parking lot and found a gun in Chen's possession. Prosecutors said Zhang admitted to shooting McKinsey during a later interview, and another firearm was found in the car that he admitted to using during the crime.

Prosecutors also said surveillance video was recovered showing both Chen and Zhang shooting the victim.

Chen and Zhang's murder charges included additional allegations of lying in wait and using a firearm.

Court records show McKinsey's killing came during a contentious divorce with Jang and a custody battle over the couple's three young children. In petitions for restraining orders filed last year, the couple accused each other of physical, emotional and psychological abuse going back more than a decade. McKinsey, who is transgender, alleged that both Jang and her parents were verbally and physically abusive regarding a gender transition he underwent years ago.

In his petition for a protection order, McKinsey alleged that Chen had directed anti-LGBTQ slurs at him and his oldest child.

He also accused Jang of being physically and emotionally abusive during medical procedures related to his transition. He alleged Zhang punched him in the chest while he was recovering from double mastectomy surgery.

McKinsey was arrested last October and charged with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly hitting their oldest son. Police said he acknowledged having slapped the child. Prosecutors also charged him with endangering their youngest child after deputies responded to the family’s home to talk with him and found their 2-year-old had been left home alone, according to court documents.

McKinsey pleaded not guilty to the charges and alleged in court records that he had been set up by his wife, who had left the house without telling him the child was sleeping in a crib upstairs. He was released from jail on the condition that he complete 12 parenting classes. At the time of his killing, McKinsey was out on bail and had been trying to enter a mental health diversion program.

It was also in October that Jang obtained a domestic violence protection order against McKinsey.

Jang said in her filing that in 2010 McKinsey had grabbed her by the forearms during one argument and caused her to hit the corner of a coffee table, fracturing a vertebra in her upper back. She also said that in 2023 she called the police to their home after McKinsey pushed their oldest son hard on the head. Jang also accused McKinsey of emotionally abusing her mother.

McKinsey in December filed his own request for domestic violence protection against Jang, alleging years of abuse that included her hitting him in the head with a frying pan. He later filed for divorce and sought more time with the three children, noting that he had been limited to two hours of supervised visits per week since last fall, Alameda County court documents show.

In late August, McKinsey was granted unsupervised visits in public twice a week.

The killing occurred a week before a hearing was scheduled in McKinsey and Jang’s divorce case. The couple had been married since July 2011.

McKinsey joined The New York Times in January 2023. He was director of engineering for New York Times Games and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the paper said. A spokesperson declined to comment further.

This undated booking photo provided by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, shows Shouyong Zhang. (Alameda County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This undated booking photo provided by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, shows Shili Chen. (Alameda County Sheriff's Office via AP)

A parking lot at Dublin Sports Grounds is seen in Dublin, Calif., Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (Sarah Dussault/Bay Area News Group)

The Dublin Sports Grounds sign is seen in Dublin, Calif., Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (Sarah Dussault/Bay Area News Group)