2 Oct 2026
#53 | No Fight Left as Phillies Season Ends in Atlanta
Recorded live on YouTube immediately after the final out, Josh Liddick and Austin Myers react to a 6-2 loss in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series that ends the Phillies' 2026 season in Atlanta and sends them on a flight back to Philly.
It was quiet from the very start. Braves lefty Ray Kerr shut down the Phillies offense, Atlanta scored three in the first off Aaron Nola, and the Phillies never found an answer. The guys debate whether Zack Wheeler should have started Game 3 instead, though they agree the offense—not the rotation—was the real problem.
The guys pay respects to Alec Bohm's likely final game in a Phillies uniform, get into the bigger picture: baserunning mistakes, inconsistent leadership, and a core that's now taken a step back in each of the last several postseasons, and revel in likely Don Mattingly's final managerial decision: inserting Otto Kemp as a pinch hitter.
Looking ahead, it's a pivotal offseason for John Middleton, Dave Dombrowski, and the front office, with money coming off the books and real questions about how this roster needs to change. Josh and Austin close out their first season of the podcast with thanks to listeners and a preview of what's coming during the offseason.
Is this core still good enough to get over the hump, and where does this organization go from here?
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Episode timestamps:
00:00 – Phillies season ends, falling 6-2 in game three
01:12 – A low-event dud with no momentum from yesterday's win
02:32 – Crediting the Braves and Walt Weiss's managing
04:48 – Ray Kerr's dominant start silences the offense
05:55 – Harper, Schwarber, and Turner lead into the next era
06:41 – Zack Wheeler's future and a shortened 2027 season
09:10 – Learning from the lost 2020 season
11:34 – The five-year window and the fear of stepping back again
13:26 – Otto Kemp's rough final at-bat
14:41 – Second-guessing the decision to start Nola over Wheeler
16:37 – Flexibility this offseason and what has to change
21:24 – Braves ticket prices and a flat atmosphere in Atlanta
21:51 – A season that could never fully right itself after a slow start
23:39 – Base-running mistakes and accountability among leaders
25:56 – Comparing this ending to last year's collapse
27:08 – A slow death versus last year's sudden one
28:07 – Grateful for a first season of postseason podcasts
28:44 – Closing thoughts, thank-yous, and what's next for the show
