NL WILDCARD GAME: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 1, 2026

Ray Kerr

Michael Harris

Ozzie Albies

Truist Park

Atlanta Braves

Postgame Press Conference

Braves 6, Phillies 2

Q. Ray, what time were you told you were starting, and tell us what your emotions were leading up to it and as you went through that routing?

RAY KERR: I got told I was starting yesterday, but it was kind of hectic because we didn't know the game was starting at 2:00 or 8:00. So I was like, am I going to bed at this time or this time. Then I found a show to watch after finding out what time the game started and then just planned in my head what I'm going to do tomorrow, and then I went to bed. That's about it.

Q. Mike, after a tough Game 2, how good did it feel to hit that home run?

MICHAEL HARRIS: Yeah, obviously had to come through in this situation. Runners on early on in the game, he got behind in the count, couldn't really find the zone. Just found one pitch to put my best swing on and hopefully we got some runs out of it, and we did.

Q. Ray, to think about your journey, working at a 7-Eleven, at a movie theater, and then you flash forward to now, you're getting a standing ovation in a postseason game. Have you been able to reflect on what a journey and accomplishment that is, and in that moment, what did it feel like to get that standing ovation?

RAY KERR: I mean, it felt great. I don't got much on that. But it was fun. It was a journey. I've dreamed about stuff like this. For it to actually happen, I still haven't even processed yet. We're just going to get after it tomorrow. Hopefully we can win the next series, and yeah.

Q. Can you just describe the energy in the dugout as Chris Sale is coming out of the bullpen?

MICHAEL HARRIS: Electric.

OZZIE ALBIES: The best. The minute I saw him getting warmed up, I said he's definitely coming in. I love this. The energy, the excitement there, everybody was pumped that he came in the game.

Q. Before the game during batting practice and everything, you all just looked like you were loose and just confident. Even I saw you walking -- when you came in today, I saw you and you just had this confident look but still no nervousness or anything like that. Is it because of everything you've all been through through the season, like as Walt talked about as far as times when you needed the win, when you were down or whatever, you all rose up to the occasion? Was that the reason you all felt like you did, able to perform like you did?

MICHAEL HARRIS: Yeah, I think in baseball you can't do anything but try to stay loose. If you put more pressure on yourself, it's just going to eat you up. I felt like in the clubhouse today we talked more about fantasy football than baseball. It kept us ready. Once we had our meeting, we kind of locked in and knew what we wanted to do when we came out.

Q. Ozzie, how good does it feel to finally get a win against the Phillies after just so many series that didn't go your way?

OZZIE ALBIES: Yeah, definitely feels amazing. We needed to win today. Like Mike said, everybody was in the clubhouse loose, talking about fantasy football, and then we had our meeting, and then go play the game, like we do every night. We give it 100 percent and go for a win every day.

Definitely feels amazing to win against the Phillies because they were the ones that sent us home previous years, and especially at home. The fans were electric tonight. I've got to give the fans a shout out for sure.

Q. Ray, you come out, you do your job in the top of the first and then you get a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. How much did that take some pressure off and what did that feel when you see that ball go out and you back to the mound with a three-run lead?

RAY KERR: Same mentality. Put up zeros, let the boys keep hitting. This ballgame is not over. Let's get after it.

Q. Ray, just watching you pitch, you didn't betray any emotion, whatever was happening on the field. Was that how you were feeling internally? Also, what show did you watch last night?

RAY KERR: I would have to say that's my Kerrmo being activated. That's when I just lock in and whatever happens happens. And then I watched Livestream From Hell with Druski, Kevin Hart, and Kai Cenat. So it was very funny. I had to laugh.

Q. Ray, following up on that, how did you stay within yourself over the course of the day? The other guys were talking fantasy football, but they've been here. How did you yourself keep focus on the job at hand?

RAY KERR: I was focused from the moment I woke up. I was like we're going to put some 0s up and get a W.

Q. For Ozzie, you've been around with Walt Weiss before for postseason series clinching celebrations. This time he gets to do it as the manager. How cool is it to see?

OZZIE ALBIES: Super cool. Since he got the manager's job, I told him I'm happy he's the manager of our team. There couldn't be a better guy to get the job. Walt Weiss is a tremendous human being and manager. So definitely super happy and excited for him that we got to do it together again. It's special.

Q. Ray, when you were down there in Northport fishing, you said you envisioned this when you were fishing this summer or maybe earlier this year, still rehabbing. Did you think this was possible this year?

RAY KERR: No, I didn't know where I was going to be at the end of the year. I'm glad I'm here.

Q. Ray, were you able to take in everything that was going on while you were pitching? Of course you had to be focused, but were you able to, wow, this is going on, I'm here? Even when you walked out when you got the standing ovation, the fact that you waved to the crowd and acknowledged them, were you able to take in everything?

RAY KERR: Yeah, I was feeding off the crowd from the first pitch of the game. They motivated me to keep going, throw even harder, throw even more. Every time I threw a strike, they were yelling, so I have to give it up to the fans.

Q. Ozzie, Mike, both of you have had a decent amount of success against the pitchers that you homered off of. Were you getting exactly what you were looking for in those at-bats, or is it just you pounced on something that you saw?

OZZIE ALBIES: No, I mean, we do our meetings and know what the pitcher is going to attack with. You look for your pitch, and if he leaves it where you want to take a good swing with that pitch -- you saw it today. Like Mike said, too, he was looking for a good pitch and putting his best swing on it, and that's what we both did tonight?

Q. Mike, you just missed 2021. You talked about being there but maybe not being there how you wanted to be. You had to wait a while to get to experience this. What's it mean? Are you able to appreciate it now or it might take time, and to have such a huge role in it tonight?

MICHAEL HARRIS: I was there in 2021, I was just in the stands. I was watching them from the second deck the first two games against the Dodgers walking it off.

OZZIE ALBIES: He has a video about it.

MICHAEL HARRIS: I sure do. Yeah, being on the field this time, and like Ray said, hearing the crowd from the first pitch, it gave us a lot of motivation and energy to go out there and win this game for them and head to LA.