“Their window is closing, so I think this is a bigger game for the Phillies as far as legacy goes and what you will see in the future.” – CC Sabathia on Game 3
“This is their time, that’s why this game is so important. If the Phillies don’t win now, if they don’t win in this window, when do they win?” – Joey Votto on Game 3
“The pressure is on Atlanta right now. This is a young Ray Kerr coming out being an opener, using a bullpen game, and you’re facing two of the best left-handed hitters in the game.” – Eric Hosmer on the pressure facing the Braves tonight
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 1, 2026 – NBC Sports continued its exclusive coverage of the MLB Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie tonight with a studio show leading into coverage of the decisive Phillies-Braves Game 3 on NBC and Peacock.
Tonight’s MLB Wild Card Series pregame show from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn., featured host Ahmed Fareed with Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and former All-Star first baseman Eric Hosmer. Bob Costas and 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto previewed Phillies-Braves onsite from Truist Park during the show.
The pregame show included Ashley ShahAhmadi’s interviews with Braves All-Star first baseman Matt Olson and Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.
Matt Vasgersian (play-by-play), C.J. Nitkowski (analyst - Braves), John Kruk (analyst - Phillies), Joey Votto (Inside the Pitch) and Ashley ShahAhmadi (reporter) are calling this tonight’s Phillies-Braves game.
Following are highlights from tonight’s MLB Wild Card Series Pregame Show on Peacock and NBCSN:
ON MLB WILD CARD SERIES
Hosmer on the 2026 MLB Wild Card Series: “This postseason has been so fun because we have gotten to see every version of the clubhouses. We’ve seen the old salty clubhouse with the Phillies and we’ve seen the young fun energetic group with the White Sox. We’ve been getting a live look at it all. This Wild Card Series is going to end today and it’s been awesome.”
ON PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Sabathia on this game being important for the Phillies future: “I think it is bigger for the Phillies than it is for the Braves. The core group of this Braves team won a World Series in 2021, but this Phillies team is still searching. They had a run in 2022, lost in 2023 to the Diamondbacks, and this group is getting a little older. Their window is closing, so I think this is a bigger game for the Phillies as far as legacy goes and what you will see in the future.”
Votto: “This is their time, that’s why this game is so important. If the Phillies don’t win now, if they don’t win in this window, when do they win?”
Votto on the Phillies having an edge in Game 3: “When you’re a team like the Phillies, a team with a ton of experience and a little older, these guys end up being on a different level with poise, preparation and most importantly, urgency.”
Votto on Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler: “If Wheeler gets the ball, I don’t want to say the game is over, but you have the game in the right person’s hands.”
Phillies 3B Alec Bohm to ShahAhmadi on who steps up as a leader: “I feel like we have such a veteran team that it can be anyone at any given moment. It’s not always the same guy, but there are plenty of different faces that can be calming voices. I think the play can also do it. I feel like those back-to-back home runs from Kyle (Schwarber) and Bryce (Harper) helped settle things down yesterday.”
ON ATLANTA BRAVES
Hosmer on the pressure facing the Braves tonight: “The pressure is on Atlanta right now. This is a young Ray Kerr coming out being an opener, using a bullpen game, and you’re facing two of the best left-handed hitters in the game… The Philadelphia veteran hitters are going to get Kerr in a zone, and if he’s a little rattled by the situation, the Phillies are going to be fully aware of that.”
Sabathia: “(Ronald) Acuña Jr. has got to get going, Matt Olson, I’m looking for Michael Harris II to do some damage. Nola is familiar with them, and they know how he’s going to attack them.”
Braves 1B Matt Olson to ShahAhmadi on the Phillies-Braves rivalry: “We are two teams that are cut from the same cloth. They have a good club over there and we have a good club here. There is a large veteran presence. Some guys have been there and done it… We’re very familiar with them. They’re a good team and we love a good challenge.”
Olson to ShahAhmadi on Phillies starter Aaron Nola: “He has a funky delivery, and the ball can get on you, but whoever we’re facing, our goal is to put it over the plate and get a good swing on it.”
--NBC SPORTS--
