Riley went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run during Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies on Tuesday.
The veteran third baseman came to the plate in the eighth inning with Atlanta trailing 3-2, and he delivered a three-run homer to right-center field off Philadelphia closer Jhoan Duran to flip the script. Riley closed the regular season by going 0-for-11 with six strikeouts in his last three games, dropping his OPS for the campaign to a career-worst .654 in 159 contests. Already the Game 1 hero, Riley could effectively erase all his 2026 struggles if he continues to perform in the playoffs.