Dodgers beat Braves 5-3 behind Tarik Skubal and three home runs in 100-degree NLDS opener
Tarik Skubal struck out seven batters over six innings while Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker, and Max Muncy homered as Los Angeles took a 1-0 series lead at Dodger Stadium.
Sweltering opener in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Dodgers opened Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday with a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. The game began in 100-degree Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) heat, the second-hottest first-pitch temperature in postseason history behind Game 1 of the 2017 World Series at 103 degrees. Conditions reached a feels-like temperature of 105 degrees under cloudless skies, with umpires drinking water between innings and fans shielding their heads with giveaway towels. The win gave the two-time defending champions an early lead in their pursuit of a third consecutive World Series championship. The matchup represents the fourth October meeting between the Dodgers and Braves in the past nine years, following a pattern where Los Angeles has won Game 1 in six of its last seven postseason series.
Skubal commands on the mound
Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal delivered six innings in the extreme heat during his first career postseason start at home. Acquired from the Detroit Tigers before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed one run on two hits while striking out seven batters and issuing two walks. Skubal gave up a leadoff single to Drake Baldwin in the first inning before retiring 15 consecutive batters, reaching a season-high pitch velocity of 101.1 mph. He retired 18 of the final 21 batters he faced, lowering his career postseason earned run average to 1.97 over seven playoff starts. Skubal brought his career postseason strikeout total to 63, standing second on the all-time list through a pitcher's first seven postseason appearances.
- Bob Gibson
- 74
- Tarik Skubal
- 63
Dodgers power past Atlanta bullpen
Atlanta starting pitcher Dylan Dodd kept Los Angeles scoreless through three innings, yielding only singles to Shohei Ohtani in the first and Mookie Betts in the third. The Dodgers broke through against the Atlanta bullpen in the bottom of the fourth inning after Victor Mederos issued a walk to Freddie Freeman and surrendered a 431-foot two-run home run to Teoscar Hernández. Los Angeles widened the lead in the sixth inning when Kyle Tucker hit a two-run home run, followed two batters later by a solo home run from Max Muncy off reliever AJ Smith-Shawver. Ohtani, playing through nagging arm and knee issues, batted second in the lineup and finished without a hit, lining out in the third inning and flying out in the fifth.
- Teoscar Hernández hits a 431-foot two-run home run off Victor Mederos to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead
- Sean Murphy hits a 421-foot solo home run off Tarik Skubal to cut the deficit to 2-1
- Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy hit home runs off AJ Smith-Shawver to extend the Dodgers lead to 5-1
- Ozzie Albies hits a 432-foot two-run home run off Tanner Scott to narrow the score to 5-3
Late Braves rally and series outlook
Atlanta finished with four hits in the game, opening its scoring in the top of the sixth inning when Sean Murphy hit a 421-foot solo home run off Skubal. The Braves generated a late push in the ninth inning against reliever Tanner Scott, who allowed a leadoff single to Ronald Acuña Jr. and a 432-foot two-run home run to Ozzie Albies. Scott secured two outs before Evan Phillips entered the contest, getting Austin Riley to ground out with a runner on base to record the save. Atlanta entered the division series with a depleted rotation after utilizing ace Chris Sale in relief during their three-game Wild Card series victory over Philadelphia. Game 2 is set for Sunday evening at Dodger Stadium under an extreme heat warning, with Atlanta slated to face Los Angeles starters Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in upcoming games.
