While Phillies fans had plenty to cheer about through the first five innings of Saturday night’s NLDS opener at Citizens Bank Park, it was the Dodgers, and their fans, who had the final say.
In Game 1 of the NLDS, the Dodgers turned to two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, but the Phillies wasted no time getting to him. In the second inning, with Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh aboard, J.T. Realmuto ripped a triple to right-center, scoring both runners. It marked Realmuto’s 12th career extra-base hit and 21st RBI in postseason play.
With Realmuto now standing on third, Harrison Bader lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, extending the Phillies’ lead to 3–0 after two innings.
With Cristopher Sánchez dominating Dodger hitters and breezing through the first five innings without allowing a run, it appeared Philadelphia was on its way to a decisive, and much-needed Game 1 victory at home.
However, perseverance proved to be the defining theme for the Dodgers on Saturday evening, and it ultimately paid off in a big way.
In the top of the sixth, with Sánchez still on the mound, Freddie Freeman drew a walk and advanced to second on a Tommy Edman single to right. With two runners on and two outs, Enrique Hernández drilled a double to left field, scoring both Freeman and Edman. Phillies 3, Dodgers 2.
That would end Sánchez’s night, as the left-hander was replaced by veteran David Robertson.
After surrendering three runs in the bottom of the second, Ohtani settled in and found his groove, ultimately working six innings while striking out nine Phillies.
While the top of the sixth provided the spark the Dodgers needed to climb back into the game, the top of the seventh was the knockout blow that sealed a pivotal Game 1 win.
After allowing two runners to reach, Robertson was replaced by left-hander Matt Strahm. Strahm appeared to be in control, striking out Ohtani and inducing Mookie Betts to pop up, the Dodgers’ two most dangerous hitters. But then Teoscar Hernández stepped to the plate. With an opposite-field drive that cleared the wall in right-center, Hernández not only silenced the Phillies crowd but also sent the Dodgers home with a 5–3 victory.
It marked Hernández’s third home run of the postseason, after he went deep twice in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds. According to ESPN, Hernández now has 25 RBIs in his first 23 postseason games, tied for the second-most all time—behind only Lou Gehrig, who had 31.
Hernández’s blast swung all the momentum to Los Angeles, setting the stage for the Dodgers’ bullpen to finish the job. Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers’ projected Game 4 starter who replaced Ohtani to begin the bottom of the seventh, recorded five outs in relief, while Alex Vesia escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, getting Edmundo Sosa to fly out to center. In the ninth, Roki Sasaki shut the door, securing the 5–3 win and the save for Los Angeles.
With Sasaki recording the final out, history was made at Citizens Bank Park—just not for the home team. Ohtani, who earned the win in his first career postseason start as a pitcher, and Sasaki, who notched the save, became the first Japanese-born starter–reliever duo to combine for a win and save in the same postseason game.
While some Phillies fans may begin to panic, Robertson isn’t worried. “We’re down one game. It’s not a big deal. Play the best three out of five, so we’ve got plenty of time to make up some ground,” he shared after the game.
The series continues Monday evening at 6:08 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park. The expected starters are Blake Snell for the Dodgers (5–4, 2.35 ERA, 72 K) and Jesús Luzardo for the Phillies (15–7, 3.92 ERA, 216 K).
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, in Los Angeles, with first pitch set for 9:08 p.m. ET.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.