The Dodgers secured their first postseason game of the year on Saturday, powering three home runs to back a strong start from Tarik Skubal in a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.
It was the first time that Skubal was able to pitch at home in a postseason starts, as all of his four playoff outings had come on the road during his time with the Detroit Tigers. Skubal’s lone blemish on Saturday came via a Sean Murphy home run in the top of the sixth inning, but he went on to strike out seven hitters over
six innings of one-run ball.
He did this while also battling a heat wave that struck Los Angeles, but the weather didn’t play a factor into how he addressed his Game 1 start, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“It’s hot. No denying that,” Skubal said. “Every team’s playing in it, right? They’re playing in the same conditions we are. It doesn’t really matter. It shouldn’t really impact how you are mentally or how it’s going to impact how you pitch. Just go out there and play baseball and try to drink water.”
The 2026 regular season wasn’t too kind to Teoscar Hernández, as a hamstring injury cost him a month’s worth of time while having his power zapped until a torrid September. Now that the real test has begun, Hernández has found his October-self yet again, crushing a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday to start the scoring.
Hernández spoke with announcer John Smoltz about his ability to switch gears in October and be the guy to get the big hits in key situations.
“I think the focus is different. In the regular season, you try to have a good game in three at-bats. I think in the playoffs, it’s just pitch-by-pitch. For me, it doesn’t matter what I do in the at-bats before, I will try to focus on the one I’m taking.”
Max Muncy continued to etch his name in the company of Dodgers greats, as he crushed his 17th career postseason home run on Saturday, setting a new franchise record for home runs in the postseason, writes Thomas L. Murray of the California Post.
Kyle Tucker was a disaster when playing at home this season, but he started to rectify his Dodger Stadium struggles with a two-run home run that made the difference in Saturday’s win. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times notes in his latest column that Tucker has a chance of becoming the unlikely hero of the NLDS.
