The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1, in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, taking a 1-0 series lead and stealing home field advantage.
Blake Snell was historically dominant, pitching eight shutout innings while allowing just one hit with 10 strikeouts.
More news: Dodgers Have Made Decision on When Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow Will Start in NLCS
NLCS Game 1 Recap
The Dodgers and Brewers engaged in a pitchers’ duel in Game 1, as Snell continued to look like one of the game’s best pitchers.
The Brewers went with an opener in left-hander Aaron Ashby, and the two southpaws traded zeroes in the first inning.
The Brewers then went to right-hander Quinn Priester in the second inning, and he and Snell had little trouble shutting opposing hitters down.
Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin got the game’s first hit in the bottom of the third inning, but was retired on a caught stealing.
The Dodgers caused their first trouble in the fourth inning, as LA loaded the bases on a walk and two singles. That brought up Max Muncy, who crushed a ball 404 feet to center field.
However, center fielder Sal Frelich robbed Muncy of potential extra bases, while also turning one of the most improbable double plays imaginable. Click here for more on the wild double play.
Read more: Dodgers Robbed of Multiple Runs on Controversial Sal Frelick Defensive Play in NLCS Game 1
After all the commotion of the play, Snell came back out and pitched a much-needed 1-2-3 inning. Then, the Dodgers stranded two more in the fifth inning, and Snell pitched another 1-2-3 frame in the bottom half of it.
The Dodgers finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning, as Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run to right field. That seemed to be more than enough for Snell, who pitched two more 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh innings. At that point, he was at 91 pitches and had faced the minimum amount of Brewers.
Snell came back out for the eighth inning, becoming the first Dodgers pitcher since Clayton Kershaw in 2020 to pitch into the eighth. He had another 1-2-3 inning, punctuating it with a strikeout looking on his 103rd pitch of the night.
The Dodgers added on in the top of the ninth inning, loading the bases before Mookie Betts took a walk to score a run. Alex Call had a pinch-hit pop out, and Freeman flied out to end the inning.
Right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki relieved Snell in the bottom of the ninth and got into his first trouble in the postseason. He gave up a walk and a double, and the Brewers had the tying runs in scoring position with one out.
Jackson Chourio hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1, and Sasaki then walked Christian Yelich, leading Dave Roberts to bring in Blake Treinen.
Treinen walked William Contreras, loading the bases with two outs for Brice Turang. Treinen struck out Turang, giving LA a 1-0 NLCS lead.
When Do Dodgers Play Next?
NLCS Game 2 between the Dodgers and Brewers is on Tuesday, Oct. 14 with first pitch at 5:08 p.m PT.
Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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3 Responses
Bats are dead and that is unsustainable. Scored 18 runs in 2 games vs Reds and 15 in their subsequent 5 games; just 2 runs in their last 3 games in a row. This is forcing perfection from the pitching staff. Game 3 vs Philly and the 9th inning last night show what can happen when pitching struggles. That Treinen, who had struggled, got the save, is a pleasant surprise.
8 walks and 7 hits and 2 runs? Two’s base running was atrocious and they let too many opportunities pass without scoring. That has to change and quickly. Very lucky to hold on and win game 1.
Very lucky indeed.
Blake Snell was laser-focused, all about handling business, and completely dominant. I have much respect, as a fan of baseball and a Dodgers fan, for Snell’s over the top pitching performance. Masterful!