The Los Angeles Dodgers are moving on to the National League Championship Series, but not before celebrating a series win over the Atlanta Braves.
The Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Braves meant LA closed out the NL Division Series in four games, giving them a few days of rest before the NLCS begins on Sunday.
The Dodgers will face the winner of the series between the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers, but not before a raucous locker room celebration.
Dodgers pop bottles in Atlanta
The team took a photo on the field, but the celebration really began in the locker room.
The tarp-covered walls foretold the gallons and gallons of Champagne and other alcohol that was about to be sprayed, and the Boys in Blue delivered on that promise.
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The bottles began popping before manager Dave Roberts was even close to being done with his postgame speech, though he ably finished shouting out several of the team’s standout performances and encouraging his guys to continue playing hard.
“We understand that we have eight more wins, stay focused. Everybody in this room helped us to get where we’re at. We’re smarter. We’re better. And we’re tougher,” he told the team.
Those eight wins are all now that separate the Dodgers from their third straight World Series title.
The Dodgers’ future won’t be known until tonight at the earliest and Friday at the latest, but in either case, they’ll be playing baseball again on Sunday.
What’s next for the Dodgers?
The Dodgers face the winner of the Padres-Brewers series, which the Brewers led 2-1 as of the time of the Dodgers’ clinching win.
The Dodgers are the No. 2 seed in the NL playoffs, so the Brewers, the league’s top seed, would have home-field advantage if they can close out the Padres.
A Padres series win, though, would give the Dodgers home-field advantage and limit the NLCS travel to Southern California, as opposed to Wisconsin.
The Dodgers and Padres split the regular season 4-4, but the Dodgers’ four-game sweep in last season’s NLCS likely is still on the minds of the Brewers.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers bested the Padres 8-5 in their matchups in 2026. That said, the Padres and Dodgers rivalry injects an element of uncertainty into that potential matchup.
Would you rather see the Padres or the Brewers in the NLCS?
