LOS ANGELES — Tarik Skubal tossed six dominant innings in triple-digit heat, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy homered, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Saturday.
The game-time temperature of 100 degrees (38 Celsius) fell just short of equaling the Dodger Stadium record of 103 degrees at Game 1 of the 2017 World Series. The feels-like temperature was 105 degrees, with umpires chugging water between innings and fans shielding their heads with giveaway towels on a cloudless day.
Skubal was cool, though.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed one run and two hits, struck out seven and walked two while starting a postseason game at home for the first time in his career. His previous playoff starts were all on the road for the Detroit Tigers, who traded him to the two-time defending World Series champions just before the Aug. 3 deadline.
“To go through six in these conditions I thought was fantastic," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “and I thought the bullpen did a fine job.”
Skubal's 63 strikeouts are the second-most in a pitcher’s first seven postseason appearances behind Bob Gibson’s 74.
“It was a ton of fun,” Skubal said. “I've got a lot of respect for the fans that came out and showed up today. It’s not easy. It’s 100 degrees. The sun was on us the entire game.”
Game 2 at Dodger Stadium is Sunday evening, when an extreme heat warning remains in effect.
Hernández and Tucker both went through major slumps at the plate during the season. But they came up big with two-run homers against the Braves' bullpen. Atlanta's rotation got upended during its three-game NL Wild Card Series win over Philadelphia, with the Braves using ace Chris Sale in relief in the deciding game.
“We’ve been going through a lot this year, but we stayed together,” Hernández said. “We have each other’s back. We’re going to continue to try to do our best and try to do our job so we can keep winning.”
Hernández and Tucker had nearly identical stat lines. Hernández went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs; Tucker finished 2 for 4 with a run and two RBIs.
Tucker had the worst regular season of his career after signing a $240 million, four-year deal with the Dodgers as a free agent. His offensive output sharply declined from his All-Star days with Houston and the Chicago Cubs.
Hernández stumbled through July and August before a swing fix sparked a September turnaround.
“The bigger the moment,” Hernández said, “the more focused I get.”
The Braves managed just four hits. Sean Murphy's two-strike, 421-foot homer leading off the sixth left them trailing 2-1.
Ronald Acuña Jr. singled leading off the ninth against reliever Tanner Scott, who then served up a 432-foot homer to Ozzie Albies that cut the lead to 5-3. Scott got two outs before Evan Phillips induced a groundout by Austin Riley with a runner aboard to earn the save.
Braves starter Dylan Dodd tossed three scoreless innings and gave up only singles to Shohei Ohtani in the first and Mookie Betts in the third.
The Dodgers broke through against Atlanta's bullpen in the fourth. Losing pitcher Victor Mederos walked Freddie Freeman before serving up Hernández's 431-foot shot to left-center, making it 2-0.
Still bothered by nagging arm and knee issues, Ohtani batted second behind Betts. The four-time MVP lined to second with a runner on to end the third and flied out with a runner on in the fifth.
Tucker went deep in the sixth and Muncy added a solo shot off AJ Smith-Shawver two batters later, extending the lead to 5-1.
Up next
The Braves did not announce a starter for Game 2 against Dodgers LHP Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner.
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