Dodgers Beat Braves 5-3 in NLDS Game 1 as Skubal Dominates and Teoscar Hernandez’s Bat Flip Ignites Dodger Stadium
Tarik Skubal struck out seven over six dominant innings and three Dodgers homered as Los Angeles beat Atlanta 5-3 to take a 1-0 NLDS lead.
The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in emphatic fashion, beating the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday at a sweltering Dodger Stadium. Tarik Skubal delivered a dominant six innings in his first career home playoff start, while a trio of home runs from Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy powered the offense in triple-digit heat.
The Dodgers enter this postseason as the two-time defending champions, having won it all in both 2024 and 2025, and a victory this October would make them the first team in nearly three decades to three-peat. Los Angeles finished the regular season at 100-62, good for the NL West crown, and received a bye through the Wild Card round while the Braves had to grind through a win over the Phillies just to reach this series. That rest advantage was evident from the opening pitch, with Dave Roberts handing the ball to his big trade-deadline addition for Game 1 over All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Skubal Brings the Heat on a 100-Degree Afternoon
Temperatures at first pitch registered right around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but it was Skubal who brought the real triple-digit heat. The two-time Cy Young Award winner tossed six innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out seven and walking two in his first career postseason start pitching at home. In between a pair of early baserunners, Skubal retired 15 consecutive Braves hitters, overpowering Atlanta’s lineup with his elite fastball-slider combination. The win pushed his career postseason strikeout total to 63 across seven appearances, the second-most by any pitcher in his first seven playoff outings, trailing only Bob Gibson’s legendary mark of 74.
The Dodgers’ offense took a while to get rolling against a short-handed Braves pitching staff, but once it did, the damage piled up quickly. Teoscar Hernández delivered the signature moment of the afternoon, launching a two-run home run that he punctuated with a massive bat flip to get the scoring started for Los Angeles. Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy followed with home runs of their own, each pushing the lead further as the Dodgers’ bullpen and bench celebrated with their now-familiar sunflower seed bucket greeting at the top of the dugout.
What It Means Going Forward
The win gives Los Angeles a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2 on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, with the series shifting to Atlanta for Game 3 on Tuesday. The Dodgers will continue to lean on a deep and rested rotation, while the Braves must now solve a Dodgers lineup that got contributions up and down the order even with Shohei Ohtani still working his way back to full strength after dealing with biceps, knee and neck issues down the stretch. Ohtani has not hit at his MVP peak since before the All-Star break, and Los Angeles will need that bat to fully awaken if they hope to make a deep run.
For bettors tracking the postseason odds, the Dodgers opened as favorites in this series and remained firmly in that position after Saturday’s win, with oddsmakers continuing to install Los Angeles among the favorites to win the World Series outright as they chase history. Fans looking to get in on the postseason action can compare the latest lines through a DraftKings promo code before Sunday’s first pitch. With Atlanta now facing an early series deficit against a Dodgers team that has been here before, Game 2 on Sunday night looms as a near must-win for the Braves to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole against the two-time defending champions.