11-spot: Los Angeles Dodgers huge 1st in 15-3 win over Atlanta Braves in NLCS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Max Muncy’s grand slam capped a record-setting 11-run first inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who coasted to a 15-3 rout of the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night that cut their National League Championship Series deficit to 2 games to 1.
The slam by Muncy off Grant Dayton was the third homer in the first, the highest-scoring inning in a major league postseason game. It was among a franchise-record five homers for the Dodgers, who set a team record for postseason runs.
“It’s pretty cool. Not too many things that are cooler than that,” said Muncy, a Texas native. “But the biggest thing to me is our team got a W and got us back on track.”
Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer off starter Kyle Wright to start his four-hit night, and Edwin Rios went deep on next pitch. Corey Seager had a pair of RBI hits in the opening outburst, then added a solo homer in the third as the Dodgers built a 15-0 lead – the first team with that many runs in the first three innings of a postseason game.
Julio Urías, made his first postseason start and improved to 3-0 in these playoffs, strikng out five while allowing one run and three hits over five innings. He walked the first two batters but no more.
Atlanta’s start was eerily similar to the Braves’ flop in Game 5 of last year’s Division Series against St. Louis, when they gave up a 10-run first inning at home in a season-ending start by Mike Foltynewicz.
Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw likely will start Game 4 for the Dodgers, two nights after he was scratched because of back spasms. Bryse Wilson makes his postseason debut as the third rookie right-handed starter for Atlanta in this series in what will be his first appearance since the final day of the regular season on Sept. 27.
“We still are in a good spot with four games left,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Like I say, for the whole team, you just turn the page and get ready to go tomorrow.”
The Dodgers had left the tying run at third base after a four-run bottom of the ninth during an 8-7 loss on Tuesday night. They were the visiting team in Game 3 and sent 14 batters to the plate for seven hits, three walks and a hit batter over 32 minutes in the the 29,786th half-inning in postseason history.
“That was fun to be a part of,” Pederson said. “I think some of the momentum from last night, the last inning definitely carried over and got us feeling a little bit more comfortable at the plate.”
Those 15 runs over two at-bats came after the Braves had allowed only nine runs in their previous six games plus eight innings, a stretch that included four shutouts over en route to a 7-0 postseason start.
Reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger walked and scored in the first, led off the second with a homer and added an RBI single in the third. His long ball came right after his running, leaping catch at the center field wall to rob Ozzie Albies with two on to end the Atlanta first.
“It’s not ideal how we started the series, but we feel good about ourselves,” Bellinger said.
Wright gave up seven runs while facing only nine batters. He had had thrown six scoreless innings in the Game 3 NL Division Series clincher over Miami last Thursday.
Mookie Betts had an infield single on the first pitch of the game, though he was initially called out before a replay challenge overturned the call by umpire Dan Iassogna. Seager drove in Betts with a double on the next pitch before groundouts by Justin Turner and Muncy.
Nine consecutive batters reached with two outs. Will Smith had an RBI double and Bellinger walked before the homers by Pederson and Rios. After No. 9 batter Chris Taylor walked, Dayton walked Betts, gave up the the RBI single to Seager and hit Turner on the foot before Muncy’s 435-foot slam to right-center.