The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their Major League Baseball postseason campaign with a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, positioning themselves for a rare World Series three-peat. Pitcher Tarik Skubal, acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the August trade deadline and a two-time Cy Young Award winner, delivered six strong innings in his first playoff start for Los Angeles. Skubal allowed just two hits and one run, surrendering a solo home run to Braves catcher Sean Murphy in the sixth inning, while striking out multiple batters despite the sweltering 38C heat at Dodger Stadium.
Skubal’s fastball reached up to 101 mph, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised his performance, highlighting an effective change-up that kept Atlanta’s hitters off balance. The Dodgers offense provided ample support, with home runs from Teoscar Hernandez, Kyle Tucker, and Max Muncy. Hernandez’s 431-foot blast in the fourth inning broke a 1-0 deficit, followed by a two-run shot from Tucker in the sixth and a solo homer from Muncy shortly thereafter, extending Los Angeles’ lead. The Braves mounted a late rally in the ninth inning when Ronald Acuña Jr. singled, and Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer off Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott, cutting the deficit to two runs, but it was not enough to overcome the Dodgers’ lead.
Sunday’s games marked the start of the National League Division Series as well as other playoff matchups across the league. The Chicago White Sox defeated the Cleveland Guardians 3-0, powered by a two-run homer from Munetaka Murakami. Australian prospect Travis Bazzana recorded a double in the fourth inning for Chicago, one of only three hits for the team in the game.
In other games, the Tampa Bay Rays secured a 1-0 shutout win over the New York Yankees behind a one-hit pitching performance from Drew Rasmussen. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers rallied from an early 0-2 deficit to claim a narrow 3-2 victory against the in-form San Diego Padres.
With these results, the Dodgers took a 1-0 series lead over Atlanta in the best-of-five National League Division Series, joining other teams that have started their playoff bids on a positive note as Major League Baseball moves deeper into the postseason.