Skubal Takes the Home Postseason Stage as Dodgers Seize Game 1 in the Heat
Tarik Skubal, the deadline acquisition, made his first home postseason start in 100-degree heat and retired 15 straight Braves as Los Angeles won 5-3 to lead the NLDS 1-0.
On 3 October, in 100-degree heat that fell three degrees short of Dodger Stadium's record, per the Associated Press, Tarik Skubal made the first home postseason start of his career. The deadline acquisition struck out seven across six innings, surrendering just one run on two hits, the AP reported, as Los Angeles beat Atlanta 5-3 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series and took a 1-0 series lead, per ESPN.
The Deadline Gamble Arrives
Skubal joined the Dodgers in a mid-season trade from the Detroit Tigers, per Fox Sports. For a two-time Cy Young Award winner, a home postseason start had been a gap in the résumé until Saturday, the AP noted. A trade for an ace is judged in October, and this was the first chance to judge it in front of his new home crowd.
Skubal delivered. His line of six innings, one run, two hits, seven strikeouts and two walks, per the Associated Press, tells only part of it. After allowing a leadoff single, he retired 15 consecutive Braves batters, per Yahoo Sports. That is five innings' worth of outs without a Brave reaching base, and by the time it ended the game's direction had swung firmly towards Los Angeles.
The Heat and the Command
The conditions tested everyone. The game-time temperature was 100 degrees, 38 Celsius, just shy of the venue's record of 103 degrees set at Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, per the Associated Press. For a pitcher making his first home postseason start, such a stage might have invited anxiety. Instead, Skubal's composure in that furnace became the evening's defining image: two hits allowed, two walks, and a Braves lineup that could not string anything together while he was on the mound.
The Explosive Middle
The Dodgers' offence moved with purpose. Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker each connected for two-run homers against the Braves' bullpen, per the Associated Press. Tucker's blast came in the sixth inning, and two batters later Max Muncy added a solo home run off AJ Smith-Shawver, extending the lead to 5-1, the AP reported. Two home runs in the space of three batters put the game out of the Braves' reach, or so the scoreboard suggested.
| Batter | Team | Home run | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teoscar Hernandez | Dodgers | 2-run | Off the Braves' bullpen |
| Kyle Tucker | Dodgers | 2-run | Sixth inning |
| Max Muncy | Dodgers | Solo | Sixth inning, off AJ Smith-Shawver |
| Ozzie Albies | Braves | 432 feet | Ninth inning, cut it to 5-3 |
Muncy's swings were among the 'big moments' of the Dodgers' Game 1 win, per MLB.com. With Skubal established as the dominant arm, the Dodgers were free to press their offensive advantages, knowing that even a late Braves rally would have a four-run deficit to overcome.
The Ninth-Inning Echo
Atlanta had earned its way to this series. The Braves reached the Division Series by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series, per Fox Sports. Yet against Skubal's command and a Dodgers lineup loaded with power, they found little traction until the final inning.
Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the ninth with a single, per Yahoo Sports. That was enough to summon the possibility of resistance. Ozzie Albies answered with a 432-foot home run that cut the deficit to 5-3, per Yahoo Sports. It was the Braves' most emphatic moment of the night, and evidence that Atlanta would not go quietly, but it came too late to turn the game.
The Series Ahead
The Dodgers hold a 1-0 advantage in a best-of-five matchup, per ESPN, a valuable position in a short playoff series. Skubal's home postseason debut, the power of Hernandez, Tucker and Muncy, and Los Angeles' composure in 100-degree heat gave them the opener. The Braves, who already won a series to get here, now need three wins from the next four games.