Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Los Angeles Dodgers, chasing a rare World Series three-peat, rode six strong innings from pitcher Tarik Skubal and home runs from Teoscar Hernandez, Kyle Tucker, and Max Muncy to a 5-3 win over Atlanta in their Major League Baseball playoff opener on Saturday. Skubal, the reigning two-time Cy Young Award-winner acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline in August, delivered in his first post-season start for the Dodgers, settling down after surrendering an opening single to retire 15 straight batters.
In sizzling 100°F (38°C) temperatures at Dodger Stadium, Skubal gave up just two hits, including a solo homer to Sean Murphy in the sixth, and had ample support from the Dodgers’ offense as Los Angeles seized a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five National League division series. “I thought Tarik was fantastic,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought the fastball was really good. Murphy clipped him, ball above the zone with two strikes, but I thought the change-up today was really effective, kept them off balance… To go through six (innings) in these conditions I thought was fantastic.”
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Hernandez gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a 431-foot fourth-inning blast off Atlanta relief pitcher Victor Mederos, who had walked Freddie Freeman. Tucker doubled the lead with a two-run shot into the Braves’ dugout in the sixth inning, with Muncy adding a solo homer two batters later. The Braves threatened in the ninth as Ronald Acuña Jr. singled off Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott, and Ozzie Albies followed with a two-run homer to slice the deficit to 5-3. Scott retired two batters before Evan Phillips took the mound to record the final out.
The game was one of four second-round series openers on Saturday. The Chicago White Sox, fueled by a two-run home run from Munetaka Murakami, stunned the Guardians 3-0 in Cleveland for a 1-0 lead in their American League division series. Murakami belted his first MLB post-season homer to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, launching a pitch from Parker Messick 440 feet to the right-field seats at Progressive Field. The towering shot also scored Miguel Vargas, who had singled to left field to open the frame. “It was a perfect home run,” Murakami said. “I just hit it really nicely.”
The 26-year-old Murakami, who arrived in Chicago from Japan in the offseason on a two-year, $34 million deal, has been a key contributor in a remarkable turnaround for the White Sox. After three straight seasons with 100 or more defeats, the White Sox finished the regular season with an 84-74 record, snagging the sixth seed in the American League and ousting the Houston Astros in two games in the Wild Card round. Cleveland had their chances, leaving the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings.
Later Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays—top seeds in the American League—hosted the New York Yankees, who will be without star slugger Aaron Judge for the series as he continues to recover from a calf injury. The Milwaukee Brewers, top seeds in the National League after winning 103 regular-season games, host the surging San Diego Padres.
© 2024 AFP
