DODGERS GET OFF TO FAST START IN GAME 1 TRIUMPH OVER REDS
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez each hit a pair of home runs, Blake Snell went seven strong innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers finished off a 10-5 victory in Game 1 of a National League wild-card series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.
Tommy Edman added his own home run as the defending champion Dodgers moved a victory away from a matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series.
The Dodgers’ five home runs tied a franchise record for a playoff game.
Snell (1-0) gave up two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in his first playoff start since 2022 as a member of the San Diego Padres.
Reds right-hander Hunter Green (0-1) gave up five runs on six hits with three home runs as the Reds continue to search for their first playoff victory since 2012. Elly De La Cruz drove in two runs and scored one for Cincinnati.
The Reds’ offense came to life with all five runs over the final three innings.
Ohtani turned around a 100.4-mph fastball from Green in the opening inning with a line-drive home run that came off the bat at 117.7 mph.
Los Angeles took control in the third when Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy walked with one out and Hernandez hit a home run to left field for a 4-0 lead. Edman followed two pitches later with his own home run down the right-field line.
In the fifth, Hernandez added his second home run, this one off Connor Phillips for a 6-0 advantage. It was his second career multi-homer game in the postseason (2022).
Ohtani added his second homer in the sixth, also against Phillips, for his first postseason multi-homer game. Ohtani’s power display came after a 55-homer regular season that broke his own franchise record set last season.
De La Cruz got the Reds on the scoreboard in the seventh with an RBI grounder before scoring on a Tyler Stephenson double. The Dodgers got the runs right back on an error by Reds right fielder Noelvi Marte and a single from Ben Rortvedt.
The wayward Dodgers bullpen struggled in its first inning of the playoffs as Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer all pitched in the eighth, combining to allow three runs with four walks. The Reds’ Sal Stewart and De La Cruz each had a bases-loaded walk.
RED SOX RALLY OFF YANKEES’ BULLPEN, CAPTURE GAME 1
NEW YORK — Garrett Crochet struck out 11 in 7 2/3 outstanding innings as the Boston Red Sox went ahead after getting Max Fried out of the game and opened their American League wild-card series with a 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
Boston grabbed the advantage in the best-of-three series as Masataka Yoshida hit a pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh inning and Alex Bregman added an RBI double in the ninth. Carlos Rodon starts for the Yankees against Brayan Bello on Wednesday.
Crochet (1-0) allowed four hits in his first career postseason start after making four relief appearances for the Chicago White Sox in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs. He walked none and retired 17 straight at one point.
After getting the first two outs of the second inning, Crochet gave up a homer to Anthony Volpe that gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Crochet did not allow another baserunner until permitting a single to center field by Volpe on his 109th pitch. The left-hander ended his night at a career-high 117 pitches by reaching 100 mph on a called third strike to Austin Wells, who thought he walked.
Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman retired Jose Caballero on a flyball to end the eighth after balking Volpe to second on a disengagement violation.
Chapman allowed three straight singles to load the bases in the ninth but escaped. He struck out Giancarlo Stanton, got Jazz Chisholm Jr. to fly out and by fanned Trent Grisham on a 101 mph fastball to notch his 11th career postseason save.
Crochet did not get the lead until Fried exited after firing 6 1/3 scoreless innings and 102 pitches.
Luke Weaver (0-1) entered and struggled to command his changeup, walking Ceddanne Rafaela to cap an 11-pitch encounter. Nick Sogard hit another changeup for a hustle double to right field, putting runners at second and third.
Yoshida batted for Rob Refsnyder and the Red Sox went ahead when he hit a fastball to center field for a base hit, easily scoring the runners.
In the top of the ninth, Bregman doubled to left field off David Bednar after Trevor Story singled and stole second.
Fried allowed four hits in his New York postseason debut. The left-hander struck out six and walked three, including a free pass to Carlos Narvaez in the sixth on a nine-pitch plate appearance that drove up his pitch count.
The Yankees went ahead when Volpe lifted a 1-2 sinker to right field with two outs in the second.
CUBS BELT BACK-TO-BACK HRS IN GAME 1 WIN OVER PADRES
Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly belted back-to-back homers to lead off the fifth inning, lifting the host Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their National League wild-card series on Tuesday.
Daniel Palencia (1-0) struck out two and retired all five batters he faced in relief of starter Matthew Boyd. Former Padre Drew Pomeranz retired the side in order in the seventh inning, Andrew Kittredge did the same in the eighth and Brad Keller followed suit in the ninth to secure the save.
Chicago, which last reached the postseason in 2020, will look to wrap up the best-of-three series at home on Wednesday afternoon.
Nico Hoerner collected two of his team’s six hits and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning off former Cub Jeremiah Estrada.
Xander Bogaerts ripped an RBI double in the second inning and had two of the four hits for the Padres.
Chicago was limited to just one hit through the first four innings before Suzuki and Kelly emphatically erased a 1-0 deficit.
Suzuki deposited a 2-1 fastball from Nick Pivetta (0-1) over the wall in center field and Kelly sent a 2-2 fastball into the seats in left-center field.
Suzuki’s homer was his sixth in the last five games, while Kelly’s blast was his first since Sept. 10.
Pivetta permitted two runs on three hits while striking out nine batters in five innings.
Jackson Merrill doubled to lead off the second inning and trotted home after Bogaerts drove the ball that one-hopped to the wall in center field. Bogaerts advanced to third base on a throwing error, however Boyd retired the next three batters to limit the damage.
The Padres also threatened in the fourth inning after Manny Machado advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt and an infield single. Boyd, however, induced a pop out to shallow center field and a flyout to end the inning.
TARIK SKUBAL FANS 14, TIGERS EDGE GUARDIANS 2-1 TO KICK OFF PLAYOFFS
CLEVELAND — Tarik Skubal struck out a record-setting 14 over 7 2/3 innings and Riley Greene scored on Zach McKinstry’s go-ahead sacrifice bunt in the seventh, giving the Detroit Tigers a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of their American League wild-card series on Tuesday afternoon.
Reigning Cy Young Award winner Skubal (1-0) allowed one run on three hits and walked three in a 107-pitch gem. The left-hander made his third consecutive start against AL Central champion Cleveland in a 13-day span and beat them for the first time.
Skubal broke the mark of 13 strikeouts in a wild-card game, previously held by Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, both in 2020. Will Vest recorded the final four outs for the save.
“I was just worried about executing each pitch and trying to do my best pitch-to-pitch and do what I do that makes me a great pitcher,” Skubal said.
The Guardians put a runner on third with no outs in the ninth as Jose Ramirez singled and advanced on a throwing error by shortstop Javier Baez. Vest quelled the threat by striking out George Valera, tagging out Ramirez on Kyle Manzardo’s grounder back to the mound, and inducing a popout by pinch hitter C.J. Kayfus.
“You hope with a runner on third and no out that we could hit a ball to the outfield,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Wednesday in Cleveland.
Both Tigers runs off Guardians starter Gavin Williams (0-1) were unearned thanks to errors by Johnathan Rodriguez in the first and Jhonkensy Noel in the seventh. The right-hander scattered five hits and one walk over six-plus innings, striking out eight.
“It’s a three-game series for a reason,” Williams said. “We’ve got to win two, and that’s what we’re trying to do starting (Wednesday). I wish the first inning never happened. I left a couple pitches up in the zone and they hit them.”
Greene led off the seventh with a double and moved to third when first baseman Noel dropped the throw from Brayan Rocchio on Wenceel Perez’s grounder. McKinstry’s one-out bunt to Noel came against reliever Hunter Gaddis, easily bringing home Greene.
The Tigers got on the board in the top of the first on Spencer Torkelson’s single to left field, plating Kerry Carpenter from second. Guardians right fielder Rodriguez mishandled Carpenter’s single while attempting to pick up the ball.
Gutsy baserunning by Angel Martinez allowed Cleveland to tie it 1-all in the fourth. Martinez was on second when Gabriel Arias hit a chopper over Skubal, who fielded the ball behind the mound, but not in time to beat Martinez to the plate.
Home plate umpire Shane Livensparger initially called Martinez out, but it was overturned on a replay challenge by Vogt as Martinez’s hand slid under Dillon Dingler’s tag.
The Guardians won eight of the teams’ 13 regular-season contests after beating Detroit in five games in the 2024 AL Division Series.
“Anyone new to the Tigers and Guardians, this is what they look like. Like every game,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “Obviously, Tarik set an incredible tone for us. He’s been incredible for us all season, but what a performance at the biggest moments in the biggest stage to get us in a great position to win the game.”
