PHILADELPHIA. — In a pitching duel worthy of the postseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers held on until the last out to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Monday night and take a 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series (NLDS).
With Blake Snell‘s dominance from the mound and a key play by Puerto Rican Enrique “Kiké” Hernández, the Californians prevailed in a dramatic finish that leaves them just one win away from advancing to the Championship Series.
The decisive moment came in the seventh inning, when Hernandez hit a weak ground ball of 35.4 mph that barely surpassed the mound, enough to allow the Dominican Teóscar Hernandez to score the first run of the game. That action opened the offensive floodgates for the Dodgers, who secured a lead that almost slipped away in the ninth inning.
In the closing, the Phillies threatened a comeback by scoring twice with no outs, forcing manager Dave Roberts to use three relievers —Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, and Roki Sasaki— to get the final three outs. The victory was sealed thanks to a spectacular catch by Freddie Freeman on a deflected throw by Tommy Edman that averted disaster.
For his part, Blake Snell shone again on the mound with a pitching gem: six scoreless innings allowing only one hit, becoming only the second pitcher in Dodgers history to record that line in the postseason, along with Walker Buehler (2019).
The bullpen withstood the final pressure and Shohei Ohtani —who won Game 1— was once again the protagonist, while Roki Sasaki was credited with the save.
The history also favors the Los Angeles team: teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series have won 88.9% of the time (80 of 90), and under the current format (2-2-1), the visiting team that goes up 2-0 has advanced in 16 of 18 occasions, including 12 sweeps.
With the series now moving to the Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles will have the opportunity to close at home.
With Blake Snell‘s dominance from the mound and a key play by Puerto Rican Enrique “Kiké” Hernández, the Californians prevailed in a dramatic finish that leaves them just one win away from advancing to the Championship Series.
The decisive moment came in the seventh inning, when Hernandez hit a weak ground ball of 35.4 mph that barely surpassed the mound, enough to allow the Dominican Teóscar Hernandez to score the first run of the game. That action opened the offensive floodgates for the Dodgers, who secured a lead that almost slipped away in the ninth inning.
