MLB: Braves oust defending champion Dodgers to reach World Series

LOS ANGELES -- The Atlanta Braves punched their ticket to their first World Series in over two decades Saturday, toppling the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 to wrap up the National League Championship Series in six games.

The Braves, who will face the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball's Fall Classic, rolled over the Dodgers by jumping on their starting pitcher Walker Buehler in the first inning.

The win ended a string of heartbreaking potential elimination losses for the Braves who had four previous chances in the last two years to book a trip to the World Series but failed.

Atlanta advanced to their sixth World Series all-time and their first since 1999. 

"It is amazing. This organization has been around a long time and it has been a long time since we got to the World Series," said first baseman Freddie Freeman.

"We took it to another level with what we did in the second half (regular season) and postseason."

The World Series starts Tuesday in Houston, which will host the first two games before they switch to Atlanta.

The turning point Saturday was a three-run fourth inning that featured a 361-foot home run to right field by slugger Eddie Rosario, who scored teammates Travis d'Arnaud and Ehire Adrianza. Rosario's blast landed just inside the right outfield pole.

"I'm at a loss for words to be honest," Rosario said. "I gave everything I had for the team, for a World Series. I just left it all out there. I'm extremely proud of myself and the team for getting to the World Series."

Last season the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series in six games for their first championship since 1988.

Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson got the final out, snagging a ground ball and throwing to first to get Dodgers AJ Pollock out, sparking a wild celebration on the field around Braves closer Will Smith.

Last season, the Braves took a commanding 3-1 series lead in the NLCS over the Dodgers, giving them three chances to advance to the World Series. 

But Los Angeles brushed aside all of those Atlanta opportunities, doing it in the neutral-site stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Saturday's loss snapped the Dodgers' run of winning seven consecutive playoff elimination games.

The Dodgers pitching staff were in trouble before Saturday's game even began. Los Angeles was expected to start Max Scherzer, but the ace right-hander was scratched from the start. 

Scherzer gave up two runs over four innings of game two on Sunday and said that his arm was too sore to pitch in game six.

The Dodgers instead had to turn to Buehler on short rest. Buehler was initially scheduled to start a potential game seven on Sunday.

The Braves made a couple of clutch defensive plays in the top of the sixth inning, including a one-hop snag at first base by dual American-Canadian citizen Freeman to get Dodgers baserunner Trea Turner out.

Agence France-Presse

Dodgers beat Rays to draw first blood in World Series

Mookie Betts hit a home run, stole two bases and scored twice as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 to win the first game of the World Series in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.

The favored Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when center fielder Cody Bellinger laced a home run over the right field fence.

The Rays hit back with a Kevin Kiermaier solo shot but the Dodgers then raced away, Max Muncy’s RBI double extending their lead to 8-1 by the end of the sixth.

The Rays plated two runs and threatened more in the seventh but a sharply hit ball found the mitt of Dodgers relief pitcher Victor Gonzalez, who threw to second for a double play to end the inning.

The win saw Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who has struggled at times in the postseason throughout his career, throw six strong innings, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out eight to earn the win.

“It’s great to get this series going with a win. That’s the biggest thing,” Kershaw said.

“It’s always important to get that first game of a series and for me personally, it’s awesome to get to pitch well in a World Series.

“I’m just thankful to get that opportunity.”

Kershaw applauded his team’s hitters, who made Rays starter Tyler Glasnow work for every out.

“Glasnow has unbelievable stuff and for us to keep fouling pitches off, grinding it out, getting a lot of walks, getting guys on base … it’s a testament to their at-bat quality,” he said.

After a truncated 60-game season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the best-of-seven World Series is being played entirely at the new Globe Life Field with a limited number of fans in attendance.

The Dodgers, appearing in the World Series for the third time in four years, are looking to win their first title since 1988.

The Rays are hoping to claim their first championship after coming up short in their only appearance in 2008.

Game 2 is on Wednesday.

-reuters

Red Sox LEAD WS 2-0; Dodgers pay d’ price

BOSTON –  From playoff flop to October ace in two legacy-shifting starts, David Price earned his second postseason victory in a row and moved the Boston Red Sox halfway to yet another World Series title.

The Red Sox left-hander pitched six innings of three-hit ball, and major league RBI leader J.D. Martinez broke a fifth-inning tie during another two-out rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Game 3 is Friday in Los Angeles. The Dodgers need a win to avoid a 0-3 deficit that no World Series team has ever recovered from.


“This is the biggest stage in baseball,” Price said after his longest postseason outing since signing a seven-year, $217 million contract to come to Boston in 2016. “To be able to do that, it feels good, for sure. I’m pumped for myself, pumped for all my teammates and coaches for us to be two wins away.”

Mookie Betts had three hits for the Red Sox, who have won 14 of their last 16 World Series games dating to a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. They have won two more championships since then, in ‘07 and ‘13.

Not bad for a team that went the previous 86 years without a title.And Price had battled a curse of his own.

The one-time Dodgers draft pick has pitched like an ace in the regular season but was 0-9 in his first 10 postseason starts before this October. Whether with Tampa Bay, Toronto, Detroit or Boston, his team had never won a playoff game he started before this year.

But the Red Sox have now won his last three postseason starts, including the ALCS Game 5 clincher against the defending World Series champion Astros  in which he pitched six shutout innings.

source: philstar.com

Yellow towels scream: ‘One tough crew’

Brewers bang up Dodgers, force Game 7

MILWAUKEE – Ryan Braun slid across home plate and raised his arms in sheer joy.

A big lead, a bruising bullpen and a boisterous crowd have the Milwaukee Brewers all set up for Game 7.

Jesus Aguilar sparked Milwaukee’s slumping lineup with three RBIs on a pair of two-out hits, and the Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 on Friday night to even the NL Championship Series at three games each.


Game 7 is Saturday night in front of the same frenzied crowd that booed Manny Machado vociferously after he tangled with Aguilar while the series was in Los Angeles. Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler faces journeyman Jhoulys Chacin, with well-rested relief ace Josh Hader looming in the bullpen for Milwaukee after a surprise day off.

It’s the first Game 7 for the Brewers since losing to St. Louis in 1982 in their only World Series appearance. The Dodgers dropped Game 7 of the World Series last year to Houston.


David Freese led off this Game 6 with a home run that quieted Miller Park  – but just for a moment.

Backed by raucous fans waving yellow towels that read “ONE TOUGH CREW,” Milwaukee rebounded from consecutive losses at Dodger Stadium with the same formula it used to win the NL Central during a breakout season.

Some timely hitting by Aguilar and company produced an early lead, and Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress led the way in another shutdown performance by Milwaukee’s tough bullpen.

Los Angeles was looking for its second straight NL pennant and some time to prepare for the mighty Boston Red Sox in the World Series. But losing pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was tagged for four runs in the first inning, two on a double by Aguilar that sent Braun sliding home.

After Wade Miley pitched into the fifth inning in his second straight start  – he faced only one batter in Game 5  – Knebel, Jeffress and Corbin Burnes closed it out with hitless relief. Knebel got the win and Burnes retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth, setting off a wild celebration for the crowd of 43,619.

source: philstar.com