Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning, erasing an early deficit and lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Sportsbooks listed the Dodgers as slight -115 moneyline favorites, with the Phillies set at -105. The over/under was eight runs, and the two clubs combined for that total, matching the projection in a tightly contested opener.
Hernández, who had misplayed a ball in right field that led to a two-run triple, redeemed himself in a decisive moment. With two runners on base and two outs in the seventh, he connected on a Matt Strahm fastball and sent it to the opposite field for a three-run homer, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 Dodgers lead. The blast capped a late rally that bailed out Shohei Ohtani, who endured a frustrating night at the plate but settled in on the mound after a shaky start.
Ohtani, making his first postseason start as a pitcher, allowed three runs in the second inning but struck out nine over six innings to win. After yielding J.T. Realmuto’s two-run triple and Harrison Bader’s sacrifice fly in the early frames, the two-time MVP settled down, retiring 12 of the next 14 hitters. His performance marked a first in Major League Baseball history: no player had ever struck out nine batters as a pitcher and four times as a hitter in the same postseason game.
The Dodgers’ bullpen held on late to preserve the win. Alex Vesia entered in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and got pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa to fly out to center, ending the threat. Rookie Roki Sasaki struck out two in the ninth to record his first postseason save, combining with Ohtani to become the first Japanese-born starter and reliever tandem to earn a win and save in the same playoff game.
Kiké Hernández had earlier trimmed Philadelphia’s lead in the sixth with a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line off Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, who had dominated early with eight strikeouts through five innings. Sánchez, pressed into the Game 1 assignment after Zack Wheeler’s season-ending injury, departed after allowing two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings.
David Robertson relieved Sánchez but struggled, hitting Will Smith with a pitch and allowing a single to start the seventh before giving way to Strahm, who surrendered the go-ahead homer.
Ohtani went 0 for four at the plate before drawing a ninth-inning walk. The Dodgers’ offense, held quiet early, erupted late with clutch hits that silenced a raucous Citizens Bank Park crowd.
The Phillies’ offense faltered after the third inning, managing only two hits the rest of the way. Their top four hitters — Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm — combined to go 1 for 13 with one run scored.
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday in Philadelphia. The Dodgers will start left-hander Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, while the Phillies will counter with right-hander Jesús Luzardo, who went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA and 216 strikeouts during the regular season.
The Dodgers, winners of their last five postseason games dating back to the Wild Card round, can take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series before returning to Los Angeles.
