Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández each hit two home runs, and Blake Snell struck out nine over seven innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers powered past the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in the opener of their National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles entered the matchup as heavy -180 favorites on the moneyline, with Cincinnati listed at +155. The total was set at 8.5 runs, and the teams combined for 15, sending the game comfortably over.
The Dodgers, attempting to defend their World Series crown, tied a franchise postseason record with five home runs while collecting 15 hits. Ohtani, who set a career high with 55 homers during the regular season, opened the scoring immediately by driving a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds ace Hunter Greene into the right-field pavilion at 117.7 mph off the bat. It was the fastest pitch Ohtani has homered against in his career. He later added a towering 454-foot two-run homer off Connor Phillips in the sixth inning, though he also struck out three times.
Hernández provided the decisive blow in the third inning. After Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy drew back-to-back walks, both advanced on a wild pitch before Hernández delivered a three-run homer to left field. Tommy Edman followed immediately with a solo shot, giving Los Angeles a 5-0 cushion. Hernández later added his second homer of the night in the fifth inning, extending the lead to 6-0.
Snell, making his first postseason start since 2022, was dominant. The left-hander allowed only one hit through six innings, a double by Matt McClain that eluded third baseman Max Muncy in the third. Cincinnati managed two runs against Snell in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Elly De La Cruz and a double from Tyler Stephenson, but by then the Dodgers had built a sizable lead. Snell matched his postseason career high for strikeouts and produced the longest playoff outing of his career, improving to 1-0 in the series.
The Reds rallied late against a shaky Dodgers bullpen. In the eighth inning, Los Angeles relievers Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer combined to issue four walks, forcing in runs as Cincinnati cut the deficit to 10-5. The inning drew boos from the Dodger Stadium crowd, but Tanner Scott closed out the ninth to secure the win.
Greene, making his postseason debut in his hometown, struggled with command. He allowed three home runs and five runs overall in just three innings, throwing 65 pitches before being lifted. He struck out four but walked three, and Reds manager Terry Francona said afterward that the young starter “paid the price” for missed locations.
The Reds will look to extend the series on Wednesday night with right-hander Zack Littell (10-8, 3.81 ERA) scheduled to start. The Dodgers will counter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA), who finished the regular season ranked second in the National League in ERA.