A gold hit by slugger Austin Riley in the ninth inning gave the Atlanta Braves a 3 × 2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting their National Major League Championship Series 1-0. Suspenders.
The game reached the ninth inning tied at two runs when Ozzie Albies singled and stole second, from where he scored on Riley’s liner to left field to leave the Los Angeles team lying on the grass.
Riley was the player of the match with a home run in the fourth inning. For the Dodgers, she was removed from the park by catcher Smith.
The victory went to reliever Will Smith (1-0) and the setback for fellow fire extinguisher Blake Treiner (0-1).
This Sunday the second game of this series will take place at the same venue in Atlanta with a pitching duel between Ian Anderson for the locals and Max Scherzer for the Californian ninth.
Atlanta and Los Angeles contest the National League Championship Series for the second consecutive year.
Last year, the Braves held a 3-1 lead before the Dodgers responded with three straight wins to take the League pennant 4-3. The Dodgers later beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series.
“It’s always a challenge to face this (Dodgers) team,” said cautious Braves manager Brian Snitker. “No matter how familiar you are with them, it is always a challenge when you have a series against them,” he added.
– Despite everything, Braves smile –
Despite the absences of three stars such as the Dominican Marcell Ozuna, the Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Cuban Jorge Soler (covid-19), the Braves came out aggressive in the same first chapter with a career on hits from the Puerto Rican Eddie Rosario, who stole second, reached third on a selection play and scored on a wild pitch by the pitcher.
Still, the Dodgers’ strong sluggers responded late in that inning and tied the score on a double by AJ Pollock and an RBI single by Chris Taylor.
In the fourth, the Dodgers went up 2-for-1 on Smith’s homer, but the Braves caught up with him late in that chapter by hitting Riley.
The game went on without much trouble until the ninth act when the home team left the dangerous Los Angeles team on the field with Riley’s gold hit.
Earlier, in the sixth inning, the Dodgers dropped a man at third when they were retired on a defensive gem from Curaçao Albies, who in a feline jump caught an apparent hit off slugger Pollock. AFP (HN)