Los Angeles – The Dodgers estimated that they had responded to any concern about the state of their team in the last three weeks of the regular season, wrapping 15 victories in 20 games. But in case of doubt, they posted their full power in two joker clashes against the Reds of Cincinnati, the last of which, an 8-4 victory on Wednesday evening, put them forward in the series of the National League division.
Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, half a rotation of four men that the dodgers will ride in their quest for another title, combined to abandon two points deserved in 13 rounds. Ten strikers, on the other hand, accumulated 28 strokes, 15 of which came graciously of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, the upper half of what is still largely considered to be the deepest programming of sport. In the end, even a tired enclosure – an obstacle throughout the summer and a potential obstacle in the fall – received an essential boost.
Roki Sasaki, the precious Recruit Japanese departure launcher who became a lifter after finally returning his speed last month, registered for the top of the ninth round and sang the Reds with fast three -digit balls and pleated separators.
In the canoe, the teammates yelled.
Later, in the midst of a celebration soaked in champagne, many of them were always impressed.
“This guy is disgusting,” said the lifter of the Dodgers Tanner Scott.
“Wow,” added Max Muncy, third goal player. “All I can say is WOW.”
The Dodgers, forced to play for the first time in the series of the three best Jokers, qualified for the division series for the 13th consecutive year, tied with the Yankees of New York 1995-2007 for the longest sequence in the round. They will now travel to face the Philadelphia Phillies, which beat them in two of the three games at the Dodger Stadium in mid-September.
Take the ball in match 1 on Saturday, with an always undetermined playing time, it will be Ohtani.
“I know that Sho will revel in being in this environment and launching in match 1,” said Andrew Friedman, president of Dodgers, Andrew Friedman. “I think we have a really talented rotation. I think it’s going to be a force for us if we are going ahead.”
It was obvious Tuesday, when Snell varied the speed of its changes while granting two baskets in the first six heats. And it was obvious Wednesday, when Yamamoto launched the seventh round without abandoning a deserved race.
The Reds took an advance from the beginning of 2-0 when Hernandez dropped a fly ball with two withdrawals in the first and 21 years, the recruit Sal Stewart, followed with a single two points. From there, Yamamoto withdrew 13 consecutive strikers, five via the stick with stick. The Reds loaded the bases against him without withdrawal in the sixth while dragging through a race, but Yamamoto in a way, bringing Austin Hays to a force at home and hitting Stewart and Elly de la Cruz, both on the curve balls.
Twenty-two months ago, the Dodgers projected Yamamoto with the largest contract ever awarded to a starting launcher. He wins in most of the regular season of 2024, finally gathered in shape in the playoffs and followed by the creation of a season of Cy Young-Calibre in 2025. During his last five regular season departures, he granted three points in 34 rounds. This domination continued in October.
“He showed why he obtained the contract he obtained,” said Muncy. “It’s really impressive to be behind him. You eat.”
The Dodgers offensive took off for four points immediately after Yamamoto blocks the loaded bases, marking four strokes and traveling 10 strikers. Just like in match 1, it seemed that the team accelerated towards victory. And just like in match 1, the enclosure of the lifts made it much more interesting than it should have been.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sent Yamamoto for the seventh and watched her throw 113 career throws in the hope of putting less burden on his lifters. He bought two additional withdrawals before Roberts turned to Blake Treinen to end the Channel.
But the eighth was once again difficult. Twenty-four hours after watching the Reds score three points off Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer in the eighth round on Tuesday, Roberts turned to Emmet Sheehan, the starting young launcher who asserted a business as the best weapon of dodgers in these playoffs, and hoped for a more fluid ride.
Sheehan allowed the first four strikers to reach. He abandoned a fly of sacrifice towards Tyler Stephenson and then took ahead in counting 0-2 against Will Benson and launched a cursor who almost struck him.
Roberts had seen enough. With two on, a withdrawal, the account 1-2 and two points already across, he approached the mound, shared a word with Sheehan then called Vesia. Sheehan became the first launcher to have been withdrawn from an post-season match in the middle of a bat with two strikes since match 5 of the 2021 NL championship series, when Roberts replaced a Joe Kelly injured with Evan Phillips.
“I trust him,” said Roberts about Sheehan. “It was his first real crack to a little late lever. He was not sharp, but I believe in him.”
Vesia, a left -handed, withdrew the pinch thickness on the right Miguel Andujar with a quick ball at the first step, then walked Matt Mclain and withdrew TJ Friedl with a low and far cursor to end the threat. A round later, Sasaki came out of the lift enclosure, destroyed the Reds strikers, recorded three fast outings and, according to what happens in the following weeks, could have changed the complexion of the pitching staff.
A month ago, the Dodgers languished. Their attack was incoherent, their rotation only ended in shape and their enclosure of the lifts was a mess.
Now, it seems, they are optimistic.
“I think we can win everything,” said Roberts when he asked him how far he believed that his team can go. “I think we are equipped to do it. We certainly have the pedigree. We are certainly hungry. We play super baseball. And in all honesty, I don’t care who we are playing. I just want to be the last standing team.”
