In a series opener between two of MLB’s top teams, the Dodgers prevail 4-3 thanks to Pages’ fourth hit of the evening and game-winning single. Teoscar Hernandez hits a home run and Gavin Stone gives up only one run in six solid innings.
This time, when October drew near, there was no debate over which team in the National League is the greatest; there was also no MVP competition to decide.
This time, the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves met as two incredibly gifted teams still figuring things out in the early going, and it turned out that they were at similar stages of the process.
In the season series opener between the two NL heavyweights, the Dodgers emerged victorious 4-3 on Friday night thanks to a walk-off RBI single from Andy Pages in the 11th inning. The rookie had a spectacular finish to his first four-hit game.
The last time the Dodgers and Braves faced off at Dodger Stadium towards the end of the previous season, there was far less excitement for this encounter. However, the atmosphere just got more intense as the hour grew later, so in many respects, it ended up being comparable.
A year ago, Ronald Acuña Jr. stunned the Dodgers with an early grand slam and made a lasting impression in an Atlanta series victory, winning the NL MVP award player.
Acuña’s solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday night knotted the game at two runs and eventually prompted extra innings. Acuña came into the game with just one home run, but his 29 runs scored tied him for third place in the major leagues. Among the three was Mookie Betts of the Dodgers.
The Braves defeated the Dodgers three games to none with a month remaining in the 2023 regular season, in what appeared to be a National League Championship preview. However, both teams fell short in the NL Division Series.
Acuña hit his home shot, but Matt Olson, another star, went 0 for 4 to extend his early-season slump.
While Betts and former Brave Freddie Freeman were mostly quiet with just one hit apiece, the Dodgers also have their stars. Gavin Stone was the team’s rock on Friday, pitching six innings, giving up one run on five hits, a walk, and five strikeouts. The remaining batters faced by the bullpen gave up one earned run on one hit.
Orlando Arcia’s sacrifice fly gave the Braves a lead in the tenth inning, but Shohei Ohtani’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the game a chance to stay alive.
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