Los Angeles Dodgers Hold Off the Milwaukee Brewers To Take a Commanding 3-0 NLCS Lead
The Los Angeles Dodgers are officially knocking on the World Series door, and they’re knocking hard. After a commanding 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium, the Boys in Blue sit just one win away from their second consecutive “Fall Classic” appearance.
Ohtani Finally Breaks Out of His Postseason Slump
Remember when everyone was wondering if Shohei Ohtani had forgotten how to hit a baseball? Well, he answered those critics spectacularly Thursday evening. The two-way superstar, who had been struggling mightily with a 2-for-25 performance and 12 strikeouts before Game 3, launched a leadoff triple down the right-field line that had Dodger Stadium erupting like a volcano.
That triple wasn’t just a hit – it was a statement. Ohtani had been pressing harder than a panini maker during the playoffs, but when his team needed him most, he delivered the spark that ignited a crucial victory.
Mookie Betts, never one to waste a golden opportunity, followed up Ohtani’s triple with an RBI double that sent the Japanese sensation home and gave Los Angeles the early 1-0 advantage. Sometimes in baseball, momentum shifts happen in the blink of an eye, and this was one of those moments.
Glasnow Delivers When It Matters Most
Tyler Glasnow took the mound for the Dodgers with the weight of October on his shoulders, and the hometown hero delivered exactly what his team needed. Pitching just miles from where he grew up in Santa Clarita, Glasnow carved up the Brewers lineup for 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out eight batters.
The only blemish on Glasnow’s otherwise stellar performance came in the second inning when a diving attempt by Kiké Hernández came up just short. The ball rolled to the wall, allowing Caleb Durbin to reach third base, and Jake Bauers capitalized with an RBI single to tie the game at 1.
The Brewers’ Bullpen Strategy Backfires Spectacularly
Milwaukee Manager Pat Murphy made the bold decision to use an opener strategy for Game 3, starting Aaron Ashby instead of a traditional starter. That decision lasted exactly one batter and 36 seconds before Ashby was yanked after Ohtani’s leadoff triple.
Enter Jacob Misiorowski, the rookie sensation known as “The Miz,” who had been terrorizing hitters all season with his 103-mph fastball and devastating slider. For five innings, Misiorowski looked like he was throwing bowling balls past the Dodgers hitters, retiring 15 of the next 16 batters he faced while striking out nine. But baseball has a funny way of humbling even the most dominant performers, and Misiorowski learned that lesson the hard way in the sixth inning.
The Sixth Inning That Changed Everything
With the score still knotted at 1 entering the sixth, the Dodgers’ offense finally solved “The Miz.” Will Smith worked a single, Freddie Freeman drew a walk, and then Tommy Edman, the veteran who seems to have ice water in his veins, jumped on the first pitch he saw and lined it to center field for an RBI single that gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead.
The insurance run came courtesy of a comedy of errors by Brewers Reliever Abner Uribe, whose pickoff attempt sailed into the stands, allowing Freeman to score and extend the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.
Bullpen Steps Up When Needed Most
The Dodgers bullpen, which has been as reliable as a weather forecast this season, suddenly looked like the 1990s Atlanta Braves relief corps. Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda, and rookie sensation Roki Sasaki combined for 3.1 scoreless innings to slam the door on Milwaukee’s comeback hopes.
Sasaki, pitching with the composure of a 10-year veteran despite being younger than some of the bats in the Dodgers’ dugout, struck out the final batter in the ninth inning to send the 51,251 fans in attendance into a frenzy that probably registered on the Richter scale. The way this bullpen performed Thursday night gives Dodgers fans hope that maybe, just maybe, October magic is finally on their side again.
