Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox calls for a pitching change during the third inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
The Phillies are going to have to dig a little deeper in their managerial search.
World Series-winning Red Sox manager Alex Cora informed the Phillies that he plans to sit out the 2027 season, meaning he will not be going to Philadelphia, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
Heyman reported that Cora’s decision mostly came down to family reasons, as he’s been enjoying time with them. He is also getting married in November.
Alex Cora calls for a pitching change during the third inning of the Red Sox’s loss to the Yankees on Oct. 1, 2025 in Game 1 of their AL wild card series in The Bronx. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
It’s not the first time Cora has turned down the Phillies and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski this year. After the Phillies fired Rob Thomson after a sluggish start, the team reached out to Cora — who had recently been canned by the Red Sox. Dombrowski and Cora had worked together in Boston for the team’s last World Series championship in 2018.
The Phillies instead made Don Mattingly the interim manager. The Yankees great went 79-55 as the Phillies squeaked into the postseason as the final National League wild-card entrant. They fell in three games to the rival Braves in the first round.
Though it was previously reported that Mattingly was expected to be dismissed, Heyman reported Wednesday that it is possible he does return to the Philadelphia dugout.
Alex Cora reacts in the dugout during the fourth inning of the Red Sox’s season-ending loss to the Yankees on Oct. 3, 2025 in Game 3 of their AL wild card series in The Bronx. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Cora finished with a 620-541 record with the Red Sox and made the playoffs three times.
ATLANTA –– Seemingly every October, the same question arises.
Over the years, Kiké Hernández has supplied a wide range of answers.
Sometimes, it’s a simple joke: “I like Halloween,” he quipped two years ago.
Kiké Hernández is already back in his October form. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
Others, it’s a more introspective –– albeit, self-deprecating –– response: “My brain’s all over the place, man,” he said before Game 7 of last year’s World Series. “I got really bad ADHD.”
Usually, however, the explanation boils down to one simple factor, having to do with focus and fearlessness in the highest-pressure of situations.
Why is he, as a relatively mediocre regular-season hitter over his 13-year career, such a consistent force in the playoffs?
“It’s almost like when you’re in school and you have a project for two months, and then you leave it for the last day,” he said this time a year ago. “That’s kind of a similar way [it works in the playoffs]. I’m able to stay in the moment and, like, stay really, really focused.”
Enrique Hernandez circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As usual, the Dodgers deployed Hernández like an ace up their sleeve, inserting him into the starting lineup to face star Braves pitcher Chris Sale with the best-of-five series knotted at one game apiece.
And, as usual, Hernández delivered, producing the decisive swing on a two-run homer in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win at Truist Park.
“It’s something I take a lot of pride in, but don’t really think about it too much,” Hernández said. “It’s something that, once I’m done playing, I’m going to look back on and be really proud of, because the way my career has gone, in terms of finding myself each and every year in October.”
Indeed, Hernández has a way of looking –– and getting –– lost in the regular season, especially in recent years while being relegated to a part-time spot on the Dodgers’ bench.
This season, the 35-year-old appeared in just 41 regular season games, getting less than 100 total plate appearances because of elbow and oblique injuries, but also a loaded Dodgers roster that leaves at-bats at a premium for fringe players like him.
It didn’t help that he hit only .222, lowering his career regular-season average to .235 to go along with a .706 OPS (a shade under league-average production when measured by OPS+).
Entering this October, he had no clear pathway to regular playing time, either, with the Dodgers boasting entrenched regulars at all nine positions.
No matter.
Since rejoining the Dodgers as a trade deadline acquisition in 2023, the utilityman has come to accept that “my role is not to necessarily be in there all year or every day.” He knew that, at some point, he would be summoned to provide a boost for the two-time defending champions.
“It would have been nice to get a little bit of a warm-up before [having to face] Chris Sale,” he joked. “But I’m just glad I’m here talking about something positive and not something negative.”
Hernández celebrates his homer with his teammates. AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Rare is it, of course, that Hernández doesn’t make a positive impact when called upon.
At this point, he has turned majestic playoff performances into an almost annual tradition.
There was his three-homer outburst in the Dodgers’ pennant-clinching victory in Game 5 of the 2017 NL Championship Series. His game-tying, pinch-hit blast in Game 7 of the 2020 NLCS. His go-ahead shot early in a winner-take-all Game 5 triumph over the Padres in the 2024 NLDS. His season-saving double-play in left field in Game 6 of last year’s Fall Classic.
And that doesn’t even include what he did for the Boston Red Sox during their run to the ALCS in 2021, when he batted .408 with five home runs during his one postseason campaign away from Los Angeles.
“He’s a big-time player,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s always prepared. He loves moments like this. He has a way to lock in.”
Thus, in the run-up to a pivotal Game 3 on Tuesday night, and in the face of a daunting task against the Braves’ left-handed ace in Sale, Roberts turned to Hernández to give the offense some “added intensity, urgency,” starting him at third base in place of the left-handed-hitting Max Muncy.
“We needed a little bit of that Kiké dust,” Roberts said.
And, surprise, surprise — he came through once again.
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Enrique Hernandez hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After the Dodgers squandered several early chances against Sale, Hernández stepped up with one on and one out in the fourth inning, hoping to simply “grind out the at-bat” and keep stressing Sale’s climbing pitch count.
But when the former Cy Young Award winner tried to sneak back-to-back changeups by him, Hernández was ready for it.
“He doubled up on the changeup,” Hernández said. “My eyes recognized it.”
With a vicious swing that sent the ball screaming off his bat at 106.8 mph, Hernández launched a 406-foot drive deep into the left-field seats, breaking open what had been a scoreless pitchers’ duel previously.
The scene that followed was triumphantly familiar, with Hernández pounding his chest and screaming his lungs out as his Dodgers teammates erupted in the dugout down the third-base line.
The 2-0 lead would last, as well, thanks to seven dominant innings from Yoshinobu Yamamoto –– who, while facing a jam in the fifth, also got a quick pep talk from Hernández instilling him with confidence and featuring a “dirty word,” the pitcher joked –– that propelled the Dodgers to a two-games-to-one series lead.
“He converts himself into this kind of monster when it comes to the playoffs, and when it matters the most,” said teammate Miguel Rojas, another veteran role player who has drawn so much inspiration from Hernández’s repeated heroics that he texted him last week to tell him “how much I appreciate what he taught me without even telling me how to do it.”
“He wants the situation. He wants the moment. He wants to be the guy,” Rojas added. “His value is way higher than what people think that he can be. He’s a great asset for us.”
Enrique Hernández of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run. Getty Images
The home run marked the 17th of Hernández’s postseason career, tied for 18th-most all-time along with the likes of Aaron Judge, David Ortiz and Jim Thome. In the playoffs, he now has a .272 average and .831 OPS in 105 career games (93 of which have come with the Dodgers, most in the franchise’s illustrious history).
“I wish there was a recipe for that so we can all take it from him,” first baseman Freddie Freeman, who went deep himself later in Tuesday’s fourth inning, joked afterward. “It’s incredible … He’s ready to go at all times.”
Hernández himself, yet again, still lacked a definitive answer for why his play in the postseason seems to inevitably elevate, outside of ample October experience and a slow heartbeat in such moments.
The only thing he did know for sure: “I was going to be ready,” he said, “whenever Doc put my name in the lineup.”
Once again, it might have swung the direction of the Dodgers’ season.
“Having him in a lineup in the postseason,” Roberts said, “just adds that extra sort of urgency, that kind of grit that you need.”
Cronenworth sent the ball 368 feet to right field during the bottom of the fifth inning.
The run cuts into the momentum the Milwaukee Brewers started building in the top of the inning.
Milwaukee had just evened the score with a run scored in the top of the fifth inning, but the Padres managed to prevent the game from getting out of hand as the Brewers were in position add more runs with the bases loaded.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Pedro Ramirez #75 of the Chicago Cubs bats in the National League Wild Card game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. We leave the light on for a reason. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
The last time we met, I asked you about whether you’d give outfielder Ian Happ a qualifying offer. The vote was very close, reflecting the divided opinion of Happ that seems to be a fixture of Cubs fandom these days. In any case, 51 percent of you said no, you wouldn’t give Happ a qualifying offer and 49 percent of you said you would. So yeah, really close.
On Tuesdays, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I did want to take a moment to remember Eva Marie Saint, who passed away today at the age of 102. Saint won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for On the Waterfront, which was her on-screen debut. Of course, she also co-starred with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, which won our Hitchcock tournament a few years ago. But she was more than just her two most famous films and she had a long career that continued into her nineties.
So rest in peace, Eva, and thank you for all your performances that made so many people happy.
Tonight we have one of those NPR Tiny Desk concerts featuring Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The two are joined by Pablo Menares on bass and Kush Abadey on drums. This is from just last week as part of Latin Music Month.
Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.
The Cubs have a very good infield of Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch. They also have two solid reserve infielders in Pedro Ramírez and Matt Shaw, both of whom would start for many other teams. Shaw, of course, started for the Cubs in 2025.
Six good infielders is nice to have, but it’s a bit of a luxury. While Matt Shaw played more outfield than infield in 2026 and the Cubs have experimented with Ramírez in the outfield, both Shaw and Ramírez’s best positions are second and third base. And while both of them have the potential to be pretty good hitters for a second or third baseman, they aren’t projected to have the kind of power that contending teams want out of their corner outfielders.
This is just a roundabout way of saying that Shaw and Ramírez might be more valuable to another team than they are to the Cubs. And in that case, it might be a good idea to see if a team would be willing to send the Cubs a pitcher or an outfielder for one or both of them.
The other point is that Shaw and Ramírez are pretty similar players and it’s not always great to have two similar players on the roster. Sure, it’s nice to have a backup if one or the other gets hurt, like Shaw did for a chunk of this year, but if they’re both healthy, they’ll be fighting each other for playing time. (Not literally. No punches will be thrown.) Both Shaw and Ramírez had a similar OBP last year (.327 to .321) and a similar slugging percentage. (.410 to .402). We can argue about which one is the better fielder. Ramírez had much better defensive metrics last year, but Shaw was also forced to play a majority of his games out of position as a corner outfielder. Shaw was much better defensively in 2025 as an everyday third baseman.
Ramírez is also two years younger than Shaw and has one more year of control. That might mean Ramírez would bring back more in trade, despite the two being so similar in many other ways.
So which one of these two players would you try to trade this winter? Shaw or Ramírez? Or would you trade neither? Both?
Obviously there’s an answer of “Whichever one brings back the most.” I’m going to ask you to take into consideration which one you think will bring back more in trade. So if you are willing to deal the one you think is better for a better return, vote for that player. I’m not going to tell you which one that is. Like I said, I think the two are pretty similar except that Ramírez is younger.
So what would you do with Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramírez?
Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottled. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
Not even the Orioles mascot escaped the layoffs that have swept through the MLB organization.
More than two dozen employees were let go by the Orioles in layoffs that touched everything from ticket sales to graphic design and included the individuals who played The Oriole Bird and Mr. Splash, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
The team is planning to continue to operate its Bird Bath section in left field despite the news on Tuesday impacting Mr. Splash, whom the Orioles debuted in May 2023. He was in charge of spraying fans with water in the special section when the team connected on extra-base hits.
The Baltimore Orioles mascot performs during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sept. 18, 2026, in Baltimore. Getty Images
Multiple outlets reported on the layoffs on Tuesday, and a spokesperson told The Athletic that the cuts had impacted the Orioles’ business department.
The Orioles spokesperson also said the team does not comment on employee matters.
The Baltimore Banner reported that the number of employees who were let go was at least in the teens, and one source described it as a “bloodbath.”
President of business operations Catie Griggs wrote in an internal memo that the cuts were “not about reducing headcount” and that the ballclub would “continue to recruit for critical roles and will add talent in areas where we have clear needs.”
“Today we made difficult changes to our business, reshaping some roles and reporting lines and saying goodbye to colleagues,” Griggs wrote in the memo, obtained by multiple outlets. “Some of the people leaving have been here for more than a decade, others for a much shorter time, and every one of them was part of our team. To many of you, they are friends as well as coworkers.
Mr. Splash waves to the crowd before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the start of a game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. Getty Images
“For those of you who have been here a long time, today may also feel like losing part of what this place has been. That history matters, and it remains part of who we are. We’re grateful for what each of them gave this organization.”
SAN DIEGO — Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras cut into the San Diego Padres' lead Tuesday with a solo home run during the fourth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS.
Contreras slowly trotted around the bases, even stopping briefly to celebrate, before crossing home plate at Petco Park.
The home run served as a quick response to the Padres, who scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning.
The Padres led the game 2-1 as action headed to the bottom of the fourth.
It was the second home run of the series for Contreras, who hit a go-ahead solo home run to center field in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie in Game 1 on Oct. 3.
Shohei Ohtani has not hit a home run since Aug. 18. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the National Division Series.
And they are now one win away from the NL Championship Series anyway.
That’s what all the money really buys.
On Tuesday night, it bought the insurance of having Enrique Hernandez.
Dave Roberts dropped Ohtani to fifth in the lineup Tuesday night, the first time he’d hit there this postseason. Ohtani struck out with two runners on in the first inning. The Dodgers still won 3-1 and now lead the National League Division Series 2-1.
Hernandez won it.
He’s making just $4.5 million on a one-year deal. He played 41 games in the regular season after elbow surgery and a torn oblique. He was only in the lineup Tuesday night because Roberts benched a slumping Tommy Edman. In the fourth inning, he hit a Chris Sale changeup for a two-run homer, the 17th postseason home run of his career. Freddie Freeman added a solo shot two batters later.
Every contender pays for stars. The Dodgers pay for the guy who wins the game when the star is slumping.
Their 2026 payroll is projected at $322.4 million. Add a projected $163.7 million luxury tax bill and they're spending close to $500 million all in this season, more than any team in baseball. Last year, they spent a record $515 million and won a second straight World Series.
The Atlanta Braves aren't exactly cheap with a payroll is $252.1 million, among the highest in the game. Atlanta, however, lost four starters in spring training and they’ve been trying to patch the holes ever since. The Braves opened their wild-card clincher and Game 2 of this series with Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old left-hander with barely 70 career innings coming into October. Rowdy Tellez, Tuesday's pinch-hitter, signed on the last day of spring training and spent most of the season in Triple-A.
That $70 million gap in salary alone, before the Dodgers' tax bill, shows up in the details that a team needs in October.
Tuesday night Max Muncy, Edman and 21-year-old Josue De Paula all started on the bench. Roberts called that "ultimate flexibility." For plenty of teams, it would be a lineup.
The Braves lost four starters in spring training. They opened their wild-card clincher and Game 2 of this series with Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old left-hander with barely 70 career innings coming into October. Rowdy Tellez, Tuesday's pinch-hitter, signed on the last day of spring training and spent most of the season in Triple-A.
And Wednesday, Roberts plans to move Ohtani back toward the top of the lineup against Tyler Mahle. Last October, he hit eight postseason homers. The Dodgers are now 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Dave Roberts doesn’t have to worry about the drought.
“It’s good to know that we can still win games without him doing a whole bunch,” Roberts said.
For the Dodgers, that’s the peace of mind that $322.4 million buys them.
It proved to be the only start the 43-year-old made this season before the final one of his career on Sept. 26, after he suffered a left hamstring strain during a bullpen session in June.
Justin Verlander talks about his decision to retire. FOX Sports/X
It was then that Verlander knew his career was over before fighting his way back for his swan song.
“It was pretty easy,” the three-time Cy Young winner told the MLB on Fox crew before the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS. “I make the first start of the season and my leg starts hurting. I said, my entire career, man, I love this game. I love giving everything I got. I’m gonna play until the wheels fall off. The wheel falls off in the first game.
“Then a couple [of] months later, the wheel’s still falling off.”
One last thing sealed it, as Verlander got to spend more time with wife Kate Upton, 7-year-old daughter Genevieve and young son Bellamy.
“My daughter comes up. My family comes up. I mean, this is pretty sweet here, hanging out with them,” he said. “It just made it pretty clear. The arm held up great. It always has. But the leg man gave out on me.”
“I’m gonna play until the wheels fall off. The wheel falls off in the first game”
The former MVP and two-time World Series champion admitted before his final start that he was “skipping a lot of steps, risking some serious injury potentially” to get back on the mound.
It proved to be all worth it as he got emotional during an on-field ceremony and caught his daughter’s first ceremonial pitch. A day later, he turned in a performance to be proud of.
Genevieve Verlander hugs her dad, Detroit starting pitcher Justin Verlander, during the sixth inning of the Tigers’ win over the Pirates on Sept. 26, 2026, in Detroit. AP Photo/Jose Juarez
Verlander allowed two runs on five hits and walks with six strikeouts over 5 ⅓ innings against the Pirates.
Verlander finished his career with a 266-159 record, 3,560 strikeouts (eighth all time) and a 3.33 ERA to go along with a pitching Triple Crown in 2011.
The Yankees’ struggles at Tropicana Field run deeper than poor play on the field, according to a former MVP who once donned the pinstripes.
Andrew McCutchen, who spent the final months of the 2018 season in The Bronx, revealed how struck he was by the roster’s visceral response to facing the Rays on their home turf.
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“When I came over, we went to [Tropicana Field] and I remember them all talking about how they just can’t beat the Rays in Tampa,” the 2013 NL MVP and five-time All-Star revealed Tuesday during an appearance on MLB Network, a day after the Yankees’ loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS put them on the brink of elimination. “That was always the thing that they talked about.
“I remember being like, ‘Dude, we’re a good team, let’s go, let’s win.'”
While the Yankees finished 2018 with the second-best record in the American League (100-62), they did not fare well against their AL East rivals.
“That's the cloud that's over their head…”
Andrew McCutchen says when he played for the Yankees in 2018, the players would always talk about how hard it was to beat the Rays at Tropicana Field. pic.twitter.com/5I4Azbzi5Y
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after making an error and allowing a run to score in the first inning during Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, October 5, 2026, at Tropicana Field. Charles Wenzelberg for New York Post
Before McCutchen’s acquisition in August, the Yankees went just 1-5 at Tropicana Field before winning three of four in Tampa Bay in their second-to-last regular-season series of 2018.
Despite that strong finish, McCutchen said the club’s negative attitude toward the Tampa turf never wavered.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) is tagged out by Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) at third base on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Tropicana Field. Wells was tagged out trying to stretch a double into a triple to end the eighth inning. Charles Wenzelberg for New York Post
“We ended up winning…but that’s not the thing they think about, I know that,” McCutchen, 39, said. “That’s the cloud over their head.”
After failing to catch the Rays in the AL East, the Yankees promptly disposed of the Red Sox in two games during the wild-card series — but the ALDS has been a different story.
Andrew McCutchen of the New York Yankees prepares to shake a teammate’s hand after scoring his second run in the seventh inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, Monday, September 24, 2018. Getty Images
The Yankees’ performance across the first two games of the ALDS has been defined by an anemic offense and a barrage of sloppy play.
The Bombers managed just a single hit in Game 1, an eighth-inning double by Austin Wells, which was negated by the catcher’s ill-advised attempt to stretch the knock into a triple.
Despite having Cam Schlittler on the mound and two homers from Ben Rice in Game 2, a comedy of errors sunk the Yankees in a 5-1 loss.
As the series shifts to Yankee Stadium for Game 3, New York will hope to kick off the difficult task of winning three straight games to advance — and McCutchen thinks his former club can pull it off.
Even with Aaron Judge still sidelined and the offense scuffling, McCutchen said the Yankees’ home field advantage gives them the edge.
“Going back to New York, they’re going to have a lot of fun. They know being at home, in their home stadium, they’re going to bring it, those fans are gonna be loud,” McCutchen said.
“I see them going and doing really well for those next two games.”
A trio of Mets rookies was honored on Tuesday night after being named to MLB Pipeline's 2026 All-Rookie Teams.
Right fielder Carson Benge took home First-Team honors while center fielder A.J. Ewing and starting pitcher Nolan McLean were picked for Second-Team after all three had great rookie seasons in New York.
Benge, who had a slash line of .282/.346/.430 (.776 OPS) with a 20/20 season to go along with 22 doubles, finished with a 4.3 WAR in 156 games -- the third-highest among rookie position players.
The 23-year-old is also one of the top contenders for the National League Rookie of the Year award with two of his competitors, Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Sal Stewart and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt, also making First-Team.
After getting promoted to the big leagues in May, Ewing hit the ground running and made an immediate impact with the Mets. He struggled in the middle of the season, but the 21-year-old ended the season on a high note and led the club with 25 steals, a new franchise record for a rookie.
Ewing's biggest contributions of the season possibly came in the outfield, where he manned center field masterfully while occasionally getting reps at the corners as well. He finished with a 3.1 WAR in 120 games.
McLean rounds out the group after a sensational first full campaign in the big leagues. The right-hander burst onto the scene in 2025 when he made eight starts down the stretch of the season during a pennant race and went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA.
Despite New York struggling as much as it did this season, McLean was one of the most consistent players on the team. He made all 31 of his starts and had a 3.16 ERA across a career-high 179.2 innings while striking out 194 batters. He's joined by Milwaukee Brewers starter Logan Henderson on the Second-Team.
Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, spoke with Cora about becoming their manager in 2027, but Cora informed Dombrowski he’s taking the season off, according to a high-ranking Phillies executive with direct knowledge of their talks told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Phillies still have not decided who will manage their team.
Cora, who won a World Series with the Red Sox with Dombrowski in 2018, was offered the Phillies’ job in April before firing Rob Thomson, and he declined it, saying he wanted to spend the rest of the summer with his family.
Now, after being pursued again, he declined, with Cora still owed about $7.25 million from the Red Sox in 2027 as the third and final year of his three-year, $21.75 million contract.
Cora did not immediately respond to a text message from USA TODAY Sports.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 06: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves looks on during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 06, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welp, that wasn’t ideal!
The home field advantage that the Atlanta Braves snatched away from the Los Angeles Dodgers has slipped right out of Atlanta’s fingers thanks to a brilliant Yoshinobu Yamamoto and more power hitting from the Dodgers. They still haven’t scored with anything but homers and unfortunately Chris Sale was the latest victim of LA’s obsession with the long ball.
“They did a nice job of really grinding the at-bats and passing the baton,” conceded manager Walt Weiss when he was asked about the Dodgers’ approach against Sale in the postgame press conference. “[Sale] had to work hard. He had to work hard to get the outs that he got. He looked like Chris Sale to me [but] they did a nice job.”
Weiss also stated that he felt like Sale’s stuff was still good but the command may not have been there in his eyes. Either way, there’s no way around it: The Dodgers were better on this particular night and they did a solid job of bouncing back from Sale’s dominant outing when this team came to visit back in August.
With that being said, I’d imagine that the thing that’s on every Braves fan’s mind right now is that this lineup has got to start hitting consistently — and soon. While Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the rest of LA’s pitching staff is as imposing as it gets and it’s a much easier said-than-done task on Atlanta’s hands, it’s still the Postseason and the Braves are here for a reason — they’ve got to find a way to make something happen against this pitching staff.
That goes doubly for the stars like Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr., who have stayed largely dormant during this series so far. It was another quiet night for Acuña in particular, who has been picking up hits and getting on base but not at the rate or level that you’d expect out of a superstar-caliber player. Acuña had another chance to make something happen in a big moment in Game 3 when the fifth inning rolled around and he had a chance with two men in scoring position and two outs.
It could’ve been a special moment had Acuña come through and either tied the game with a knock or even electrified the stadium with a dinger. Instead, Acuña grounded out again and the moment went by the wayside. That ended up being Atlanta’s best chance of the night and the face of the franchise came up short again.
While it’s not just Acuña who has been underwhelming at the plate so far during this Postseason, it’s on him as the star of this ballclub to step up in the situations where the stars need to shine. While Acuña might have been dealing with a sore knee, it’s not an excuse — Weiss stated in the pregame that he hasn’t seen Acuña suffer any ill effects from the lower leg contusion that he sustained in the final week of the regular season and also Acuña’s knee was still in good enough position for him to play tonight.
If he’s not pressing at the plate (which Weiss insisted both during the pregame press conference and the postgame presser as well) then something’s got to change. If I knew what needed to change, I’d be getting paid a lot of money working in baseball instead of writing about it so it’s on Acuña and the coaching staff to figure it out. With their backs in the wall, the Braves are going to need everybody to contribute and hopefully the face of the franchise can finally lift his game for the Postseason before it’s too late.
It’ll also be on Tyler Mahle to make something happen on the mound for the Braves in Game 4. In the pregame presser before Game 3, Mahle at least expressed confidence that he’ll be up for the challenge for his start with Atlanta’s backs facing the wall. “…All you can do out there is make pitches. I’m not trying to trick them. [The Dodgers] know. They’ve seen me,” said Mahle when he was asked about approaching the Dodgers lineup in Game 4. “I’m sure they’re going to watch film, whatever. So it’s making pitches at the right times and that’s all you can hope to do.”
With that being said, the Dodgers also appear to be ready for the challenge of getting it right against Mahle with a trip to the NLCS in sight. Freddie Freeman spoke with the media following Game 3 and he talked about how the Dodgers plan to deal with Mahle on Wednesday evening. “If you’re chasing splitters down below, you’re going to be in trouble,” explained Freeman when he was asked about dealing with Mahle. “Just like we did with Sale, you gotta get him in the zone, get him off the bottom and hopefully he makes mistakes and you’re on time for them.”
“I wish baseball was so much more of ‘This is what we’re gonna do’ but sometimes we strip it down and it’s not that complicated. If we can just get him up off the bottom of the zone, hopefully we can have some great success tomorrow. We’ve gotta treat every game like an elimination game.”
All the way back in April, Mahle threw seven shutout innings against the Dodgers as a member of the Giants. A repeat performance will be sorely needed for the Braves and a star-making performance from any of the stars in this lineup would also be greatly appreciated as well.
The moment is there for Atlanta, they’ve just got to rise up to it and make something happen. We’ll see how it goes as the Braves play with the season on the line on Wednesday night in Cobb County.
Let him press his golden right hand into wet cement on Hollywood Boulevard.
What’s the wait?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is only in his third season with the Dodgers, and the 28-year-old Japanese right-hander is already one of the greatest postseason pitchers in franchise history.
He produced his latest October masterpiece on Tuesday night in a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park that shifted the balance of their National League Division Series back in the Dodgers’ favor.
Yamamoto was dealing, and the Dodgers now have a chance to close out the series on Wednesday after taking a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-five series.
“Wow,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
How else could he describe the seven innings over which Yamamoto limited the Braves to one run and four hits?
The 10-strikeout performance further solidified the Dodgers’ belief in Yamamoto, who was the World Series MVP last year.
“He’s becoming one of the best pitchers on this stage,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “Obviously, he hasn’t won a Cy Young here or been the best pitcher in the league, but we feel like very time he takes the mound, he’s the best pitcher for us.”
Yamamoto was pushed by the memory of the last time he pitched in this stadium against Sale. In that late August start, Yamamoto limited the Braves to a run in 6 ⅓ innings. Sale pitched a complete-game shutout, and the Braves won, 1-0.
“The last time I was here, I gave up the go-ahead run and we lost because he was able to hold us,” Yamamoto said in Japanese. “I was extremely mindful about the first run.”
While the Dodgers’ lineup made Sale work by extending at-bats, Yamamoto cruised through the first three innings. The only hit Yamamoto gave up over that span was a bunt single by Michael Harris II in the second inning.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws a pitch during the first inning of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Braves in Game 3 of their NLDS series on Oct. 6, 2026 in Atlanta. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maurico Dubón stole a home run from Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman by reaching over the left-field fence in the top of the third inning, but the Braves couldn’t turn that moment of jubilation into sustained momentum. Yamamoto wouldn’t allow it, retiring the Braves in order in the bottom half of the inning.
Finally, in the fourth inning, Sale broke. He gave up a two-run home run to Kiké Hernández, then a solo shot to Freeman. The Dodgers were up, 3-0.
Yamamoto’s first and only encounter with trouble came in the fifth inning. Yamamoto started the inning by giving up back-to-back singles to Dubón and Lane Thomas. With one out, he walked pinch hitter Rowdy Tellez to load the bases. A groundout by Drake Baldwn pushed in a run.
Up next was Ronald Acuña, the former NL MVP.
The showdown was representative of Yamamoto’s mindset. Yamamoto was determined to take on Acuña, or anyone else for that matter, on his terms. Even after falling behind in the count, 3-1, Yamamoto refused to throw a strike for the sake of throwing a strike. He still had a two-run lead. If he walked Acuña and forced in a run, he could preserve his team’s advantage by retiring the next batter.
Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto added to his playoff lore with his one-run over seven-inning gem in their Game 3 win over the Braves. AP
Yamamoto threw a splitter that just nicked the bottom of the strike zone, Acuña grounded out to second base, and the Dodgers maintained their 3-1 lead.
Limiting damage, Yamamoto said, was prioritized over efficiency.
“As long as I didn’t give up runs, I didn’t mind if I ran up my pitch count,” Yamamoto said. “I was going to throw the ball in places in which it would be difficult to hit.”
Turned out he didn’t have to make that sacrifice.
Yamamoto completed seven innings in 98 pitches, which spared Roberts the torture of using any relievers other than Tanner Scott and Edwin Diaz.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, how held the Braves to just one run over seven innings, stands on the mound during the Dodgers’ Game 3 win over the Braves. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Tarik Skubal, who pitched six shutout innings in a Game 1 victory, was already an admirer of Yamamoto before the Dodgers acquired him from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline. Sharing a locker room with Yamamoto over the last couple of months further intensified his respect for him.
“Nobody’s more deserving to go out there and perform and have success,” Skubal said. “He does everything the right way. He works his [butt] off. He’s relentless.”
Skubal marveled at Yamamoto’s distinctive training regimen.
“I’m never going to be doing what he’s doing,” Skubal said. “I’m not throwing javelins. The way he prepares is insane. He’s doing headstands. I’m not doing that. I weigh a little bit more than he does.”
Skubal chuckled.
Skubal is listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, and Yamamoto 5-foot-10, 176 pounds.
But the more Skubal spoke about Yamamoto, the more it became clear he viewed Yamamoto as a figurative giant.
“You want a guy on the mound in any situation,” Skubal said, “it’s probably him.”
ATLANTA — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 in seven innings, Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series.
Yamamoto dominated the much-anticipated matchup with Atlanta ace Chris Sale, who allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings. Yamamoto, the MVP of the 2025 World Series, permitted only four hits with one walk while improving to 8-1 in his postseason career.
The Dodgers can win the best-of-five series and take another step in their attempt to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series titles by beating the Braves again Wednesday night in Game 4.
The Braves hoped giving Sale extra rest would be a winning formula in the pivotal third game. Instead, after stranding six runners in the first three innings, he gave up the two-run homer to Hernández and a solo shot to Freddie Freeman in the fourth.
Ozzie Albies opened the Atlanta ninth with a double off the right-center wall against Edwin Díaz and moved to third on Micheal Harris II’s groundout. Díaz stranded the runner when Mauricio Dubón fouled out to right field and Mike Yastrzemski grounded out to shortstop Mookie Betts.
Dubón made a leaping catch over the left-field wall to rob Freeman of a home run in the third. Freeman wouldn’t be denied an inning later. Hernández’s homer to left drove in Andy Pages, who singled. One out later, Freeman pulled his 18th career postseason homer to right field for a 3-0 lead.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts moved designated hitter Shohei Ohtani down to No. 5 in the lineup because Ohtani was 3 for 15 in his career against Sale. Ohtani went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts against Sale when the Dodgers lost 1-0 on Aug. 26 in Atlanta.
Roberts correctly predicted Ohtani would have opportunities with runners on base hitting lower in the order.
With runners on first and second in the first, Sale struck out Ohtani to end the inning. With two runners on base in the third, Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference by Drake Baldwin to load the bases before Miguel Rojas ended the inning with a flyball to right field. Ohtani walked to lead off the eighth against Brent Suter, Atlanta’s fourth pitcher.
Baldwin’s bases-loaded grounder to first base drove in Dubón, who singled, in the fifth for Atlanta’s only run off Yamamoto.
Rojas left during an at-bat in the eighth. The second baseman appeared to injure his back on a swing and was replaced by Tommy Edman. The Dodgers announced the injury as lower back pain.
Tanner Scott added two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth for Los Angeles.
Up next
Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle is expected to face Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow in Game 4 on Wednesday night. Mahle said Tuesday an abdominal pull is now a “non-issue.” He felt the pull before allowing one run in seven innings of a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia in 10 innings during the NL Wild Card Series last week.
The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman follows through on a solo home run off a pitch from Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale. (Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
The Dodgers went into Game 3 of the National League Division Series knowing they couldn’t be so reliant on the home run, especially with Braves ace Chris Sale on the mound. And yet, in a 3-1 win, it was the home run ball, paired with a masterful performance on the mound from right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, that secured the victory.
The Dodgers pulled ahead to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. All 10 of their runs in the NLDS have come via homer.
The Dodgers tried to score in other ways, putting on six baserunners in the first three innings of the game. But it didn’t work.
They failed to take advantage of some luck and poor defense from the Braves in the first inning, as Mookie Betts beat out a soft groundball up the first base line and Teoscar Hernández reached on a fielding error by Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.
The lineup shuffling manager Dave Roberts did against Sale had superstar Shohei Ohtani, batting fifth, walking up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second. His over-anxious approach at the plate so far this postseason followed him into the at-bat. And he struck out whiffing on a slider in the opposite batter’s box.
The next inning, Kyle Tucker hit a two-out single into left, baited Sale into picking over to first base twice, and then stole second. But he was stranded there, as Kiké Hernández went down swinging. All six of the Dodgers’ outs in the first two innings came via the strikeout.
In the third, the Dodgers loaded the bases. Betts started the effort with a single through the left side of the infield. And it looked for a moment as if Freddie Freeman had capitalized on the opportunity with a runner in scoring position.
He stayed back on a fastball and crushed it to deep left field, on a trajectory to just clear the short fence. But Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubón made a leaping catch, holding into the ball as he slammed into the wall.
Undeterred, the Dodgers kept putting runners on base. With two outs, Will Smith stayed through a slider to single. Ohtani clipped Braves catcher Drake Baldwin’s mitt and was awarded first base for catcher’s interference. Then Miguel Rojas, who’d exit the game in the eighth inning mid-at-bat with what the Dodgers called low back pain, hit a line drive that found leather to end the inning.
So, back to the long ball.
Perennial postseason hero Kiké Hernández delivered the first blow. With Andy Pages on first, after his first hit of the series, Hernández launched a changeup into the left-field stands. Then, two batters later, Freeman turned on an inside sinker and sent it over the right-field fence — where Dubón had no chance to track it down.
Game 3 was billed as a matchup between aces: Sale, whom the Braves tabbed for Tuesday because of his workload in their wild-card series, and Yamamoto, whom the Dodgers partially held back for the first two games with the NLCS in mind.
Yamamoto held up his end of the bargain, limiting the Braves to four hits and one run in seven innings.
He retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced. The only baserunner in that time, Michael Harris II, bunted for a single. Yamamoto crashed hard, slipping on the slick grass as he tried to pivot but still managing to make a throw to first from the ground.
He only wavered in the fifth, loading the bases with a pair of singles and a four-pitch walk. The Braves’ batting order turned over, and Yamamoto got Baldwin to ground out to first, but that scored a run. Then he induced Ronald Acuña Jr. to ground out to second to escape the jam. Rojas ranged to his left to field the ball and made an on-target throw even as he slipped on the grass in shallow right field.
Yamamoto didn’t allow another baserunner.
Left-handed reliever Tanner Scott served as the Dodgers’ setup man, throwing a hitless eighth. And right-hander Edwin Díaz came in for his first save opportunity since Aug. 14 against the Brewers.
He gave up a double off the wall to Ozzie Albies to open the inning but retired the next three batters.
