A fan in left field just cost the Yankees a run in an elimination game.
Anthony Volpe drove a 1-0 sinker to left field with two outs in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. The stadium went nuts thinking it was a two-run, game-tying home run.
Instead, replay showed a fan reached out and the ball hit his outstretched arms before falling over the left-field fence. Underneath, Rays' left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. was trying to catch the ball and immediately complained to the officials.
After a replay review, it was ruled fan interference and a double. The Yankees pulled within 4-3 and Spencer Jones struck out to strand Volpe, the tying run on second base.
The Rays held on to the one-run lead to secure the Game 3 win and a spot in the AL Championship Series.
The replay officials said it was "definitively determined the spectator interfered with the ball over the field of play. The ball would not have left the playing field nor would it have been caught."
After replay review, the Yankees pull within a run on Anthony Volpe's RBI double! pic.twitter.com/6Fua0LNVBQ
Yankee fans have seen this before, but with the opposite result.
On Oct. 9, 1996 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Baltimore Orioles, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over the right-field wall at the old Yankee Stadium and pulled Derek Jeter's eighth-inning fly ball into the stands. Umpire Rich Garcia called it a home run, which tied the game. Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco said he was about to catch it.
There was no replay to fix it. The Yankees won in 11 innings on a Bernie Williams homer, took the series and won the World Series.
Maier gave the Yankees a home run. Wednesday's fan took one away.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s move to the wing will remain for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup opener as fellow star Wallaby Len Ikitau passed a fitness test to face the All Blacks at Eden Park.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a strike out against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before this season started (and even before the Postseason started) the big question concerning this 2026 Atlanta Braves team was whether or not they would have enough pitching (particularly in the rotation) in order to find a way to be successful.
94 wins, an NL East title, a Wild Card Series win and a Divisional Series exit later, we now have the answer: Yes, they had enough pitching. Even when the rotation was strained to its very limits like they were during the Postseason, there were no terrible blow-ups during this run. Chris Sale gave it all he had, Tyler Mahle performed admirably and the bullpen was about as good as you could ask them to be without being just straight-up perfect.
Instead, the autopsy for the 2026 Braves will reveal that at the end of the day, a good ol’ fashioned lack of hitting is what eventually doomed the Braves. Now granted, it’s pretty tough to go through the crazy boss rush of starting pitchers that Atlanta had to deal with across both the Wild Card and the Divisional Series and expect them to just turn it on like the ‘27 Yankees but it’s also rough to see this team go out like they did at the plate.
Key pieces of the core of Atlanta’s lineup had an absolute nightmare in this series. Austin Riley went 0-for-13 with six strikeouts. Drake Baldwin went 1-for-14 with five strikeouts. Matt Olson went 2-for-16 with six strikeouts. Ronald Acuña Jr. went 2-for-15 with four strikeouts. Sure, the Dodgers have an absolute conveyor belt of strong pitching but plain-and-simply, that won’t cut it in the Postseason.
“The Dodgers have something to do with that. They’re going for their third straight world championship for a reason. Their arms just keep coming at you,” stated Walt Weiss when he was asked about the lack of hitting during this series in particular. “…You have a lot of unsung heroes a lot of times in the postseason, and sometimes guys struggle. It’s obviously magnified because you’re playing under a microscope. But I think that we struggled with runners in scoring position. So did the Dodgers. The games were really tight. I thought we gave them all they could handle. But it’s a good team over there.”
Usually any type of struggles of hitting with runners in scoring position is overblown and you could’ve argued that too, as Weiss did mention that the Dodgers had a tough time hitting with RISP, themselves. With that being said, 0-for-23 with RISP is not going to cut it. Two of the RBI that Atlanta had in this series came from the Dodgers basically donating it via pitches that went awry while the Braves had a runner on third. The clutch hitting (particularly in the latter innings) just wasn’t there for Atlanta in this series and it ended up playing a major role in what sent them into the cold and especially uncertain offseason coming up.
With that being said, it’s hard to call this season anything other than a solid success. Again, they won 94 games (in weird fashion but still) and won the division. Any time a blue flag goes up on the light tower outside of the seats in right-center, it’s a solid season and one you take to the bank. The pain and disappointment is certainly palpable but some perspective from the disappointment reveals that this isn’t a season that the Braves should just flush away — definitely not like the train wreck that was the 2025 season.
“Of course [we’re] disappointed,” said Weiss when he was asked about the tough ending to the season. “You always are when you’re not the last team standing. There’s only one team that goes home happy at the end of the year.”
“But I’ve talked about how proud I am of this group all year. And that doesn’t change,” continued Weiss. “It’s a privilege to manage this group. And the way they compete and the way they pull for one another, the things that we overcame this year, I mean, really impressive. And it’s because of the guys in that room. It was a privilege to manage those guys.”
I asked Weiss about what he could take away from his first season back at the helm of a big league ballclub and he was reflective on how things went. “It was great. It was a lot of fun for me. Everything that we went through, and we basically went wire to wire to win the division. And I always say that’s the toughest one to win because it takes six months,” explained Weiss.
“Now it’s the ones in the postseason that are more special when you win those. But winning a division is tough to do, and we basically went wire-to-wire. A lot to feel good about. You don’t ever feel good about losing. Like I said, there’s only one team, when the season’s all said and done, that’s happy. There’s only one out of 30.”
Indeed, that type of perspective is crucial when it comes to baseball and it’s a small comfort to take with you as another long season comes to a close. With the offseason locking as uncertain as ever, it’s very important to take stock of the good just as much as it is to address the bad. There are going to be a lot of questions about the core of this team (particularly in the lineup) but at the same time, it’s been exciting to see a revelatory season from Michael Harris II and it was certainly encouraging to see him continue that into the Postseason.
The end of the season always stinks (especially with what awaits the baseball world this Winter) but the Braves can at least take it on to the house knowing that this ended in October with a divisional title instead of September with a completely lost season. The wait for another World Series title continues for another season and now it’s on Alex Anthopoulos and Atlanta’s front office to figure out a way to fix what ended up ailing this team in October. We’ll see what happens, y’all.
San Diego, California - September 26: Walker Buehler #10 of the San Diego Padres reacts after Gabriel Moreno's #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks single during the third inning at Petco Park on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
It’s game 4 of the NL Division Series as the Padres will try to force a game 5. Walker Buehler will get the start for the Padres while the Brewers will depend on LHP Robert Gasser. First pitch at Petco Park is scheduled for 9pm central time and the game broadcast is available via Fox/FS1.
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox were never going to roll through the postseason unscathed.
Oh, it was tempting to imagine it, what with the sweep of the Houston Astros in the wild-card round and opening the ALDS by taking two games off the Cleveland Guardians at their ballpark. The hitters were providing timely offense, the pitchers were stifling opponents, and no stage is proving too big for a team as chill as it is young.
It all seemed to be setting up perfectly for the White Sox to come back to Rate Field and clinch their first postseason series at home since 1906.
Baseball is rarely that tidy, however. After a 9-3 loss to the Guardians in Game 3 of the ALDS on Wednesday, Oct. 7 — a game that wasn’t even as close as the score indicated, to be honest — the White Sox have to find a way to channel that enthusiastic oblivion that’s served them so well in this historic season.
Game 4 is Thursday, Oct. 8.
“It’s baseball. You’re not going to win every game. That’s the reality of it,” second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “But you know, tomorrow is a new day.”
And a loss like this is likely going to be easier to put behind them than a white knuckler that came down to the last few at-bats.
Almost everything went wrong for White Sox
It’s not as if they played well and still lost. Little, if anything, went right for the White Sox. They were outhit for the first time this postseason. Their 19 strikeouts — yes, 19 — was an MLB record for a nine-inning postseason game. They were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight.
The nine runs the White Sox gave up were three times what they allowed in the first two games of the series. They walked 10. Jo Adell and Jose Ramirez both hit triples, the first time Cleveland has had multiple triples in a postseason game.
The White Sox got on the board first with Kyle Teel’s RBI double in the first inning. But the Guardians took control of the game with a four-run third inning. Steven Kwan tied it up with an RBI single. Three batters later, Adell’s triple made it 4-1.
The White Sox would chip away at Cleveland’s lead, getting an RBI double from Tristan Peters in the fourth and scoring another after Hunter Gaddis plunked Colson Montgomery and Sam Antonacci in consecutive at-bats. But their momentum was never sustainable.
“We’ve just got to be able to execute a little bit better, get outs,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “And, again, we’ve talked about this the whole series, that these guys are going to make you pay for walks. First couple games they didn't. But today, they did.”
White Sox have been resilient all year
While the White Sox clubhouse was silent after the game, this is not a team that’s going to wallow and get in its own head. They don’t know to get stage fright or overthink. They’ve spent the entire season merrily defying expectations — the first team in Major League Baseball to make the playoffs after losing 100 or more games in consecutive seasons — and having a blast doing it.
They were counted out before the season even began. And after they lost 13 of their first 19 games. And after they lost four in a row at the beginning of August. And after they lost eight of 11 in early September. And after … well, you get the idea. Every time, the White Sox have been able to put their woes behind them.
They don’t see why it should be any different now.
“Just everybody in the clubhouse,” lefty Hagen Smith said. “Everybody believes in each other and plays super hard and plays until the last out. So I’m super confident for tomorrow.”
The White Sox still only have to win one game while the Guardians have to win two. Even if they lose Game 4, the White Sox would keep playing. If Cleveland loses Game 4, its season is over.
A loss, even one as bad as this, doesn't change anything for the White Sox. They can't make the mistake of thinking it does.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
The Test series shapes as one of unforced errors and modest scores with both sides unconvincing with the bat and relying on their bowling attack
Lost among the looking back to Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in 2018, there lies a similarity to the team about to take on that challenge in 2026. The previous side relied on a primo bowling quartet of Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, along with David Warner’s power as opener and the middle-order ballast of Steve Smith. The rest of the batting was makeshift: Cameron Bancroft the recently added opener, Usman Khawaja with at that stage a parlous record away from home, and the Marsh brothers an entirely unknowable quantity at five and six.
This time around, the same four bowlers have burnished their careers by a further 998 Test wickets, the proven batting still consists of one aggressive left-handed opener plus Smith, and Australia otherwise remain makeshift.
ATLANTA — Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their NL Division Series.
The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
Pages lined a 3-2 pitch from Robert Suarez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández, who singled off starter Tyler Mahle, and pinch-runner Tommy Edman for a 3-1 lead. Didier Fuentes walked pinch-hitter Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Edman ran for De Paula.
Max Muncy’s solo shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth padded the lead and gave the slugger 19 postseason homers with the Dodgers, extending his franchise record.
Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since Sept. 24, allowed only one hit but walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings. After he issued two walks in the fifth, left-hander Alex Vesia ended the inning on Matt Olson’s groundout to second base.
The missed opportunity left the Braves with 18 walks in the series, and none scored.
Glasnow and four relievers combined to give up just three hits. Tanner Scott pitched a perfect eighth before Edwin Díaz got three quick outs for the save.
Mahle, a native of Newport Beach, California, who grew up a Dodgers fan, allowed two runs — one earned — in 6 1/3 innings.
Michael Harris II hit Glasnow’s first pitch for a single before stealing second and eventually scoring from third on a wild pitch that bounced off catcher Will Smith’s chest protector.
The Dodgers pulled even in the second with the help of two Atlanta errors. Shohei Ohtani walked, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s errant throw into center field. Muncy’s pop fly into shallow left field was dropped by shortstop Mauricio Dubón for another error, allowing Ohtani to score.
Hernández crashed into the wall while attempting to catch Ozzie Albies’ double off Vesia leading off the sixth. Hernández pointed to his head and neck when talking to an athletic trainer but remained in the game.
Edgardo Henriquez stranded Albies at second. Henriquez allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Injury report
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas was held out after leaving Tuesday night’s 3-1 win during an at-bat in the eighth inning with lower back soreness. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Rojas would not be available off the bench.
Ronald Acuña Jr. started in right field for Atlanta one day after being moved to designated hitter in a late lineup change due to right knee soreness.
Up next
The Dodgers will face Milwaukee or San Diego in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.
Cameras caught the couple seated during a tense (on-field) moment in the first inning with two strikes and two outs. Their neighbors recommended they stand up to watch the pitch as another fan was standing in front of them.
Yankees starter Max Fried struck out the Tampa Bay Rays hitter for the third out, and the pair high-fived nearby fans to celebrate.
The five siblings of longtime Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss filed an opposition Wednesday, Oct. 7 to her attempt to block selling their shares of the team, according to ESPN.
The opposition was filed on behalf of the siblings seeking to sell their shares of the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, who agreed to buy the team from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion.
ESPN's Shams Charania published a statement on X from the siblings, which read, “Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the five of six siblings who voted to sell the Trust’s shares in the Lakers, today filed their formal opposition, demonstrating that Jeanie Buss’s petition is legally and factually baseless.
"While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the Trust’s participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally. Today’s filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule."
Jeanie Buss needs her siblings to retain at least 15% of the team for her to continue to serve as governor and controlling owner.
Kushner and Iger agreed to the purchase in mid-August.
USA TODAY Sports could not immediately obtain the court filing.
The Dodgers' Andy Pages reacts after hitting a tiebreaking, two-run single against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning Wednesday. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
The Dodgers punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 win in Game 4 of the division series on Wednesday at Truist Park.
The Dodgers got a tiebreaking, two-run single from Andy Pages in the seventh, Max Muncy’s third homer in four games and a shutdown effort by the bullpen.
It’s the ninth time in the last 14 seasons that the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS, and they will be seeking their sixth World Series in 10 seasons starting Sunday against either the Milwaukee Brewers or San Diego Padres.
Dodger right-hander Tyler Glasnow limited the Braves to one hit and one run in 4-2/3 innings. But walks prevented him from pitching deeper into the game.
His five walks were tied for the second-most he’s given up in a postseason game. The only time he topped that was in Game 1 of the 2020 World Series, when he pitched for Tampa Bay and issued six walks to the Dodgers.
The lone run he gave up was made possible by Braves leadoff hitter Michael Harris II’s speed. He got on top of Glasnow’s first pitch, a fastball up and out of the strike zone, to shoot a single through the right side.
Harris then stole second and failed to capitalize on catcher Will Smith’s off-target throw, which got past second baseman Kiké Hernández and bounced into the outfield. But no matter. Harris advanced to third on Matt Olson’s groundout.
Then, in an 0-and-2 count to Ozzie Albies, Glasnow spiked a curveball in front of the plate. Smith managed to block the ball, despite the high bounce, but it rolled back toward the mound, giving Harris time to dash home.
Glasnow didn’t have another runner get past first until the fifth when, when he issued his second walk of the inning with two outs. That spelled the end of his start.
The Dodgers’ offense followed up their two-homer performance against Braves ace Chris Sale the night before with an anticlimactic effort against Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle.
They hadn’t faced Mahle since April, when he was with the San Francisco Giants and racking up a 5.13 ERA. But he’d been lights out since the Braves acquired him, authoring a 1.99 ERA. In his postseason debut, he limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one run in seven innings.
The Dodgers faced that new and improved version of Mahle on Wednesday.
“He’s on a nice run here,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “We’re certainly not going to take him lightly. We’ve got our work cut out.”
The one run the Dodgers scored against Mahle was something of a fluke.
In the second inning, Shohei Ohtani, who moved up to the cleanup spot after hitting fifth the day before, drew a five-pitch walk without taking a swing. He then stole second base, drawing an errant throw that allowed him to advance to third. So, he was in position to score the tying run when Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón, who robbed Freddie Freeman of a home run as the left fielder the day before, dropped a popup in shallow left.
The Dodgers recorded only three hits against Mahle in 6 ⅓ innings. So, the game would come down to the bullpens.
Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández had a scary moment in the sixth inning. He crashed into the wall in an all-out effort to nab Albies’ double off left-hander Alex Vesia. Hernández was slow to get up and put his hand on his head as he talked to an athletic trainer but stayed the game.
Then in the top of the seventh inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with a single from Teoscar Hernández, a walk from pinch-hitting rookie Josue De Paula, and a five-pitch walk from Kyle Tucker.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a strike out against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A strong bullpen and stellar defense have been calling cards for the Atlanta Braves all year. But slip ups on both fronts, combined with the consistently-inconsistent offense, doomed the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS. By a final score of 4-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Braves at home and will advance to the NLCS.
As the only Braves player with an offensive pulse this entire postseason, Michael Harris II was already doing more than his fair share. But he was determined to put this team on his back once more. After Tyler Mahle set down the Dodgers in a 1-2-3 top of the first, Harris single-handedly created a run. He laced the first pitch he saw for a single, stole second base, moved over to third base on a Matt Olson groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to get the Braves on the board 1-0. Mahle and Michael set the tone for a promising start.
Unfortunately, a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani to start the second immediately became consequential. An attempted strike’em out, throw ‘em out was botched on the back half, allowing Ohtani to get to third and giving Sean Murphy a throwing error. Mauricio Dubón earned an error of his own when he was unable to catch a pop up, allowing LA to tie it 1-1 and allowing Max Muncy to get to first. A double play erased both runners, but that was a blow to the burgeoning Atlanta momentum.
The Tyler-off then began in earnest. They traded off scoreless innings until their departures, and a batter never got further than first base until Glasnow walked two batters in the bottom of the fifth. Mahle only allowed singles to Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar Hernández the rest of his outing.
Glasnow issued five free passes, and the Braves couldn’t cash in any of them for runs. The biggest opportunity was the aforementioned fifth, where Austin Riley led off with a walk before a Murphy lineout and Harris strikeout looking. Ronald Acuña Jr. worked a four-pitch walk, which prompted Dave Roberts to take Glasnow out of the game at 73 pitches. He summoned the lefty Alex Vesia to face Olson. Tension built… and immediately dissipated when Olson hit the first pitch he saw hard (107.8 miles per hour), but into the ground to end the frame.
Ozzie Albies hit a double off Vesia to start the home half of the sixth that would’ve been a home run in 29/30 ballparks. Yes, that’s correct, the only place it would not have been a homer is home sweet home, Truist Park. Baldwin lined out before Walt Weiss deployed Lane Thomas in Mike Yastrzemski’s spot. To counter, the Dodgers put in reliever Edgardo Henriquez, who got Thomas to ground out and Dubón to line out to strand Ozzie at second.
Mahle came back out for the top of the seventh and retired Ohtani. But a single by Teoscar Hernández would end his evening. Didier Fuentes entered with a runner on first and got Muncy to ground out. Struggling to find the zone, he issued walks to rookie Josue De Paula (pinch-hitting in place of Kiké Hernández) and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Robert Suarez entered in a tough spot and on a 3-2 count, allowed a two-run single to nine-hole hitter Andy Pages. He got Mookie Betts to ground out on two pitches after, but the deadlock was broken and damage was done to make it 3-1 Los Angeles.
Harris, again, doing everything he can, hit a two-out double off Henriquez in the bottom of the seventh. But another first-pitch groundout, this one off the bat of Acuña Jr., quickly sent us to the eighth. Frustrated Braves Country fans at the park erupted in rare boos.
The Pages single was ballgame, but we played out the rest anyway. Max Muncy had a ninth-inning homer off Raisel Iglesias to get us to the final score. Rowdy Tellez got an AB in the bottom of the ninth and struck out. Dubón added to the tally of first-pitch outs. And finally, Austin Riley’s fly out was gloved by Kyle Tucker to seal this for the Dodgers. They will now celebrate that they have more baseball to play in our visiting clubhouse while we face an uncertain 2027. At least there will be plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong.
It’s been a pleasure and an honor, Braves Country. Back to being NL East champions, but of course we wanted more. We hope to see you in the spring.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 07: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after hitting a two-run double in the seventh inning during Game Four of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It took until the seventh inning of the fourth game of the National League Division Series for the Dodgers to get their first hit with a runner in scoring position. But Andy Pages made it count, with a two-run single to break a tie in a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night at Truist Park, clinching the NLCS to send the Dodgers to their third National League Championship Series in a row.
The winning rally started with a single by Teoscar Hernández, just minutes after crashing into the left field wall on a Braves double in the previous half-inning. That ended the night for Tyler Mahle, who continued to have the Dodgers number, once again pitching into the seventh.
In came Game 2 Braves hero Didier Fuentes, whose second batter faced was fellow 21-year-old pinch-hitter Josue De Paula, only 24 days his senior. De Paula, in just his second postseason plate appearance, walked, then was removed for pinch-runner Tommy Edman. Kyle Tucker also walked to load the bases, setting up Pages — the Dodgers RBI leader this season — to single home a pair.
After going hitless in his first two games this series, Pages had two hits in Game 3 and two more in Game 4, equaling his total for the entire postseason in 2025. The hit also snapped an 0-for-14 skid by the Dodgers with runners in scoring position to start this series.
The first of those runs snapped a string of 22 straight innings by Mahle against the Dodgers without allowing an earned run, dating all the way back to 2022.
Edgardo Henriquez, who entered with one out in the sixth inning and stranded a runner on second, followed with a scoreless seventh inning to bookend the Dodgers rally, and earned the win.
Just like in Game 3, Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless eighth and Edwin Díaz closed out the win in the ninth, giving the Dodgers the planned back end of their bullpen that hadn’t really been fully intact since early April.
Dodgers pitchers allowed eight total runs in the four-game series.
Max power
Max Muncy added some insurance with a solo home run in the ninth inning, extending his Dodgers career postseason record with now 19 home runs. Muncy also homered in Games 1 and 2 of this series, matching his most prolific postseason series with the long ball. He also hit three home runs in the 2019 NLDS against the Washington Nationals.
Sloppy start
Both teams exchanged mistakes for each other’s first run, including an errant throw into center field on a stolen base attempt from each side. Michael Harris II got a great jump from third base on a wild pitch by Tyler Glasnow that didn’t get too far from home plate in the first inning, catching the Dodgers flat-footed. In the top of the second, Shohei Ohtani walked, stole second and went to third on the bad throw, then scored when a Max Muncy popup into short left field was biffed by shortstop Mauricio Dubón.
Glasnow improved a bit as the game progressed, and didn’t allow another hit after Harris led off the game with a single. But, like Blake Snell in Game 2, Glasnow on Wednesday walked five batters, including two in the fifth inning — a leadoff free pass to Austin Riley after getting ahead 0-2, and a two-out, four-pitch walk to Ronald Acuña Jr. to end Glasnow’s night early.
The Dodgers right-hander struck out five with those five walks in his 4 2/3 innings, and like Snell limited the damage to only one run. Alex Vesia helped, inducing a groundout to second base to end the fifth inning with those two Glasnow walks left stranded on base, and the game still tied.
Glasnow threw 78 pitches, 44 for strikes.
Not so free passes
None of Glasnow’s five walks in Game 4 scored, and none of the 18 Braves who walked in the NLDS have touched home plate. But there have still been costs to that Dodgers wildness. For one, the Dodgers had to turn to its bullpen much earlier than hoped in two of the four games.
Also, two of Snell’s walks in the first inning of Game 2, pushing Acuña to third base, which allowed him to score on an infield single. In Game 3, the pinch-hit walk by Rowdy Tellez pushed Dubón to third base, which allowed him to score on a groundout. So the walks have been costly, even if not as much as perhaps they should have been.
The Dodgers move on to a third consecutive National League Championship Series, and eighth in the last 11 years, beginning Sunday night (time TBD, Fox Sports) either in Milwaukee against the Brewers or at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles against the Padres.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 13: A detail shot of the 2025 logo on the hat of a Dodgers player during Game One of the National League Championship Series presented by loanDepot between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, October 13, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday, and are back in the National League Championship Series for a third season in a row and the eighth time in 11 years with manager Dave Roberts at the helm in Los Angeles.
Either the Milwaukee Brewers or San Diego Padres will be the Dodgers’ opponent this time around. Milwaukee leads San Diego two games to one in their NLDS, with Game 4 on Wednesday night at Petco Park in San Diego. If the Dodgers play the Brewers, it’s a rematch of last year’s NLCS (and 2018).
If the Dodgers play the Padres in the NLCS, it would be their fourth postseason matchup in the last seven years — every even year: 2020, 2022, 2024, 2026 — and just the second time two NL West teams battle in the NLCS, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies battling during Rocktober in 2007.
The Dodgers in the NLCS would have home-field advantage over the Padres, but would start on the road if they play the Brewers.
The NLCS begins on Sunday night, and will be televised by Fox Sports, with Joe Davis — if his voice allows, after missing Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS — and John Smoltz on the call, plus reporters Ken Rosenthal, Tom Verducci, and Tom Rinaldi as part of the broadcasts as well.
Start times and Fox Sports telecast plans haven’t yet been revealed.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 06: Xander Bogaerts #2 and Samad Taylor #0 of the San Diego Padres celebrate after Bogaerts scored a run in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 06, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Milwaukee Brewers (2-1) at San Diego Padres (1-2), October 7, 2026, 7:00 p.m. PST
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Kenny Albert already has the next chapter for his memoirs.
The NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA broadcaster found himself in a fluid situation this week when Fox Sports had to put Albert on standby with Joe Davis, who was scheduled to call Game 3 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and Braves, under the weather and having lost his voice.
The problem? When Fox asked Albert to be on standby, he was in the middle of prepping for a colonoscopy, he revealed to Front Office Sports.
As part of preparation for the procedure, an individual has to take several doses of medication to clean out their colon.
Fox Sports announcer Kenny Albert is seen before a college basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden in New York, Nov. 28, 2025. Getty Images
Fox Sports reached out to the TV voice of the Rangers at 6 p.m. on Monday to put him on standby, and when he hadn’t heard any update by 9 p.m., Albert went ahead and took his first dose of the medication and simultaneously started baseball preparation just in case.
It was roughly midnight, he told FOS, when Fox told him it wanted Albert to get to Atlanta in case he was needed.
Albert skipped the second dose of the medicine in the morning and hopped on a flight to Atlanta on Tuesday morning, and he did, in fact, call the game between the Braves and Dodgers.
“The colonoscopy wrinkle? That’s certainly another chapter for my next book,” Albert joked.
Albert also said that it was “baseball prep instead of the other kind of prep” that he ended up having to do.
Joe Davis and John Smoltz are seen during the 2026 MLB All-Star Game broadcast at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026, in Philadelphia. FOX Sports via Getty Images
He also praised the help that he received from the Fox Sports broadcast team.
“So basically, the whole morning, the whole flight, the whole afternoon, I crammed. I hadn’t seen either of the first two games because it was a football weekend,” he said. “I was in Dallas. So I had to catch up. Do a lot of reading. Luckily, I had the same exact matchup, same teams, same pitchers, in a regular season game on Aug. 27. So I was able to pull out my stuff for that game. That saved a lot of time. It was very helpful. Everyone on the crew, and John [Smoltz] and Joe, couldn’t have been more helpful as far as sharing information and just making sure I got down there.”
