The Los Angeles Dodgers turned a quiet pitcher’s duel into a night to remember, walking off the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in 11 innings to clinch the National League Division Series on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
For most of the night, runs were impossible to find. Tyler Glasnow was sharp from the start, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out eight. The Phillies managed just two hits off him, while Dodgers hitters couldn’t solve Cristopher Sánchez, who gave up only one run across six-plus innings.
The scoreboard stayed empty until the seventh, when a throwing error opened the door for Philadelphia. J.T. Realmuto led off with a single, and Max Kepler followed with a weak grounder that turned into chaos. Reliever Emmet Sheehan couldn’t handle the toss at first, sending the ball into the dugout. A double by Nick Castellanos brought home Kepler, putting the Phillies up 1-0.
Dodgers’ Bullpen Locks In as Sasaki Dominates
From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took control. Roki Sasaki, the 22-year-old phenom from Japan, silenced Philadelphia’s bats, striking out three straight in the eighth on just eight pitches. He breezed through the ninth and tenth innings too, giving Los Angeles the breathing room it needed.
The Dodgers tied it in the ninth when Jhoan Durán walked in a run with the bases loaded. The stadium erupted, and suddenly the momentum shifted.
By the 11th, every pitch felt like it could end the series. The Phillies threatened but couldn’t cash in. Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, rookie Andy Pages hit a slow roller back to Orion Kerkering. The Phillies pitcher tried to rush a throw home – and missed wildly. The ball skipped past the catcher, and the winning run crossed the plate as the Dodgers poured out of the dugout.
The 56,000 fans inside Dodger Stadium exploded as Pages was mobbed by his teammates. After 11 innings of tension, one mistake had ended it all.
Next up, Los Angeles heads to the NLCS, where they’ll face either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers. Shohei Ohtani will start Game 1, looking to bounce back after a quiet series at the plate but a strong outing in Game 2. It wasn’t pretty, but it was pure postseason baseball – messy, tense, and unforgettable.
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