Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Harris’s three hits help Braves beat Dodgers 3–2 to tie NLDS
Atlanta’s six pitchers protected a narrow lead, sending the series home at 1–1 with Chris Sale lined up for Game 3.
Michael Harris II had three hits as the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3–2 in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 4. A six-pitcher effort held up despite a ninth-inning home run, leaving the best-of-five National League Division Series tied 1–1.
Harris turns two-out hits into the decisive runs
Mauricio Dubón’s bases-loaded infield single put Atlanta ahead in the first inning. Freddie Freeman’s solo homer tied the game in the fourth. Harris then tripled with two outs in the fifth and scored on Kris Bubic’s wild pitch. The triple put Harris in position; the wild pitch brought him home for a 2–1 lead.
Harris doubled home Matt Olson with two outs in the seventh, making it 3–1. That extra run mattered when Max Muncy homered in the ninth. Harris also singled in the third, finishing a home run short of the cycle.
Six pitchers divide the 27 outs
Kerr’s 2⅔ innings supplied eight outs, and Fuentes’ 3⅔ innings supplied 11. Grant Holmes, Dylan Lee and Robert Suarez combined for seven outs between those two outings; Iglesias supplied the last one. The total is 27 outs from six pitchers, including opening pitcher Kerr and five relievers.
Fuentes entered in the sixth with Atlanta leading 2–1, before Harris added the third run. He retired his first 11 batters before Muncy’s two-out homer cut the score to 3–2 in the ninth. Iglesias then got pinch hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third, ending the game.
Traffic on the bases rarely becomes runs
Dodgers starter Blake Snell gave up one run in 3⅔ innings, but needed 90 pitches and walked five. Atlanta left 11 runners on base. Even its bases-loaded first inning produced only one run, keeping Los Angeles close enough for Freeman’s homer to tie it.
The Dodgers finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners. Their two runs came on solo homers. Atlanta’s ability to protect its existing lead mattered because its hitters had also left opportunities unused; Harris’s two later scoring contributions supplied the difference.
The series returns to Atlanta level
Sale is scheduled to start Game 3 on Tuesday, October 6, in Atlanta against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Both teams now need two more wins to reach the National League Championship Series. Whoever wins Game 3 will move one victory from advancing.
Our Game 1 report explains how three Los Angeles homers produced the Dodgers’ 5–3 opening win. The other NLDS has a different shape: Milwaukee’s 4–3 win over San Diego put the Brewers ahead 2–0 and one win from advancing. Atlanta’s victory leaves its own series level, with both clubs still needing two wins.
