Los Angeles flexes muscles with 11run first inning
ARLINGTON, Texas — Max Muncy’s grand slam capped a recordsetting 11run first inning for the Dodgers, who coasted to a 153 rout of Atlanta on Wednesday that cut their National League Championship Series deficit to 2 games to 1.
The slam by Muncy off Grant Dayton was the third homer in the first, the highestscoring inning in a majorleague postseason game. It was among a franchiserecord five homers for the Dodgers, who set a team record for postseason runs.
“It’s pretty cool. Not too many things that are cooler than that,” Muncy said. “But the biggest thing to me is our team got a W and got us back on track.”
Joc Pederson hit a threerun homer off starter Kyle Wright as part of a fourhit night, and Edwin Rios went deep on the next pitch. Corey Seager had two RBI hits in the opening outburst, then added a solo homer in the third as the Dodgers built a 150 lead — the first team with that many runs in the first three innings of a postseason game.
Winner Julio Urias made his first postseason start and improved to 30 in these playoffs, striking out five and allowing one run and three hits over five innings. He walked the first two batters but no others.
Atlanta’s miserable start was eerily similar to the Braves’ flop in Game 5 of last year’s Division Series against St. Louis, when they gave up a 10run first inning at home in a seasonending start by Mike Foltynewicz.
Threetime NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will start Game 4 for the Dodgers, two nights after he was scratched because of back spasms. Bryse Wilson makes his postseason debut as the third rookie righthanded starter for Atlanta in this series in what will be his first appearance since the final day of the regular season, Sept. 27.
“We still are in a good spot with four games left,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “Like I say, for the whole team, you just turn the page and get ready to go tomorrow.”
The Dodgers had left the potential tying run at third base after a fourrun bottom of the ninth in an 87 loss Tuesday. They were the visiting team in Game 3 and sent 14 batters to the plate in the first inning Wednesday for seven hits, three walks and a hit batter over 32 minutes in the the 29,786th halfinning in postseason history.
“That was fun to be a part of,” Pederson said. “I think some of the momentum from last night, the last inning definitely carried over and got us feeling a little bit more comfortable at the plate.”
Those 15 runs over two innings Tuesday and Wednesday came after the Braves had allowed only nine runs in their previous six games plus eight innings, a stretch that included four shutouts en route to a 70 postseason start.
Reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger walked and scored in the first, led off the second with a homer and added an RBI single in the third. His long ball came right after his running, leaping catch at the center field wall to rob Ozzie Albies with two on to end the Atlanta first.
“It’s not ideal how we started the series, but we feel good about ourselves,” Bellinger said.
Wright gave up seven runs while facing only nine batters. He had had thrown six scoreless innings in the Game 3 NL Division Series clincher over Miami last Thursday.
Nine consecutive L. A. batters reached with two outs in the first. Will Smith had an RBI double and Bellinger walked before the homers by Pederson and Rios. After No. 9 batter Chris Taylor walked, Dayton walked Betts, gave up the the RBI single to Seager and hit Turner with a pitch on the foot before Muncy’s 435foot slam to rightcenter.