Dodgers pile up hits, eliminate San Diego

ARLINGTON, Texas — Justin Turner put the Dodgers ahead with a record-breaking hit in a big inning fueled by a nice stop-gonebad by Fernando Tatis Jr., and Los Angeles closed out a three-game NL Division Series sweep of the San Diego Padres with an 12-3 win Thursday night.

Will Smith set a Dodgers postseason record with five hits, and Joc Pederson had a two-run single to cap that decisive five-run third as Los Angeles advanced to its fourth NL Championship Series in five years — the Dodgers lost to the Washington Nationals in a five-game division series last season. It will be the Dodgers’ 14th NLCS, matching the St. Louis Cardinals for the most.

Turner’s RBI single made it 3-2 and was his 64th career postseason hit, breaking a tie with Steve Garvey for the most in Dodgers postseason history. That came right after Tatis, the 21-year-old budding superstar, made a diving play on Corey Seager’s hard grounder, but then tried to make a throw from his knee. The ball skipped along the dirt and past first baseman Eric Hosmer, allowing Mookie Betts to score the tying run.

After 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger was intentionally walked with two outs after already having a 2-0 count, AJ Pollock drove home Turner with a single, and Pederson lined his single over the outstretched glove of third baseman Manny Machado to make it 6-2.

Smith delivered an RBI single in the fourth and a two-run double in the ninth off the 11th Padres pitcher — a postseason record. Betts, a day after his 28th birthday and signed for 12 more years, scored three times and had a sacrifice fly.

Los Angeles will stay in Arlington to open the bestof-seven NLCS on Monday against Atlanta with fans in attendance for the first time during this pandemic-altered season.

The World Series will also be played in the Texas Rangers’ new $1.2 billion stadium with the retractable roof.