Riley hits game-winning single in 9th
ATLANTA – Austin Riley homered and drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Saturday night.
Blake Treinen struck out Freddie Freeman to open the ninth before giving up Ozzie Albies’ bloop single to center field. Albies stole second before Riley followed with his line drive into the leftfield corner.
“That was my mindset – put something in play and see what happens,” Riley said after delivering the first walkoff hit of his career.
The 24-year-old slugger spread his arms in celebration as he rounded first base before getting mobbed by teammates in a happy swarm that carried into shallow center field.
“As soon as he hit it, I took off,” Albies said. “I started yelling, screaming all the way to home plate.”
Riley also homered in the fourth. The teams are meeting in the NL Championship Series for the second consecutive season. The Dodgers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win last year’s playoff in seven games before also winning the World Series.
Game 2 is Sunday night in Atlanta before the series shifts to Los Angeles.
The Dodgers wasted a scoring opportunity in the top of the ninth. Will Smith got two outs before walking Chris Taylor. Pinch-hitter Cody Bellinger hit a soft single to right field, but Taylor got caught in a rundown between second and third that started with right fielder Joc Pederson’s throw to shortstop Dansby Swanson.
“I thought if he would have kept going, he might have had a chance at third,” Riley said. “But that was a great play by Dansby. Just being able to get out of that inning there was huge.”
The Dodgers outhit the Braves 10-6 but left runners on base in each of the first seven innings except the fourth.