Dodgers begin quest for third straight World Series title by holding on for Game 1 win over Braves, tell me about this news today

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their 2026 postseason with a 5–3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) at Dodger Stadium, kicking off their pursuit of a third consecutive World Series championship.

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Pitching Duel in the Heat

Braves starter Dylan Dodd and the Atlanta bullpen held the Dodgers scoreless through three innings. Meanwhile, Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal pitched through 100-degree temperatures, striking out seven batters across six dominant innings while allowing just two hits and one run. Skubal retired 15 consecutive batters until Sean Murphy broke through with a solo home run in the sixth inning to get Atlanta on the board.

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Power Surge at the Plate

The Dodgers answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth:

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• Kyle Tucker followed a Teoscar Hernández single by driving a 408-foot, two-run homer over the right-field fence off AJ Smith-Shawver.

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• Max Muncy extended the lead shortly after with a solo shot, giving the Dodgers a comfortable 5–1 advantage.

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• Earlier in the contest, Hernández also contributed heavily, homering to establish the Dodgers’ early momentum.

Ninth-Inning Tension

Atlanta staged a rally in the top of the ninth when Ozzie Albies launched a two-run homer off reliever Tanner Scott, cutting the margin to 5–3. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to Evan Phillips for the final out. Phillips walked Mauricio Dubón to bring Austin Riley to the plate as the tying run, but Phillips induced a groundout to Mookie Betts to secure the save and close out the win.

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The Dodgers hold a 1–0 lead in the best-of-five series, with Game 2 scheduled at Dodger Stadium.