Dodgers Beat Braves 4-1 to Win NLDS and Reach NLCS

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Oct. 7 in Atlanta to win their National League Division Series 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series. The Guardian

The Division Series is a best-of-five, first team to three wins moves on. Los Angeles took it with back-to-back wins in Atlanta after the teams split the first two games in Los Angeles.

Game 4 stayed tight until the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Andy Pages singled to drive in two runs and give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

Max Muncy added insurance in the ninth. He hit a solo home run off Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias to make it 4-1.

It was Muncy's 19th postseason home run with the Dodgers. That extended his franchise record for playoff homers.

Tyler Glasnow started for Los Angeles and gave up just one hit in four and two-thirds innings. He walked five and struck out five, working around traffic without letting Atlanta break through.

The bullpen held it from there. Edwin Díaz retired the side in order in the ninth to earn the save, which means finishing off a close lead to close the game.

What makes this stand out is how the Dodgers won on the road. Atlanta went 52-29 at home during the regular season and finished 94-68 overall ahead of Game 4, according to pregame reporting. Yahoo Sports Los Angeles beat them twice in two nights anyway.

The series swung in Game 3. Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 over seven innings and Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer in a 3-1 Dodgers win on Oct. 6. ESPN

That followed a split in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won the opener 5-3 on Oct. 3 in 100-degree heat. ESPN Atlanta answered with a 3-2 win on Oct. 4 to tie the series 1-1.

For fans, this means the defending champions keep playing. Los Angeles entered this postseason as back-to-back World Series winners. The next round, the Championship Series, decides the National League pennant and a trip to the World Series.