Dodgers Hit 5 Homers Beat Reds
Dodgers Power Past Reds with Five Homers, Move Closer to Phillies in NLDS
LOS ANGELES — The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers inched one step closer to a showdown with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series, powered by five home runs in a dominating win over the Cincinnati Reds. The five homers tied a franchise record for a playoff game.
Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández each went deep, while Shohei Ohtani showcased his postseason power with two long balls of his own.
Dodgers starter Tyler Snell (1-0) allowed two runs on four hits while striking out nine and walking one in his first playoff start since 2022, when he pitched for the San Diego Padres.
Cincinnati starter Hunter Greene (0-1) struggled, giving up five runs on six hits — including three home runs — over just three innings. Greene struck out four and walked two as the Reds searched for their first playoff win since 2012. Elly De La Cruz drove in two runs and scored once for Cincinnati.
The Reds’ offense finally stirred in the late innings, scoring all five of their runs over the final three frames.
Ohtani Launches Early, Dodgers Take Control
Shohei Ohtani set the tone in the opening inning, turning a 100.4 mph fastball from Greene into a line-drive home run down the right-field line that left the bat at 117.7 mph.
“It was a really hard pitch to hit, but I felt like I reacted pretty well, and I was glad to help the team score early,” Ohtani said.
Los Angeles widened the lead in the third inning. With one out, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy walked, setting the stage for Hernández, who crushed a homer to left field for a 4-0 lead. Edman followed with a long ball down the right-field line just two pitches later.
“It was a big homer from Teo, and overall our lineup has been able to move guys over and score in key situations,” Ohtani said. “We had a pretty good flow to the game today.”
Reds manager Terry Francona was blunt about Greene’s struggles. “He didn’t locate, and he threw a couple of breaking balls — one to Teoscar and the next to Edman — that weren’t where he wanted. When you make mistakes, they really make you pay.”
Hernández added his second homer of the night in the fifth off Connor Phillips, marking his second career multi-homer postseason game. Ohtani followed with his second homer in the sixth, also off Phillips, earning his first multi-homer game in the playoffs. Ohtani’s display came after a record-setting 55-homer regular season.
Reds Fight Back, But Dodgers Respond
De La Cruz drove in a run for Cincinnati in the seventh and later scored on a Tyler Stephenson double. The Dodgers quickly responded, capitalizing on an error by Reds right fielder Noelvi Marte and an RBI single from Ben Rortvedt to push their lead to 10-2.
The Dodgers bullpen faltered briefly in the eighth. Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jack Dreyer combined to allow three runs and four walks, including bases-loaded walks to Sal Stewart and De La Cruz, and an RBI single by Spencer Steer.
“It’s a big deficit,” Francona said. “That’s a lot to ask, but they kept playing and that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
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