Skubal sets the tone as Dodgers take Game 1

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers wanted their postseason opener to set the tone for another October run.

Tarik Skubal did exactly that.

On a brutally hot Saturday afternoon at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium, 100 degrees at first pitch as Skubal delivered the kind of performance the Dodgers envisioned when they handed him the ball for Game 1. The left-hander overpowered the Braves for six innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out seven and walking two.

The Dodgers supplied the rest.

Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy each homered, giving the Dodgers an early power surge and enough breathing room to withstand a late push from Atlanta. The Dodgers held on for a 5-3 victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series.

If this is what October is going to look like for the Dodgers, they won't complain.

Power. Pitching. And a lineup that doesn't need to do much when its starting pitcher is this good.

“Not making one pitch bigger than it needs to be, just being pretty present,” Skubal said afterward. “I try to treat every start the same.”

It was anything but an ordinary start.

There was enormous expectation surrounding Skubal entering his first postseason appearance in a Dodgers uniform. He had been entrusted with the opening assignment as the Dodgers began its pursuit of a third consecutive championship, and he responded by looking like the ace the Dodgers believed they were getting.

At one point, Skubal retired 15 consecutive hitters.

The streak finally ended in the sixth when Sean Murphy got to an elevated 99-mph fastball and launched it out to cut the Dodgers' lead to 2-1.

That was the one mistake Skubal paid for. Otherwise, he was in command.

“The fastball was really good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Murphy clipped a ball above the zone but the changeup was really effective. Probably the hottest game he pitched in.”

He even joked afterward that he was trying to match the conditions.

Asked about touching 101 mph during the game, Skubal smiled.

“I think I was just trying to match the temperature out there.”

The temperature was difficult to ignore. So was the crowd.

Dodgers fans packed the stadium, 50,194 fans, despite the heat, turning Game 1 into an October spectacle.

“I have a lot of respect for the fans that showed up today,” Skubal said.

Muncy felt the same way.

“That’s probably one of the hottest games we’ve ever had here,” Muncy said. “To see it as packed as it was, shout out to the Dodgers fans. They were amazing.”

The Dodgers gave those fans plenty to cheer about.

Hernández got the offense started with a home run, and Tucker followed with perhaps the biggest swing of the afternoon.

Tucker launched a towering two-run shot to right field in the sixth inning, giving the Dodgers a 4-1 advantage.

For Tucker, it was his first postseason home run as a Dodger, and his 10th career postseason homer. It also provided an immediate change to a narrative that had followed him through the regular season. Tucker played 78 regular-season games at Dodger Stadium and hit five home runs. One postseason game later, he has one.

Roberts knows how quickly October can change the way a season is remembered.

“Our fans really remember what you do in the postseason,” Roberts said. “This is certainly a way to change the story for a season in 2026.”

Muncy made sure the Dodgers weren't finished.

The Dodgers' postseason home run king followed with a long ball of his own, his 17th career postseason homer as a Dodger. Suddenly, the concerns about the Dodgers power disappearing during the second half of the regular season seemed distant.

“It's the postseason, there's no lead that's safe,” Muncy said.

The Braves eventually made things interesting, but the Dodgers had built enough of a cushion to survive.

The Dodgers didn't need Skubal to be perfect. They needed him to give them a chance to win Game 1. He gave them much more than that.

Ohtani settles into the No. 2 spot

Shohei Ohtani began the postseason batting second behind Mookie Betts, a lineup decision Roberts said he believes is the best path forward.

The exact arrangement could change depending on the opposing starter. Roberts indicated whether Ohtani bats first or second could depend on whether the Dodgers are facing a right-hander or left-hander.

Ohtani got on base immediately in his first at-bat, singling in the first inning.

He went hitless in his next three trips, finishing 1-for-4. For a Dodgers lineup this deep, it hardly mattered.

Hernández summed up the mindset the Dodgers are taking into October.

“Whatever is in the past is in the past,” Hernández said. “It's about what I can do in my at-bat, pitch-by-pitch to help this team win 10 more games this year.”

Looking ahead

Blake Snell will take the ball for the Dodgers in Game 2, while Atlanta has yet to announce its starter. Braves manager Walt Weiss said the club would likely wait until Sunday to make a decision, with Chris Sale among the possibilities.

The Dodgers also know Skubal could have another role later in the series.

Last postseason, the Dodgers leaned heavily on its starters in relief appearances. Asked whether he would be comfortable doing the same if needed, Skubal didn't hesitate.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said.

That versatility could matter before this series is over.

So could the relationship Skubal has developed with Snell. Roberts said the two left-handers frequently discuss how they attack hitters and what makes them successful.

“They're two of the best pitchers, not only left-handed pitchers, but pitchers in the game,” Roberts said. “How they talk about attacking hitters, what makes them good, I think it only sharpens the knife.”

For one afternoon, Skubal didn't need much sharpening. He simply needed the ball. The Dodgers gave it to him. He gave them six innings, seven strikeouts and a Game 1 victory.