The Braves walked into Game 2 of the NLDS needing a win, and they got one in the kind of tense, nerve-rattling finish that can flip a series. Atlanta avoided falling into an 0-2 hole against the Dodgers, and the bullpen did the heavy lifting after the start didn’t go the way many wanted.
There was plenty of debate before first pitch about manager Walt Weiss choosing not to start Chris Sale in a game that carried so much weight for Atlanta. But once the game got going, the Braves’ relief corps answered in a big way. Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes each delivered playoff outings for the ages, helping keep Atlanta alive while Blake Snell worked through a night when he didn’t have his best stuff but still managed to limit the Braves’ offense.
What stood out almost as much as the baseball, though, was what was happening in the stands. As the game tightened up and the Braves were still very much in it, Dodgers fans at the ballpark were already streaming toward the exits before the result was settled.
“Dodgers fans heading for the gates after eighth inning. pic.twitter.com/MSbrA4S9Uw
- Ken Sugiura (@ksugiuraajc) October 5, 2026”
That early departure has become its own story. It’s one thing to leave a game early because life gets in the way or traffic is calling.
It’s another to watch fans pour out during a two-run playoff game that wound up being decided by just one run. The Dodgers were trying to mount a late rally, and instead of a roaring crowd pushing with them, the building was draining out around them.
The contrast with how Atlanta is often viewed was hard to miss. The Braves took heat last week for crowd sizes during day playoff games in the middle of the work week, even though MLB’s scheduling played a major role.
The source also points out that local Atlanta columnists have previously spread misleading information about Braves attendance in pursuit of clicks. That criticism tends to stick in one direction, even when other fan bases show the same kind of impatience.
Now the series shifts back to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4, both scheduled as night games. Braves fans should be there in force, even if, as the source notes, nobody seems likely to make as much of it.
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