The Braves walked off the field Tuesday night with a 4-3 win over the Dodgers, but it was a ninth-inning shot from Shohei Ohtani that nearly turned the whole thing around.
Atlanta was at Truist Park, and that mattered. Ohtani opened the ninth with a triple against closer Raisel Iglesias, but Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game pointed out that the ball was close to leaving the yard.
“There are only two ballparks in Major League Baseball where Shohei Ohtani's lead-off triple last night against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias is not a home run. Truist Park is one. PNC Park is the other,” McAuley posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Ohtani hit a 1-0 sinker to left field for the extra-base hit. The Dodgers still had a chance after that, but Freddie Freeman struck out, Mookie Betts grounded out and Max Muncy was intentionally walked. Tommy Edman then flied out to center, and the Braves escaped with the win.
Clayton Kershaw also made his broadcasting debut in the booth during the game, though he didn’t get to watch the Dodgers finish the night with a victory. The loss snapped Los Angeles’ six-game winning streak.
The Dodgers are now 80-52 and sit first in the NL West. The Braves improved to 77-55 and remain first in the NL Central.
Los Angeles is second in the National League, while Atlanta is third, a setup that could point toward an NLDS matchup between the two clubs. The series continues Wednesday night at Truist Park.
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Braves Could Lock In Two Veterans For Crucial Roster Stability
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From the Braves perspective, the appeal is obvious: the farm system has promising arms and bats, but not enough ready-made answers to fill every important hole right now. That leaves a window for a pair of veterans to become more than short-term fixes if the sides can find common ground before free agency arrives. The question is whether the Braves decide to move early again, and whether Dubon and Mahle are willing to buy into that kind of longer-term fit. [Read more 🡒]