The Atlanta Braves delivered a dramatic finish Wednesday night, rallying for a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a back-and-forth matchup between two National League division leaders.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, pinch-hitter Ha-Seong Kim lined a single to bring home Lane Thomas, sending the Braves to their second straight win over Los Angeles.
Thomas started the winning rally by doubling to right field against Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott. Atlanta then intentionally walked Austin Riley, putting the potential winning run in scoring position and bringing Kim to the plate.
Kim came through with the decisive hit, sending Thomas across the plate and giving Atlanta another dramatic victory over the Dodgers. Scott (1-5) suffered the loss for the second consecutive night after also taking the defeat in Tuesday’s series opener.
Victor Mederos (3-1) earned the win for Atlanta after pitching a perfect ninth inning. The Braves received home runs from Matt Olson and Sean Murphy. Olson launched his 37th homer of the season, while Murphy connected for his first home run, helping Atlanta build a 5-3 lead.
Los Angeles repeatedly answered Atlanta’s offensive surges. Tommy Edman provided much of the Dodgers’ offense, hitting a two-run homer in the third inning to put Los Angeles ahead 3-1. Edman finished with three RBIs.
Atlanta responded in the fourth. Riley delivered a sacrifice fly before Drake Baldwin ripped a two-run double, giving the Braves a 4-3 advantage. Baldwin finished the night with three hits.
Murphy’s home run in the sixth extended Atlanta’s lead to 5-3, but the Dodgers refused to go away. Los Angeles tied the game in the seventh. Mookie Betts singled home Shohei Ohtani, and Edman followed with a bases loaded walk to make it 5-5.
Atlanta’s Didier Fuentes found himself in trouble after issuing the walk, but he escaped the inning by getting Kyle Tucker to line out and inducing Alek Thomas to hit into a double play.
The Braves had another opportunity in the eighth when they loaded the bases, but Mauricio Dubón grounded into a double play, keeping the game tied and setting the stage for the ninth-inning heroics.
Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shawver pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki also surrendered four runs on six hits before leaving the game with a blister after recording one out in the fourth inning.
The victory gave the Braves another impressive win over one of the National League’s top teams, while Kim’s clutch hit provided a memorable ending to an entertaining game that featured multiple lead changes and late inning drama.
