The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers opened their postseason bid with a thunderous display of power and dominance Tuesday night, slugging five home runs — including two each from Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández — in a 10-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series.
Blake Snell delivered seven strong innings in his first playoff start since 2022, striking out nine and allowing just two runs on three hits. His effort gave the Dodgers room to flex their muscle at the plate as Los Angeles tied a franchise postseason record with five homers while racking up 15 hits.
Ohtani, who belted a career-high 55 home runs during the regular season, wasted no time electrifying Dodger Stadium. He turned on a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds starter Hunter Greene in the first inning, sending a 117.7 mph liner into the stands for a leadoff homer — the fastest pitch he’s ever homered against in his MLB career. The two-way superstar added a towering 454-foot, two-run blast in the sixth, his first multi-homer postseason game.
“I just wanted to set the tone,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “We know how important it is to start strong in a short series.”
Hernández, meanwhile, delivered the knockout blows. He crushed a three-run homer in the third after Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy drew walks, then followed with another blast in the fifth, becoming the sixth Dodger to hit multiple homers in a postseason game. Tommy Edman joined the power parade with a solo shot in the third to give L.A. a commanding 5-0 lead.
Greene, making his postseason debut in front of family and friends in his hometown, struggled under the bright lights. The 25-year-old right-hander lasted just three innings, giving up five runs, three homers, and six hits on 65 pitches. “It’s not the way I envisioned it,” Greene admitted. “But I’ll learn from this.”
The Reds mounted some late resistance. Matt McClain doubled in the third for Cincinnati’s first hit, and Elly De La Cruz’s RBI groundout and Tyler Stephenson’s double pushed across two runs in the seventh. A shaky Dodgers bullpen performance in the eighth allowed the Reds to claw closer, as Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jack Dreyer combined to walk four batters and surrender three runs on 59 pitches. The Dodgers’ once-comfortable lead shrank to 10-5 before the inning mercifully ended.
Still, the Dodgers’ offensive outburst proved more than enough. With the win, Los Angeles moved within one victory of advancing to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series.
Game 2 is set for Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, with Dodgers rookie ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA) taking the ball against Reds right-hander Zack Littell (10-8, 3.81 ERA).
“We’ve been here before, but this team is hungry to do it again,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Tonight was a good first step.”
