Michael Harris II Leads Bullpen-Powered Braves Past Dodgers 3-2 to Level NLDS
Atlanta chases Blake Snell early and survives a late Max Muncy homer to head home with the series tied 1-1
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File photo: Michael Harris II of the Atlanta Braves batting against the Boston Red Sox in May 2024. Photo: Thomson200, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
LOS ANGELES — Michael Harris II tripled and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, then doubled in an insurance run, as the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night to even their National League Division Series at a game apiece, the Associated Press reported.
Harris also singled in the third inning, finishing a home run short of the cycle. His two-out triple in the fifth, his first in the postseason, was followed by reliever Kris Bubic's wild pitch that put Atlanta ahead 2-1. His RBI double off Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh made it 3-1.
Kerr and Fuentes carry the bullpen game
With manager Walt Weiss giving ace Chris Sale extra rest, Atlanta used six pitchers. Opener Ray Kerr held the Dodgers scoreless for the first 2 2/3 innings, and 21-year-old Didier Fuentes allowed one run over 3 2/3 innings, MLB.com reported. His four-seam fastball averaged 99.4 mph, up from 97.3 mph in the regular season.
Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer off Fuentes in the ninth cut the gap to 3-2 before closer Raisel Iglesias got pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to end the game.
"Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it's awesome," Weiss said.
"It was super emotional and very exciting," Fuentes said through an interpreter, according to MLB.com.
Snell chased early
Dodgers starter Blake Snell lasted only 3 2/3 innings, his shortest postseason start since 2022, walking five while throwing 90 pitches, AP said. He was not available to reporters after the game, having left the ballpark because of a family emergency, a team spokesman said.
Mauricio Dubón's bases-loaded single gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the first, and Freddie Freeman tied it with a solo homer in the fourth while facing his former team for the first time in the postseason. Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts.
"We got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run. That's our biggest thing right now," Freeman said.
The Dodgers won Game 1 5-3. After a travel day, the series moves to Atlanta, where Sale is set to face Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 on Tuesday.
Sources: Associated Press (via ABC News); MLB.com
