So here we are. The two teams that have circled each other for years, brushing past each other’s October exits, finally collide.
The Phillies and the Dodgers. Two clubs that have spent the last three seasons inhaling wins, collecting MVPs, and looking like October inevitabilities. Now they’ll share the same stage in South Philly, beginning Saturday in the National League Division Series.
Of course, because this is baseball, we don’t even know what time the curtain rises. That’s in the hands of the Yankees and Red Sox — naturally. If Boston wins the Wild Card series and moves on to face Toronto, Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park starts at 6:08 p.m. If the Yankees advance, first pitch moves to 6:38. Either way, the drama is already perfectly timed.
Of course, because this is baseball, we don’t even know what time the curtain rises. That’s in the hands of the Yankees and Red Sox — naturally. If Boston wins the Wild Card series and moves on to face Toronto, Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park starts at 6:08 p.m. If the Yankees advance, first pitch moves to 6:38. Either way, the drama is already perfectly timed.
A matchup years in the making.
Since the start of 2023, no teams in baseball have piled up more wins than the Dodgers (304) and Phillies (290). The Dodgers have cashed in those victories with two World Series titles in the last five years. The Phillies? They’re still chasing their first since 2008.
They’ve taken turns bowing out before the dream matchup could materialize — the Dodgers losing in the NLDS in 2023, the Phillies stumbling there in 2024. But now, after all the anticipation, the showdown finally arrives.
It almost reads like an All-Star Game program.
The Dodgers roll in with Shohei Ohtani, finally making his postseason pitching debut. They back him with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and the sheen of two recent championships.
The Phillies counter with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner — fresh off his batting title — and Kyle Schwarber, who’s spent the last six months looking like an MVP in waiting.
And that’s just the headliners. Both rosters are so stacked with award winners, potential October heroes, and storylines that the matchups feel endless.
The Phillies counter with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner — fresh off his batting title — and Kyle Schwarber, who’s spent the last six months looking like an MVP in waiting.
And that’s just the headliners. Both rosters are so stacked with award winners, potential October heroes, and storylines that the matchups feel endless.
Dodgers cruise past Reds
The Dodgers didn’t just survive the Reds in this Wild Card round. They ended the suspense with authority, finishing a two-game sweep with an 8–4 win that felt as inevitable as it was emphatic. And the star billing? Mookie Betts, of course. Four hits. Three doubles. Three RBIs. He didn’t just set the tone. He set a franchise postseason record for doubles in a single game. And then, just for variety, he threw in a leaping catch in right that snuffed out a Cincinnati rally before it could ignite.
Meanwhile, across 6⅔ innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned the Reds’ bats into background noise. Nine strikeouts. Two unearned runs. No panic. No cracks.
The Reds had their flickers — mostly from Sal Stewart, who knocked in three runs and gave Cincinnati life. But bases left loaded, chances wasted … that’s how October ends for underdogs.
By the ninth, it was left to Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old phenom jogged in, fired a spotless inning in his postseason debut, and sent the Dodgers east. Next stop: Citizens Bank Park.
Starting Pitchers NLDS Game 1
Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani (1–1, 2.87 ERA)
At long last, Ohtani the pitcher has a postseason stage. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 16 2/3 innings. He even silenced the Phillies over five no-hit innings in September. The Dodgers are done with restrictions — this time, he’s a full-go starter.
Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez (13–5, 2.50 ERA)
If you had penciled Sánchez into a Cy Young conversation two years ago, you would’ve been laughed out of the room. But here he is, leading the Phillies into October with Zack Wheeler sidelined. He ranked among the league’s best in innings, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts — the profile of an ace, no longer a placeholder.
At long last, Ohtani the pitcher has a postseason stage. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 16 2/3 innings. He even silenced the Phillies over five no-hit innings in September. The Dodgers are done with restrictions — this time, he’s a full-go starter.
Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez (13–5, 2.50 ERA)
If you had penciled Sánchez into a Cy Young conversation two years ago, you would’ve been laughed out of the room. But here he is, leading the Phillies into October with Zack Wheeler sidelined. He ranked among the league’s best in innings, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts — the profile of an ace, no longer a placeholder.
Dress rehearsal in South Philly
On Wednesday night, Citizens Bank Park opened its doors to more than 30,000 fans for a scrimmage. Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo each threw three scoreless innings. Bryce Harper? He went 3-for-4, including a blast into the center-field evergreens off Walker Buehler. Even in a glorified practice game, the place throbbed with that familiar October pulse.
That was the warm-up. Saturday is the real thing. Dodgers. Phillies. Finally.
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