Phillies Dominate Dodgers in Game 3
LOS ANGELES — In an impressive display, Kyle Schwarber smashed two home runs, including a notable shot over the right-field pavilion during the fourth inning, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night.
This marked Schwarber’s first home run of the postseason, and also the first long ball allowed by the Dodgers in the playoffs. He had gone hitless in his previous eight at-bats but hit a rocket off Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 96 mph fastball, soaring 455 feet into the stands.
With this achievement, Schwarber joined an elite group, becoming just the second player to hit one over the pavilion, the first being Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell back in the early ’70s. A nearby fan couldn’t help but point in disbelief as the ball vanished.
Game 4 in the best-of-five series is set for Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
Philadelphia’s pitching was strong; after Aaron Nola threw the first two innings, Ranger Suarez took over and pitched five innings, giving up five hits and just one run. He added four strikeouts to his performance.
The Phillies really ramped up their offense in the eighth inning, scoring five more runs. Notably, JT Realmuto hit a solo homer and Schwarber launched a two-run shot off Clayton Kershaw, who was making his first postseason relief appearance since 2019.
Interestingly, six of the Phillies’ twelve hits came during Kershaw’s final season with the Dodgers.
Yamamoto started strong, retiring nine of his first ten batters, but the Phillies found their rhythm in the fourth. After Schwarber’s home run, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm connected with singles. Harper subsequently scored on an errant throw by center fielder Andy Pages, with the ball sailing over third baseman Max Muncy into the Dodgers’ dugout. Boone advanced to third, and Brandon Marsh brought him home on a sacrifice fly, putting the Phillies ahead 3-1.
The offensive push continued in the fifth with back-to-back singles from Bryson Stott and Torii Turner.
Reliever Anthony Banda stepped in to manage the bases loaded situation. After Stott and Turner stole second base, he struck out Schwarber, then got Harper to fly out and issued an intentional walk to Boehm before striking out Marsh, narrowly escaping a bigger disaster.
The Dodgers initially took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Tommy Edman hit a home run on Suarez’s very first pitch.
Later, the Dodgers had a golden opportunity to even the score with two runners on base in the sixth inning, but Max Muncy grounded into a double play, ending their chances.
Kershaw faced a tense seventh inning, where he allowed three runners, yet managed to hold them scoreless as the legendary Sandy Koufax watched and applauded from the stands.
Notably, Dodgers’ hitters Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman collectively struggled, going 0-for-8 with three strikeouts, while Mookie Betts contributed with a triple and a single in four at-bats.
