Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts were a combined 0-for-9 and the Phillies got some early runs against Ohtani, but in the end, the Dodgers finished off the Phillies in a 5-3 game 1, which now gives Los Angeles home field advantage with their 1-0 lead in games.

While the Phillies did some things well, they also did some things badly. Their first four hitters – Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm – were a combined 1-for-13 and David Robertson allowed two runs in 0.1 innings of relief. In the second inning, Bohm led off with a walk, Brandon Marsh singled and J.T. Realmuto tripled to make it 2-0. One out later, Harrison Bader lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to add the third run against Ohtani.

While they had Ohtani in trouble early, they couldn’t knock him out of the game until he had pitched six innings and struck out nine batters. By that time the Dodgers had moved within a run when Kike Hernandez doubled with runners on first and second. Both runs were charged to Cristopher Sanchez, who started for the Phillies and was lifted after Hernandez’ double.

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Robertson got the final out in the sixth, but gave up a single and hit a batter in the seventh causing manager Rob Thomson to lift him for lefty Matt Strahm to face Ohtani. Strahm struck Ohtani, for the leadoff hitter’s fourth strikeout of the game. Strahm then got right-hand hitting Mookie Betts to pop up to Alec Bohm for the second out with runners still on first and second. Strahm then got a 1-0 pitch up to Hernandez, who didn’t miss it and delivered a three-run home run to right center field for a 5-3 Dodgers lead.

Strahm got out of the inning, Orion Kerkering retired the side 1-2-3 in the eighth, and Jhoan Duran gave up just a two-out walk to Ohtani in the ninth.

The Phillies had the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth and Thomson had a decision to make. The Dodgers brought in lefty Alex Vesia to face left-handed hitting Brandon Marsh and Thomson decided to go to Edmundo Sosa to pinch-hit. Sosa flied out to center on a 1-1 pitch from Vesia to end the inning. With one out, Max Kepler doubled in the ninth and with Harrison Bader having strained a hamstring, Thomson sent Nick Castellanos to the plate to pinch-hit against Roki Sasaki, who had pitched in relief for the first time in his career less than a month ago, but has moved into the closer’s role. Castellanos grounded to second to move Kepler to third and Sasaki then got Bryson Stott to pop-up to third for the final out.

Ohtani got the win, Sasaki got his first postseason save, and Robertson took the loss.

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