The San Diego Padres edged out the Los Angeles Dodgers with a close 6-5 victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five format. With this win, they stand a chance to clinch the series in front of their home crowd as early as tomorrow.
On October 8, a record crowd of 47,744 filled Petco Park, eager to witness the pivotal matchup. The Dodgers’ starting pitcher, Walker Buehler, started strong with a perfect first inning. However, in the second inning, defensive errors plagued the Dodgers, allowing the Padres to capitalize. Following a single that opened the inning, Buehler faced two opportunities for double plays that fell through due to fielding mistakes and a throwing error. This led to the Padres not only tying the game but also taking the lead with a two-run double from David Peralta and a sacrifice fly from Kyle Higashioka. Later in the inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a two-run homer, resulting in a shocking six-run inning that left Buehler frustrated as he returned to the dugout, visibly upset and slamming his glove.
Despite a tough game, the Dodgers fought back. Mookie Betts, who had a home run taken away the previous day, hit a solo shot in the first inning. By the third inning, consecutive hits from Miguel Rojas, Shohei Ohtani, and Betts set the stage for Teoscar Hernandez, who belted a grand slam, narrowing the gap to just one run.
Padres starter Michael King allowed five hits over five innings but gave up five runs due to two home runs. Buehler managed to limit the damage after the second, finishing his outing with seven hits and six earned runs. As both bullpens took over, neither team surrendered any more runs. For the Padres, closer Robert Suarez took the mound early in the eighth inning and delivered a perfect performance, culminating with a 100 mph fastball strikeout against Gavin Lux to secure the narrow victory.
Shohei Ohtani, leading off for the Dodgers, went 1 for 4 on the day. His only hit came from a broken-bat single in the third inning, setting up Hernandez’s grand slam, but he also struck out twice, leaving him with a batting average of .231 after the game.
