LOS ANGELES — It was the shot that left the Cincinnati Reds shell-shocked.
The ball came in at 100.4-mph.
It was sent out at a stunning 117.7 mph.
Shohei Ohtani circled the bases, and even though he was just the first batter of the night Tuesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the game was all but over at that point.
And by the end of the night, with the Dodgers clobbering the Reds, 10-5, hitting five homers – including two apiece by Ohtani and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez – they were checking out the temperatures in Philadelphia. Why not, they’ll soon be packing their suitcases for a trip to play the Phillies in the National League Division Series.
Oh, sure, you still need to win two games in this best-of-three wild-card series, but the way the Dodgers dominated the Reds in Game 1 in front of 50,555 at Dodger Stadium, they left no doubt that they plan to make this as short a series as possible.
The Dodgers knocked Reds ace Hunter Greene out of the game after three innings, punishing him with three home runs, while Dodgers starter Blake Snell put on a pitching clinic.
The last time Snell faced the Reds Aug. 2, 2024 the San Francisco Giants, he pitched his first career no-hitter.
This night, the Reds produced all of one hit, and struck out nine times in the first six innings.
Snell’s domination against the Reds is so ridiculous that entering the seventh inning, when the Reds finally snapped their 29-inning postseason scoreless streak, they were 1-for-42 against Snell dating back to the no-hitter.
That is an .029 batting average.
Snell wound up pitching seven innings, giving up four hits and two runs with his nine strikeouts, throwing 91 pitches.
The Dodgers will now send out Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday night, against Redsstarter Zack Littell, trying to close out the series, hopefully saving Ohtani for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Phillies.
The Reds, of course, knew that this was David vs. Goliath before the series started.
The Dodgers have won the NL West title 12 times in 13 years, with four pennants and two World Series championships during this stretch.
The Dodgers had six All-Stars in the starting lineup, and one on the bench. They had three MVPs in the lineup, and one that didn’t make their playoff roster.
The Reds had one All-Star in the lineup, and their last MVP won the award 15 years ago, and is retired.
This is the Reds’ first postseason appearance in a full season since 2013. They haven’t even won a postseason series since 1995.
The Dodgers have a luxury tax payroll of $416 million.
The Reds’ payroll is $119 million.
So, yes, you do the math.
“I don’t know, I don’t think I brought that up once all year,’’ Reds manager Terry Francona said about their payroll disparity. “I never will, because I was on the other side in Boston .. but we don’t have the ability to outspend mistakes. So, you try not to make very many of them.
“Once the game starts, nobody’s going to care what you’re making. That’s what I love about it, let’s go play baseball.’’
Well, the Dodgers, with five players on the field earning at least $20 million, did just that, showing just why they make the big bucks.
“That’s why I came here,” said Snell, who signed a six-year, $182 million free-agent contract last winter. “Get to the postseason, and see how good I can be. …To face the best when the stakes are highest, that’s what I’ve always wanted.”
It’s no different for Ohtani, who once again showed why he’s worth every penny of his $700 million contract. He not only produced the hardest-hit homer off a 100-mph since MLB began using Statcast in 2015, but hit a 454-foot homer that went halfway up the pavilion in the sixth inning off right-handed reliever Connor Phillips.
The Dodgers became the fifth team in postseason history to have two players produce multi-homer games, last accomplished by Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS with Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos.
The Reds, who call themselves “cockroaches” that can’t be killed, at least showed what can happen if they can get into the Dodgers’ bullpen, getting the tying run to the on-deck circle until Jack Dreyer finally shut the door.
The Reds are hoping their comeback bid will have a carry-over entering Game 2, with the Dodgers wanting to believe their bullpen woes were just a mere blip.
In the meantime, the forecast in Philadelphia this weekend is a balmy 77 degrees with no rain.
The Dodgers may want to pack the sunscreen.
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Dodgers survive eighth-inning scare
The Reds pushed three runs across to make it 10-5 and got the tying run to the on-deck circle with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the eighth. But Jack Dreyer got Tyler Stephenson and Ke’Bryan Hayes to escape the jam.
Dodgers tack on two more to take 10-2 lead
After giving up two runs in the top of the seventh, the Dodgers scored twice in the bottom of the frame, getting a run on a throwing error and then an RBI single from Ben Rortvedt.
Reds score two in the seventh
Cincinnati got on the board in the top of the seventh with an RBI when Elly De La Cruz hit an RBI groundout against Blake Snell and came around to score on Tyler Stephenson’s RBI double, cutting the Reds’ deficit to 8-2.
Snell is done after seven stellar innings, giving up four hits and two runs with nine strikeouts and one walk in his first postseason start for the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani hits second homer
With a 6-0 lead in the sixth inning, Shohei Ohtani crushed a 454-foot two-run homer off Cincinnati’s Connor Phillips for his second home run of the game.
The Dodgers became the fifth team in history to have two players each hit multiple home runs in the same postseason game, according to Sarah Langs.
Teoscar Hernandez clubs second home run
Having already dealt the big blow in the Dodgers’ four-run third, Teoscar Hernandez hit an opposite-field solo homer off Reds reliever Scott Barlow in the bottom of the fifth to extend the Dodgers lead to 6-0.
Hunter Greene done after three innings
Reds ace Hunter Greene was replaced by Scott Barlow to start the fourth inning, bringing Greene’s postseason debut to an end. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up six hits – three of them home runs – and five earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks.
Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman go back-to-back
Last year’s World Series hero Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run homer off Hunter Greene in the bottom of the third and Tommy Edman followed with a solo shot to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0.
Shohei Ohtani home run leads off Game 1 for Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers MVP Shohei Ohtani, who played with one healthy shoulder last year in the World Series, reminded everyone just what he can do this postseason when he’s healthy.
Ohtani jumped on Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene’s 100-mph fastball and sent it into the right-field pavilion, traveling 117.7 mph off his bat in Game 1 of the wild-card series.
Dodgers-Reds underway in Chavez Ravine
Blake Snell struck out Reds leadoff hitter TJ Friedl to begin Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. Snell is making his 13th career postseason appearance, pitching 48⅔ innings or the Rays and Padres.
Dodgers lineup tonight
- Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
- Mookie Betts (R) SS
- Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
- Max Muncy (L) 3B
- Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
- Tommy Edman (S) 2B
- Andy Pages (R) CF
- Enrique Hernández (R) LF
- Ben Rortvedt (L) C
Reds lineup tonight
- TJ Friedl (L) CF
- Noelvi Marte (R) RF
- Miguel Andujar (R) DH
- Austin Hays (R) LF
- Spencer Steer (R) 1B
- Elly De La Cruz (S) SS
- Tyler Stephenson (R) C
- Ke’Bryan Hayes (R) 3B
- Matt McLain (R) 2B