The Los Angeles Dodgers flexed their postseason muscle, launching five home runs—including two apiece from Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández—to crush the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series at a raucous Dodger Stadium. The defending World Series champions, who finished the regular season at 93-69 to claim the NL West, set the tone early and never relented, putting the upstart Reds (83-79) on the ropes in their first full-season playoff appearance since 2013.
The game ignited with Ohtani’s leadoff homer in the first, a 117.7 mph missile off Reds ace Hunter Greene’s 100.4 mph fastball, soaring into the right-field seats. It was a tone-setter from the two-time MVP, who has now homered in three of his four playoff plate appearances this October. “Shohei’s swing changes everything,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He gave us the spark we needed.” The Dodgers piled on in the third when Greene, already wobbling after issuing walks to Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, left a slider hanging for Hernández. The outfielder obliterated it for a three-run homer, and Tommy Edman followed with a solo shot, chasing Greene after 2.2 innings and five runs allowed.
Greene, Cincinnati’s 25-year-old flamethrower with a 3.45 ERA in the regular season, couldn’t replicate his July dominance against LA, where he’d fanned eight over six innings. “They came out aggressive, and we didn’t adjust quick enough,” Reds manager David Bell said. The Reds’ bullpen didn’t fare much better. In the fifth, Ohtani greeted reliever Scott Barlow with an opposite-field solo homer—his second of the night—while Hernández added another solo blast, making it 6-0. The duo’s multi-homer performance marked only the fifth time in postseason history two teammates achieved the feat in the same game. Ohtani finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, Hernández 3-for-3 with four.
Dodgers starter Blake Snell, a former Cy Young winner, battled through early traffic to deliver 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven. After a shaky first, Snell retired 17 straight Reds, leaning on a biting curveball and a fastball touching 97 mph. “I found my rhythm and just attacked,” Snell said. Cincinnati scratched back in the seventh, with Elly De La Cruz’s fielder’s choice driving in a run, and added four in the eighth via Spencer Steer’s RBI single and a bases-loaded walk off reliever Anthony Banda. But LA’s bullpen, anchored by Evan Phillips and closer Roki Sasaki’s 100 mph heat in a scoreless ninth, sealed the win.
The Reds, who clinched a playoff spot on the season’s final day, leaned heavily on De La Cruz’s speed and spark (2-for-4, one run). But their offense, which ranked middle-of-the-pack in runs scored during the regular season, couldn’t match LA’s firepower. Cincinnati’s pitching, a strength all year behind Greene and Andrew Abbott, crumbled under the Dodgers’ relentless lineup, which led the NL with 233 homers in 2025. Freeman chipped in a double and two walks, while Muncy’s patient approach set the table for the third-inning explosion.
The Dodgers’ depth, a hallmark of their championship run last year, shone despite injuries to stars like Mookie Betts earlier in the season. “This team’s built for October,” Roberts said. “We’ve got guys who can change a game with one swing.” The 10-run outburst outscored the combined totals of Tuesday’s other Wild Card games, underscoring LA’s dominance as they chase a second straight title.
Game 2 looms Wednesday at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the Dodgers sending Walker Buehler to the mound against Cincinnati’s Andrew Abbott. Buehler, who posted a 4.12 ERA in 2025 but has a 2.94 postseason ERA, aims to close out the series. The Reds, facing elimination, need their young core to ignite and their pitching to stabilize. “We’re not done yet,” De La Cruz said defiantly. “We’ll fight.” But with LA’s lineup clicking and Dodger Stadium buzzing, Cincinnati faces a steep climb to keep their postseason dreams alive.
