LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Dodgers took game one of their opening game of a three-game series, 3-1, after a grueling pitchers duel Friday night between Emmet Sheehan and 2024 National League Cy Young award winner Chris Sale.
The 37-year-old Sale went seven innings, leaving with five hits (1 HR) and three runs allowed (two earned). He surrendered zero walks with seven strikeouts and threw 102 pitches, of which 76 were strikes. Normally, those numbers spell win. But not Friday evening, as Sale’s 26-13 Braves club could only score one run off of Sheehan, who struck out seven while giving up that one run. Then the Dodger bullpen took over and shut the door with 4.5 innings, using five relievers to get it done.
The lone Braves’ run came on a single off Sheehan in the second inning by a struggling Austin Riley that scored Michael Harris II, who was four for four in the win.
Austin Riley recorded his 23rd RBI of the 2026 season Friday night in Atlanta’s 3-1 loss to the Dodgers – Image Credit: MLB
Harris was cut down at the plate when Riley doubled off the left field wall and Teoscar Hernández (Cotui, Dominican Republic) followed the throw to shortstop Miguel Rojas (Los Teques, Venezuela) who threw a perfect strike to catcher Will Smith to end the inning.
It was Miguel’s bobblehead night, celebrating his 2025 World Series game seven ninth-inning tying home run.
Besides that game seven HR, he wasn’t finished—reaching on an error by shortstop Jim Jarvis that put him on second base, and scored what would become the winning run on a single in the fifth inning by Shohei Ohtani. Jarvis later made an an unreal catch while manning shortstop on a flyball from Kyle Tucker.
Los Angeles would add one more run in the sixth inning when Freddie Freeman hit a monster home run into the center field pavilion, making the score 3-1.
With this Dodger win Friday night, coupled with a San Diego loss to the Cardinals, LA now leads the Padres by two full games in the NL West division standings. On Saturday, the Dodgers will start Blake Snell on his bobblehead night, with the hope of having the same success as Rojas had on his special night.
Snell has been on the 15-day IL since late March with left shoulder fatigue, missing the first six weeks of the season and will be a welcome addition since Tyler Glasnow went on the 15-day IL with lower back spasms.
On the opposing end for Atlanta, the Braves will start Spencer Strider—first pitch scheduled for 9:10PM ET/6:10 PT.
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