Game 1 of the NLCS ended in wild fashion. The Dodgers had a chance to score in the top of the ninth with Chris Taylor on base and Cody Bellinger at the plate. Bellinger came through with a soft liner over Ozzy Albies, but Taylor got caught in a messy rundown between second and third. Dansby Swanson noticed too late and trapped Taylor. That stalled the inning, and the Dodgers came away with nothing.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Braves capitalized. Freddie Freeman struck out on three pitches, but Albies followed with a flare into shallow right. He then stole second after a couple of pickoff attempts, beating the tag with a flashy headfirst slide. That put him in scoring position for Austin Riley, who ripped a walk-off double down the line. Albies came home as Riley ditched his helmet mid-celebration. It was Riley’s first career walk-off hit, and it gave the Braves a 1-0 series lead. The Braves showed sharp baserunning, while the Dodgers’ blunder cost them.