Corey Seager homered again, Walker Buehler pitched six scoreless innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers pushed the NL Championship Series to Game 7 with a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
The Dodgers avoided elimination for the second time in less than 24 hours, and now have a winner-take-all game to try to get to their third World Series in four years. They haven't won a championship since 1988.
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Corey Seager homered again, Walker Buehler pitched six scoreless innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers pushed the NL Championship Series to Game 7 with a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Game 7 is Sunday night, with right-hander Tony Gonsolin expected to go for the Dodgers against 22-year-old rookie right-hander Ian Anderson, who has thrown 15 2/3 scoreless innings in his three postseason starts.
Fried allowed only two homers in his 11 starts while going 7-0 during the regular season, but the Dodgers went deep twice in three pitches.
The last batter Fried faced Saturday was Muncy, who struck out for the second out of the seventh. Fried allowed eight hits while striking out five and walking four.
Buehler threw 65 of his 89 pitches for strikes, allowing seven hits while striking out six without a walk. After Atlanta loaded the bases with three singles in a row to start the top of second — the last hit by his Vanderbilt roommate Dansby Swanson — the right-hander really brought the heat, with 10 consecutive fastballs to get out of the jam.
With Buehler out of Saturday’s game, Nick Markakis greeted Blake Treinen with triple to right leading off off the seventh and came home on a one-out double by Acuña.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Turner rounds the bases after a home run off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Corey Seager watches his home run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoSue Ogrocki)
Max Fried took his first loss all year for the Braves, who were trying to celebrate manager Brian Snitker's 65th birthday with the franchise's first World Series since 1999. But the young left-hander worked into the seventh without allowing another run after LA's three-run first.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler celebrates after striking out Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley during the sixth inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Game 7 is Sunday night, with right-hander Tony Gonsolin expected to go for the Dodgers against 22-year-old rookie right-hander Ian Anderson, who has thrown 15 2/3 scoreless innings in his three postseason starts.
Justin Turner also homered for the NL West champions, and Kenley Jansen threw a six-pitch ninth for his 18th career postseason save.
It was Jansen's first save chance in five appearances since closing out the Dodgers’ first playoff win this season in the wild-card round. He struck out the side on 12 pitches in Friday night’s 7-3 win.
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker talks with starting pitcher Max Fried during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Fried allowed only two homers in his 11 starts while going 7-0 during the regular season, but the Dodgers went deep twice in three pitches.
Seager pulled a towering shot to right on a 73-mph curveball, and Turner connected on a 93-mph sinker that went 418 feet to straightaway center. Max Muncy walked and scored after back-to-back singles by Will Smith and Cody Bellinger.
Seager, who homered twice in Game 4 on Friday night, has NLCS records with five homers and 11 RBIs, and still a game to play. His six homers overall are already a Dodgers postseason record.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Cody Bellinger hits a RBI-single against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoSue Ogrocki)
The last batter Fried faced Saturday was Muncy, who struck out for the second out of the seventh. Fried allowed eight hits while striking out five and walking four.
Mookie Betts, the 2018 AL MVP and first-year Dodger, made a leaping catch against the right field wall to end the fifth. While it wouldn’t have been a homer, it robbed Marcell Ozuna of extra bases, and the Braves a likely run.
Betts let out a emphatic shout while pumping both fists, then celebrated with center fielder Bellinger while Buehler held his right arm high in the air.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Corey Seager celebrates his home run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Buehler threw 65 of his 89 pitches for strikes, allowing seven hits while striking out six without a walk. After Atlanta loaded the bases with three singles in a row to start the top of second — the last hit by his Vanderbilt roommate Dansby Swanson — the right-hander really brought the heat, with 10 consecutive fastballs to get out of the jam.
Austin Riley struck out on a 98.7 mph pitch before Nick Markakis took a called third strike on 99.7 mph. Cristian Pache, the 21-year-old rookie who had an RBI in each of his first four NLCS starts, was retired on an inning-ending groundout.
It was a much different result than Buehler’s postseason debut two years ago in Game 3 of the NL Division Series, when the Braves also loaded the bases against him in the second inning. After a walk drove in a run, Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a grand slam on the next pitch for a 5-0 lead.
Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate a home run by Justin Turner during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoTony Gutierrez)
With Buehler out of Saturday’s game, Nick Markakis greeted Blake Treinen with triple to right leading off off the seventh and came home on a one-out double by Acuña.
The Braves had a strange sixth against Buehler, when Ozzie Albies hit a slow chopper down the first base line that was fielded by Muncy, who then made the tag before the ball popped out. Albies thought he was out and never touched first base. Muncy tossed the ball to Buehler, who tagged the runner already heading back to the Atlanta dugout.
Swanson followed with his third single, before a stolen base and throwing error by catcher Austin Barnes sent him to third base. Riley then hit a long, loud foul ball into the upper deck only feet foul in the left-field corner before he struck out.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Turner celebrates his home run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Turner rounds the bases after a home run off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Corey Seager watches his home run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game 6 of a baseball National League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP PhotoSue Ogrocki)