Tarik Skubal dominates in 100-degree heat as the Dodgers beat the Braves 5-3 in NLDS opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tarik Skubal tossed six dominant innings in triple-digit heat, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy homered, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Saturday.

The game-time temperature of 100 degrees (38 Celsius) fell just short of equaling the Dodger Stadium record of 103 degrees at Game 1 of the 2017 World Series. The feels-like temperature was 105 degrees, with umpires chugging water between innings and fans shielding their heads with giveaway towels on a cloudless day.

Skubal was cool, though.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed one run and two hits, struck out seven and walked two while starting a postseason game at home for the first time in his career. His previous playoff starts were all on the road for the Detroit Tigers, who traded him to the two-time defending World Series champions just before the Aug. 3 deadline.

“To go through six in these conditions I thought was fantastic," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “and I thought the bullpen did a fine job.”

Skubal's 63 strikeouts are the second-most in a pitcher’s first seven postseason appearances behind Bob Gibson’s 74.

“It was a ton of fun,” Skubal said. “I've got a lot of respect for the fans that came out and showed up today. It’s not easy. It’s 100 degrees. The sun was on us the entire game.”

Game 2 at Dodger Stadium is Sunday evening, when an extreme heat warning remains in effect.

Hernández and Tucker both went through major slumps at the plate during the season. But they came up big with two-run homers against the Braves' bullpen. Atlanta's rotation got upended during its three-game NL Wild Card Series win over Philadelphia, with the Braves using ace Chris Sale in relief in the deciding game.

“We’ve been going through a lot this year, but we stayed together,” Hernández said. “We have each other’s back. We’re going to continue to try to do our best and try to do our job so we can keep winning.”

Hernández and Tucker had nearly identical stat lines. Hernández went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs; Tucker finished 2 for 4 with a run and two RBIs.

Tucker had the worst regular season of his career after signing a $240 million, four-year deal with the Dodgers as a free agent. His offensive output sharply declined from his All-Star days with Houston and the Chicago Cubs.

Hernández stumbled through July and August before a swing fix sparked a September turnaround.

“The bigger the moment,” Hernández said, “the more focused I get.”

The Braves managed just four hits. Sean Murphy's two-strike, 421-foot homer leading off the sixth left them trailing 2-1.

Ronald Acuña Jr. singled leading off the ninth against reliever Tanner Scott, who then served up a 432-foot homer to Ozzie Albies that cut the lead to 5-3. Scott got two outs before Evan Phillips induced a groundout by Austin Riley with a runner aboard to earn the save.

Braves starter Dylan Dodd tossed three scoreless innings and gave up only singles to Shohei Ohtani in the first and Mookie Betts in the third.

The Dodgers broke through against Atlanta's bullpen in the fourth. Losing pitcher Victor Mederos walked Freddie Freeman before serving up Hernández's 431-foot shot to left-center, making it 2-0.

Still bothered by nagging arm and knee issues, Ohtani batted second behind Betts. The four-time MVP lined to second with a runner on to end the third and flied out with a runner on in the fifth.

Tucker went deep in the sixth and Muncy added a solo shot off AJ Smith-Shawver two batters later, extending the lead to 5-1.

The Braves did not announce a starter for Game 2 against Dodgers LHP Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Kiké Hernández, right, celebrates with center fielder Andy Pages (44) and right fielder Kyle Tucker after the Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani looks on from the dugout during the eighth inning of Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Atlanta Braves' Ozzie Albies celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the ninth inning of Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman fields a ball before throwing to first for the out on Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. during the fourth inning of Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández watches his two-run home run during the fourth inning of Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal works against an Atlanta Braves batter during the first inning of Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

An air ambulance carrying six people may have been “coming in blind” with electrical problems when a storm loomed ahead of it early Saturday shortly before it vanished in the waters off Nantucket.

The pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as it approached the coast on the flight from Bermuda, according to air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net. “Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” a controller can be heard asking the pilot.

That makes Mary Schiavo, who is a former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, think the plane may have lost its navigational instruments just as a storm moved across its path on radar. The plane also descended sharply from its cruising altitude of around 24,000 feet to around 10,000 feet, according to preliminary data from flight tracking site FlightRadar24.

“Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm. It’s a terrible place to have a loss of your instruments and be flying blind,” said Schiavo, who is an aviation attorney. “It’s very easy to get disoriented and not know if you’re turning, climbing, descending, etc. Spatial orientation hits pretty quickly.”

The Canadian-registered air ambulance jet had four crew members and two passengers aboard when it departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport overnight for the flight to Massachusetts, according to a statement from the Bermuda airport's operator, Skyport.

Four of the six people on board the flight that went missing early Saturday were Canadian nationals, the country’s Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon said on X. Transport Canada is closely monitoring and working with authorities on search and rescue efforts, he said.

The Coast Guard said the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the Gulfstream G100 had lost contact very early Saturday morning. The search for the jet included crews in the air and on the water, the Coast Guard said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the situation Saturday, but did not say immediately if it would investigate.

FILE - A U.S. Coast Guard cutter is seen in New York on May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)