LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ray Kerr is becoming an unlikely postseason hero for the Atlanta Braves.
The former convenience store and movie theater worker struck out four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani on a 95-mph four-seam fastball in the Braves' 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night that evened their National League Division Series at a game apiece.
“He did it again for us, just amazing,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “He's throwing the ball so well.”
Ohtani was one of a season-high-tying four strikeouts for Kerr, a 32-year-old lefty reliever who found out in the morning that he'd be starting Game 2 that night. He allowed two hits and walked one in 2 2/3 innings.
“I didn’t really have much pressure on me,” Kerr said, explaining that he had breakfast with his wife and baby who are on the trip and went swimming. “And then when I got to the field, I developed my process in my head. Just an hour before the game, stretch, and get out there and only throw for like five, six minutes.”
Kerr was the opener in the Braves' NL Wild Card Series Game 3 clincher over the Philadelphia Phillies, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings, with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
“It’s been fun. It’s very surprising,” he said. “It’s like one night, all of a sudden, I got a thousand followers on Instagram. I’m getting used to it. I’m just going to be myself throughout it.”
At 13, Kerr landed in the foster care system in Reno, Nevada, because his father was in prison and his mother was absent. He and his brother were eventually taken in by a woman who provided the stability that had been lacking in their lives.
Kerr graduated from high school in Reno and played baseball at Mendocino College in Northern California for two years before quitting the sport. He returned home and took jobs at a 7-Eleven and a theater.
A coach at Lassen College in the Sierra Nevada foothills convinced Kerr to join the team. He went on to play in the Alaska Baseball League in 2017, where his fastball touched 93 mph. That August, he signed with the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent.
In 2021, he was traded to the San Diego Padres. The following season he reached the majors for the first time, appearing in seven games before being sent down to Triple-A in 2023. Late that year, he was traded to the Braves and started the 2024 season at Triple-A.
He had Tommy John surgery, ending his season in June and keeping him out all of 2025. He returned this year and got selected to Atlanta's active roster in August.
Kerr made his season debut on Aug. 17, and posted a 1.47 ERA over 18 1/3 innings in nine appearances. Left-handed hitters — like Ohtani — hit .174 against him with a double being the only extra-base hit he allowed.
The Braves are headed back to Atlanta for Game 3 on Tuesday, when ace Chris Sale is expected to start.
“It’s going to be crazy there,” Kerr said. “The crowd’s going to be beautiful to watch. I already know it. Especially against the Dodgers.”
And if Kerr gets the nod to take down more innings again, he'll tell himself “All right, let's get it.”
“That's what I say every time,” he said, “and then I stick to it.”
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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ray Kerr works against a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the first inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ray Kerr, center, bumps fists with catcher Drake Baldwin as he exits during the third inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ray Kerr exits during the third inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Harris II tripled and scored the go-ahead run on reliever Kris Bubic's wild pitch in the fifth inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night to even the National League Division Series at a game apiece.
“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
Harris' RBI double to right against reliever Edgardo Henriquez added an insurance run with two outs in the seventh in what turned into a bullpen game for both teams when the Braves chased Dodgers starter Blake Snell after 3 2/3 innings — his shortest postseason start since 2022 with San Diego.
Harris also singled in the third, coming up a home run short of hitting for the cycle.
“Michael had a great game,” Weiss said. “Postseason, you never know what’s going to happen. There’s no blueprint. There’s no playbook. There seems to always be unsung heroes in the postseason.”
Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer off Didier Fuentes pulled the Dodgers to 3-2 in the ninth. Braves closer Raisel Igelsias, their fifth reliever, earned his second save after getting pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third to end the game.
“They’re going to use any pitcher, try to get every matchup possible,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They're going to ride certain guys, and obviously they use their bullpen accordingly.”
Runs were hard to come by after the teams combined for five homers in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory in Game 1.
After Mookie Betts walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to open the fifth, Atlanta's bullpen retired the next 14 consecutive Dodgers' hitters.
Los Angeles stranded seven runners on base over the first five innings. Ohtani, the four-time MVP, wasn’t a factor for the second straight game, going 1 for 4 with two strikeouts.
"If you look at the at-bats, there’s a lot of chase,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone.”
The Braves retook the lead, 2-1, on Bubic’s wild pitch after Harris' two-out triple, his first ever in the postseason.
Freddie Freeman tied it at 1 on a two-strike solo shot off Braves reliever Grant Holmes in the fourth while facing his former team for the first time in the postseason.
“We got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run. That's our biggest thing right now,” Freeman said. “Get guys on base, get that big hit and hope that our pitching keeps doing good.”
Snell struggled throughout, never finding a rhythm. The two-time Cy Young Award winner threw 90 pitches and only 47 for strikes. He gave up one run and three hits, walked five and struck out five.
Snell needed 27 pitches to get through the first, when he had only three more strikes thrown than balls. He wasn't available to speak with media after the game, having left the ballpark due to a family emergency, a team spokesman said.
The Braves led 1-0 on Mauricio Dubón’s bases-loaded, two-strike single to shortstop with two outs in the first. Betts made a diving stop, but his throw to first was too late, allowing Ronald Acuña Jr. to score after singling and stealing second.
Ray Kerr started the game for the Braves, who elected to give Chris Sale extra rest ahead of his start in Game 3.
Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers' sixth reliever, loaded the bases in the eighth on a walk, hit by pitch and an intentional walk with one out. Acuña hit into an inning-ending double play.
After a travel day, Braves LHP Chris Sale starts Game 3 on Tuesday in Atlanta against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, center, looks on during the second inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani exhales while batting during the third inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell appeals to an umpire on a swing by Atlanta Braves' Lane Thomas during the fourth inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Atlanta Braves' Mauricio Dubón hits an RBI single during the first inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the seventh inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
