PITTSBURGH, PA — The Los Angeles Dodgers are headed back to the World Series for a third consecutive season after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 at PNC Park to clinch the National League Championship Series.
Shohei Ohtani delivered a dominant performance on the mound, tossing five scoreless innings while striking out six to earn his first postseason victory. While Ohtani’s bat was quiet in an 0-for-4 night with three strikeouts, Los Angeles received plenty of offense from the rest of its lineup.
Mookie Betts led the way with three hits, including a solo homer in the second inning that opened the scoring. The Dodgers expanded their lead in the fourth when Kyle Tucker launched a two-run homer to make it 3-0.
Pittsburgh got on the board in the sixth thanks to a solo shot from Bryan Reynolds, but Los Angeles responded with three runs in the seventh to build what appeared to be a comfortable 6-1 advantage.
The Pirates refused to go away quietly. Trailing 6-2 entering the ninth, Pittsburgh mounted one final rally against closer Edwin Díaz. With two outs and two runners aboard, Brandon Lowe crushed a 422-foot three-run homer to center, suddenly trimming the deficit to 6-5 and sending a jolt through the crowd.
The Dodgers’ celebration was briefly put on hold, but Díaz regrouped and induced a game-ending flyout from Danny Jansen to secure the pennant.
Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits over four innings.
The victory sends Los Angeles to its third straight World Series appearance. The Dodgers will now await the winner of the Tigers-Mariners ALCS as they pursue a third consecutive championship.
