The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the MLB postseason with a win in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Reds, but the Dodgers bullpen nearly turned a blowout into disaster. For most of the night, Los Angeles dominated. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez carried the offense while Blake Snell controlled the strike zone. A 10-2 lead after seven innings looked secure. Instead, the Dodgers bullpen made fans sweat in a game that never should have been close.
According to ESPN Research, Dodgers relievers needed 59 pitches in the eighth inning alone. That total set an unwanted record, the most in a single playoff inning since at least 1988. What should have been a comfortable win became another reminder that the Dodgers bullpen remains a glaring weakness. Snell’s strong start and the home run barrage saved the result, but the relief corps nearly spoiled it. As the NL Wild Card Series moves forward, Los Angeles must prove it can close games without a meltdown.
The chaos began when Alex Vesia allowed two of three hitters to reach. Manager Dave Roberts called on Edgardo Henriquez, but his overpowering stuff again came with no command. He issued back-to-back walks and gave up a single that cut into the lead. Rookie Jack Dreyer followed and walked another batter to trim the margin to five. At that point, 50,555 Dodger Stadium fans grew restless as the inning dragged on.
In 164 postseason games where a team trailed by at least eight runs, only one had ended in a comeback. That moment came in 1929, when the Athletics stormed back against the Cubs. The Reds nearly joined that rare company.
Dreyer settled down at the right time. He won an 11-pitch battle with Tyler Stephenson before inducing a groundout from Ke’Bryan Hayes, stranding the bases loaded. Blake Treinen delivered a clean ninth inning, finally allowing the crowd to breathe. Yet the damage to the Dodgers bullpen’s reputation was clear. Even in victory, the garbage bullpen found a way to make history for all the wrong reasons.
Can the Dodgers fix their garbage bullpen in time to advance through the MLB postseason after the Reds exposed them in Game 1?
