Braves even NLDS with 3-2 Game 2 win over Dodgers
In short
Michael Harris II tripled and scored the go-ahead run on reliever Kris Bubic's wild pitch in the fifth inning as the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night in Los Angeles, evening the National League Division Series at a game apiece. Max Muncy's two-out homer in the ninth pulled the Dodgers within a run before Raisel Igelsias closed it out, according to The Boston Globe. Fox News later published commentary asking whether the Dodgers' dynasty is already in jeopardy.
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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 in Los Angeles to even the National League Division Series at a game apiece, the Associated Press and The Boston Globe reported. Braves manager Walt Weiss said of the split: “Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it's awesome.” [ 1 , 3 ]
Atlanta led 1-0 in the first on Mauricio Dubón's bases-loaded, two-strike single to shortstop with two outs, after Mookie Betts made a diving stop but threw too late to get Ronald Acuña Jr. at first, according to the Globe. Freddie Freeman tied it at 1 with a two-strike solo homer off Braves reliever Grant Holmes in the fourth, facing his former team for the first time in the postseason. After Betts walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to open the fifth, Atlanta's bullpen retired the next 14 Dodgers hitters, and Los Angeles stranded seven runners over the first five innings, the Globe reported. [ 3 ]
Harris also singled in the third and added an RBI double to right against reliever Edgardo Henriquez with two outs in the seventh, coming up a home run short of the cycle, according to the AP and the Globe. The game became a bullpen effort for both teams after the Braves chased Dodgers starter Blake Snell after 3 2/3 innings. The AP said it was Snell's shortest postseason start since 2022 with San Diego; the Globe reported the two-time Cy Young Award winner threw 90 pitches, only 47 of them strikes, giving up one run and three hits with five walks and five strikeouts, and needed 27 pitches to get through the first. [ 1 , 3 ]
Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer off Didier Fuentes pulled the Dodgers to 3-2 in the ninth, but Braves closer Raisel Igelsias earned his second save by getting pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third to end the game, the Globe reported. The Globe said runs were hard to come by after the teams combined for five homers in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory in Game 1, and that Ohtani went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts and was not a factor for the second straight game. [ 3 ]
Fox News later published commentary in which Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter broke down the 3-2 result, with Harris joining the crew; the network asked whether the Dodgers' dynasty is already in jeopardy. The piece said statements such as “They're ruining baseball,” “They've built a superteam” and “Too many fans and teams have no hope of their team reaching or winning the World Series” have become recurring phrases from Major League Baseball or its fans, and said that for much of the 2026 season owners demanded a salary cap in upcoming labor negotiations as a direct result of the Dodgers' spending. It noted that the New York Mets have missed the postseason for two consecutive seasons despite a top-2 payroll, and cited the Giants' and Angels' futility despite their big markets and payrolls. The page carried affiliate links to legal sports betting partners and a note that the content was created independently from the Fox newsroom. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The result leaves the best-of-five series level at one game each after the Dodgers won Game 1, giving the Braves the split in Los Angeles that manager Walt Weiss called “awesome.” Fox News framed the loss as a test of a Dodgers team it says has won back-to-back World Series titles, and used it to raise a labor question: the network said owners have demanded a salary cap in upcoming negotiations as a result of the Dodgers' spending.
Key facts
- The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night in Los Angeles, evening the National League Division Series at one game apiece. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Michael Harris II tripled and scored the go-ahead run on reliever Kris Bubic's wild pitch in the fifth inning. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Harris added an RBI double against Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh and singled in the third, finishing a home run short of the cycle, according to the Associated Press and The Boston Globe. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Mauricio Dubón drove in Atlanta's first run with a bases-loaded, two-strike single in the first inning. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Dodgers starter Blake Snell lasted 3 2/3 innings; the AP called it his shortest postseason start since 2022 with San Diego, and the Globe reported he threw 90 pitches, 47 for strikes, giving up one run and three hits with five walks and five strikeouts. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer in the ninth cut the Braves' lead to 3-2, and Braves closer Raisel Igelsias earned his second save by getting pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third. [ 3 ]
- Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts and, the Globe reported, was not a factor for the second straight game. [ 3 ]
- Fox News published commentary in which Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter discussed the Braves' win, asking whether the Dodgers' dynasty is already in jeopardy and noting owners' demands for a salary cap in upcoming labor negotiations. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Braves beat the Dodgers 3-2 in Game 2, tying the National League Division Series at one game apiece. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Michael Harris II tripled and scored the go-ahead run on a Kris Bubic wild pitch in the fifth inning. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Mauricio Dubón drove in a run for Atlanta in the first inning. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Specifics of the finish, including Max Muncy's ninth-inning homer off Didier Fuentes, the Igelsias save and Snell's pitch count. These details appear only in The Boston Globe's account and are not corroborated by the other documents.
- Who said the statements quoted in the Fox News commentary, such as “They're ruining baseball” and “They've built a superteam.” The Fox piece presents them as recurring phrases used by Major League Baseball or fans without attributing them to a named speaker.
- Whether the Dodgers' run is in jeopardy and how the salary-cap dispute will be resolved. These are contested opinions and open questions raised in the Fox News commentary, not settled facts.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Associated Press publishes its English-language recap of the Braves' 3-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 in Los Angeles. [ 1 ]
- The Associated Press publishes a Spanish-language headline on the same result, calling it a tense 3-2 game. [ 2 ]
- The Boston Globe publishes its recap, adding Snell's pitch count, Muncy's ninth-inning homer and the Igelsias save. [ 3 ]
- Fox News publishes commentary on the loss, asking whether the Dodgers' dynasty is in jeopardy and citing salary-cap demands in upcoming labor negotiations. [ 4 ]