(Los Angeles) Chris Taylor slammed three homers and produced six runs, guiding the Los Angeles Dodgers to a landslide 11-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.
AJ Pollock added two homers and four RBIs for the Dodgers, who won a seventh straight game facing elimination, looking back to last year.
The Braves still lead that Nationale championship series, 3-2, but they will have to remember that the Dodgers were trailing 0-2 and 1-3 against them in the 2020 championship series and the Dodgers. ‘Atlanta had not been able to close the door.
The sixth meeting will take place on Saturday in Atlanta, where the Braves will have two more chances to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1999.
After hitting just four hits in a 9-2 loss in Game 4, the Dodgers put eight balls in place in three innings against starter Max Fried. Dave Roberts’ men ended the night with 17 hits, a team record for a playoff game.
The Los Angeles team had four consecutive hits against Fried in the second inning. Pollock tied it with a homerun and Taylor sent the first shot he saw over the left field fence to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Opening the game on third base to replace injured Justin Turner, Taylor became the second Dodgers player to hit three long balls in a playoff game. Kiké Hernández had achieved the feat in the 2017 championship series, against the Chicago Cubs.
Taylor had a single run in the third inning to increase the lead to 4-2. He hit a homerun in the fifth, sending a Chris Martin shot over the fence in center field.
Taylor made a comeback in the seventh inning, this time at the expense of Dylan Lee. He had the opportunity to tie a Major Baseball record with a fourth homerun in one game, but was struck out on momentum in the eighth.
Albert Pujols has been on the trails three times, including once on a walked base. He scored two points. The 41-year-old veteran had two singles.
The Dodgers put on a strong showing after opener Joe Kelly gave Freddie Freeman a two-run homerun in the second inning. Kelly left the mound after 28 throws due to stiff right biceps.
Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Corey Knebel and Kenley Jansen all worked together to allow just three hits.
Eddie Rosario had two hits in four home games for the Braves. Fried allowed five runs and eight hits in four two-thirds innings of work.