2020 NLDS
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The 2020 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) to determine the participating teams in the
2020 National League Championship Series The 2020 National League Championship Series was the best-of-seven series between the two 2020 National League Division Series, National League Division Series winners, the 2020 Atlanta Braves season, Atlanta Braves and the 2020 Los Angeles Dodger ...
. These matchups were: *(1)
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
(West Division champions) vs. (4) San Diego Padres (West Division 2nd place): Dodgers win series 3–0. *(2)
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
(East Division champions) vs. (6)
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...
(East Division 2nd place): Braves win series 3–0. Due to the
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, all games for each of the two series were held at two neutral sites at
Globe Life Field Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. It is located just south of Choctaw Stadium, the Rangers' former home ballpark. History Background On May ...
in
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and at
Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...
in
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas. The games were televised nationally by FS1 and MLB Network. Both series ended in a
sweep Sweep or swept may refer to: Cleaning * Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean * Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys * Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets * Swept quartz, a clean ...
for the first time in the NL since
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, as the Dodgers and Braves advanced to the NLCS. The Dodgers went on to defeat the Braves in the NLCS, then won the
2020 World Series The 2020 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2020 season. The 116th World Series was a best-of-seven-playoff between the American League (AL) champion Tampa Bay Rays and the National League (NL) champion Los Ang ...
over the American League champion
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
. This was the Dodgers' first World Series title since 1988.


Background

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MLB season was reduced to 60 games. As part of a special postseason format, playoff berths were made available for eight teams in each league: three division winners, three division runners-up, and two wild card teams. With no first round byes for division winners, all teams were required to play in a Wild Card series. Between the two leagues, Central division teams claimed three of the four wild card berths and thus made up seven of the sixteen teams in the Wild Card. However, all seven Central division teams lost their Wild Card series, thus leaving the Division series in both leagues to be contested exclusively by teams from Eastern and Western divisions. The Dodgers entered the NLDS as the top seed, having completed the regular season at and winning the NL West. The Braves won the NL East, going . The two second place teams in their respective divisions, the Marlins and the Padres, also made the NLDS. Since 2012, when MLB removed the stipulation that two teams could not play each other in the NLDS if they were in the same division, there had been six occasions when an NLDS had at least one series with two division opponents. This was the seventh time that this occurred, and also the first time since the strike-affected
1981 National League Division Series The 1981 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 1981 National League playoffs which began on Tuesday, October 6, and ended on Sunday, October 11. The Division Series was created on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major ...
(where division opponents were assured of facing each other on a one-time basis) that both NLDS match-ups consisted of division opponents facing each other. As part of the terms set for postseason, all games starting with the division series would be played at neutral sites. The Dodgers and Padres played at
Globe Life Field Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. It is located just south of Choctaw Stadium, the Rangers' former home ballpark. History Background On May ...
, while the Braves and Marlins played at
Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...
. The higher seed served as the "home team" (i.e., batted second each inning) for Games 1, 2, and 5, while the lower seed as the "home team" for Games 3 and 4, mirroring the 2–2–1 format typically used in the Division Series.


Matchups


Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres


Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins


Los Angeles vs. San Diego

This was the first postseason match-up between the Dodgers and Padres. The Dodgers won six of ten games against the Padres during the 60-game regular season. This was the first postseason series to feature two California teams since the
2002 World Series The 2002 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s 2002 season. The 98th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Anaheim Angels and the National Leag ...
and first ever with teams from
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
.


Game 1

Mike Clevinger Michael Anthony Clevinger (born December 21, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. Clevinger ma ...
returned to the mound for the Padres but was pulled after one inning after a noticeable drop in velocity. The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when the Padres scored on a two-out hit from
Austin Nola Austin Kyle Nola (born December 28, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners. Nola was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
. San Diego enjoyed their lead briefly – until the Dodgers scored on an error in the fifth. Then a game that had been well-pitched to that point boiled over in the sixth, when the Dodgers put up four runs to win by a 5–1 score. Just like Game 3 of their wild card win over the Cardinals, the Padres used nine pitchers and walked ten batters, along the way.


Game 2

Before the game, the Padres removed injured starter Mike Clevinger from the roster and replaced him with
Dan Altavilla Daniel Altavilla (born September 8, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners from 2016 through 2020, and the San Diego Padres from 2020 throu ...
. The Padres took an early lead in the second inning when
Wil Myers William Bradford Myers (born December 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padre ...
hit a double to center field that scored
Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston R ...
. The Dodgers took the lead for good in the third inning on a two-run double by Corey Seager and a single by
Max Muncy Maxwell Steven Muncy (born August 25, 1990) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Baylor Bears. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in t ...
, and padded their lead the next inning on a
Cody Bellinger Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball center fielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected ...
home run. The Padres began the sixth inning with back-to-back home runs by
Manny Machado Manuel Arturo Machado (; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Very highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he at ...
and
Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
that reduced their deficit to one, but Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw retired the next three batters to end the inning. The Padres threatened again in the seventh inning, when Bellinger made a spectacular catch over the center-field wall that would otherwise have been a go-ahead two-run home run by
Fernando Tatís Jr Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
. The Dodgers padded their lead in the bottom half of the seventh on a Justin Turner
sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...
and a single by Muncy. The Padres threatened in the top of the ninth inning, scoring two runs on hits by
Mitch Moreland Mitchell Austin Moreland (born September 6, 1985), nicknamed "2-Bags", is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres ...
and
Trent Grisham Trenton Marcus Grisham ('' né'' Clark; born November 1, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, who selected him in the first ...
off Dodgers closer
Kenley Jansen Kenley Geronimo Jansen (born September 30, 1987) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Signed by the ...
and once again reducing their deficit to a single run. Joe Kelly replaced Jansen with Grisham on first base and two outs, and walked Tatís and Machado to load the bases before getting Hosmer to ground out to end the game.


Game 3

The Dodgers took an early lead in the second inning that was quickly erased when the Padres scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Padres' lead was also short-lived, as the Dodgers scored five runs in the third inning en route to a blowout win. Though he did not
start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...
the game, erstwhile Dodgers starter
Julio Urías Julio César Urías Acosta (born August 12, 1996), nicknamed "El Culichi", is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Dodgers signed him in 2012, and he made his MLB debut in 2016. ...
pitched five innings in
relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
, allowing one run on one hit, striking out six Padres, and getting credited as the
winning pitcher Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...
. The Padres, meanwhile, used 11 pitchers – a postseason record for a nine-inning game. The Dodgers advanced to their fourth
NLCS The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National ...
in five seasons. The Dodgers'
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
had five hits in the game, becoming the first catcher, the first player in Dodgers franchise history, and the ninth major league player ever to accomplish the feat in a postseason game. The Dodgers would go on to win the World Series a few weeks later, making them the first World Series winner to sweep the Division Series since the Wild Card Game/Round was introduced in
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.


Atlanta vs. Miami

This was the second postseason match-up between the Braves and the Marlins. Their previous postseason meeting was in the
1997 National League Championship Series The 1997 National League Championship Series (NLCS) pitted the Florida Marlins against the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins won the series, 4–2, and went on to defeat the Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series. Background Both teams hailed from ...
, which the Marlins won in six games. The Braves won the season series 6–4 in ten meetings during the 60–game regular season.


Game 1

Ronald Acuña Jr. Ronald José Acuña Blanco Jr. (born December 18, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). After signing with the Braves as an international free agent in 2014, Acuña made his ...
led off the Braves’ day with an opposite field home run (facing
Sandy Alcántara Sandy Alcántara Montero (born September 7, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent in 2013, and made his MLB ...
), setting the tone for his club. The Marlins would take the lead in the third off of a
Garrett Cooper Garrett Nicholas Cooper (born December 25, 1990) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees. Early life and education Garrett Nicholas Co ...
double that plated two runs and a Brian Anderson single that scored Cooper. After a pair of runs in the third to draw within one run, the Braves would break the game open in the seventh against a fatigued Alcántara,
Yimi García Yimi García (; born August 18, 1990) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and Houston Astros. He signed wit ...
, and James Hoyt, via a
Travis d'Arnaud Travis Emmanuel d'Arnaud (born February 10, 1989), nicknamed Lil D, is an American professional baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the supplemental first round ...
three-run home run. The Braves’ six-run seventh also featured a two-run shot from
Dansby Swanson James Dansby Swanson (born February 11, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him firs ...
. Things turned testy in the third when Acuña was
hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization in ...
by a 98-mph fastball. The showy All-Star outfielder held onto his bat and walked a few steps toward the mound before umpires and Braves coaches surrounded him and directed him away from Alcántara, who had started to walk toward him. After the game, Alcántara said about the incident:


Game 2

Rookie
Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist w ...
turned in a scoreless start, lasting 5 innings and striking out eight. The Braves bullpen did not allow a hit after that to secure the win. Just as in Game 1, Travis d'Arnaud and Dansby Swanson both homered. Both were solo shots and the only runs in the game. The Braves became third team in MLB history to toss shutouts in three of their first four games to begin a postseason. The other two teams were the 1905 New York Giants and 1966 Baltimore Orioles.


Game 3

Kyle Wright pitched six scoreless innings and was backed up by two RBIs from both Travis d'Arnaud and Dansby Swanson. The Braves became the first team in MLB history to have two back-to-back shutouts in the same postseason. This was the first NLDS victory for the Atlanta Braves since
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
and the first postseason series loss for the Miami Marlins since the franchise came into existence in 1993.


See also

*
2020 American League Division Series The 2020 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine participating teams in the 2020 American League Championship Series. Those matchups were: * (1) Tampa Bay Rays (East Division ...


References


Further reading

* *


External links


Major League Baseball postseason schedule
{{San Diego Padres National League Division Series National League Division Series Atlanta Braves postseason Los Angeles Dodgers postseason Miami Marlins postseason Baseball in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Baseball in Houston NationalLeague Division Series Sports competitions in Houston 21st century in Arlington, Texas 2020s in Houston National League Division Series National League Division Series