MILWAUKEE — The inevitability of the Dodgers is a concept their opponents would rather not consider. This yearâ€s National League Championship Series pits the defending champs against a Brewers team that not only led the Majors in wins, but that beat the Dodgers six times in six tries during the regular season.
And yet for all the spunk it took for the Brewers to reach this point, and for all the moxie they demonstrated throughout NLCS Game 1 on Monday, it was still the Dodgers who scored a 2-1 victory behind Blake Snellâ€s eight one-hit innings. Freddie Freemanâ€s homer in the sixth inning and a Mookie Betts bases-loaded walk in the ninth was just enough offense for L.A.
It was the Dodgers who won despite their bases-loaded rally in the fourth inning ending on one of the most bizarre double plays in postseason history. It was the Dodgers who won despite not recording a hit over the first third of the game. It was the Dodgers who ensured the Brewers would never have much room to breathe, despite the Crewâ€s furious rally in the ninth.
Now, itâ€s the Dodgers who have the weight of history on their side. In postseason history, teams winning Game 1 in any best-of-seven series have gone on to take that series 126 of 194 times (64.9%). In series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams winning Game 1 on the road have gone on to take that series 40 of 71 times (56.3%).
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